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Originally Posted by simple dave
I just got my reader. Looks perfect. I notice, though, that when I try to power it up using the supplied AC adaptor - any place (on the brushed metal) that I touch give off a slight electric shock. When I unplug the cord it stopped. Also, using the usb to power the reader doesn't give off any shock, only the AC adaptor. Anybody experienced anything like that? Should I return the unit?? I'm loath to return the reader, after it took so long to get here ---  |
I would be very careful. This indicates a defective charger, with leakage between the AC power and the DC side. These are supposed to be isolated by design. In fact, the "box inside box" symbol on the adapter means it is "double-insulated" and so should have virtually no leakage.
If it leaks a little, it could leak a lot, the insulation to the AC power is compromised. Given that you are feeling a "tingle" and are not touching something that's grounded, there is the possibility you could get a more severe shock if you were touching something grounded.
You really can't get any sort of shock from 5.2V by itself, unless you (a) place it in your mouth or (b) penetrate the skin with needles or an open wound,
The fact that a meter does not read a high voltage from the metal to ground just means that the leakage path resistance is high--for now. (Voltmeters have their own resistance that drops the voltage measured through a high resistance).
I'm not saying the insulation in the charger will break down completely, but it's not comforting to see any sort of leakage. There are possible design decisions that could have been made in the power pack circuitry that could create a high-resistance (or capacitive) leakage path. Standards allow up to 1 milliamp (more than a "tingle" of leakage measured at twice the rated AC voltage. So it's possible that the designers of the power pack made the decision to allow some leakage (at the edge of detectability, say 0.1 milliamp) to save a few cents. Not very professional, if you ask me.
Anyway, based on international safety standards (I've had the not-do-fun experiennce of pushing a few products through tha regulation nughtmare), I'd be cautious. Any double-insulated device that causes a tingle when not soaking wet is potentially dangerous.
If you must use it, I would:
- plug the Reader in with the charger unplugged, then place it in a safe plage, then plug the charger it.
- Minimize contact with the Reader while charging
- Get a replacement charger or a use a different charging method.