MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Do You Feel a Tingle When Charging the Reader

dstampe · 03-17-2007, 08:01 AM

If the shocks (and these tingles are very low-current shocks) are only happening in 230-volt areas, then it may let Sony off the hook and maybe not. While the charger is UL listed (not CE, which would definitely test at 550 volts for leakage, and is required to make it "legal" in Europe), it is marked as 120-240 volts operation, so should have been tested at at least 500V.

Just another case of saving a buck by making the charger as cheap as possible, outsourcing the design and manufacturing to China. That's OK (I've done that myself, and the savings are huge), but it's still good practice for the company that is using the adapter to test it for leakage themselves. International safety standards are for injusry or lethality, not for comfort, and "tingles" are not acceptable market-wise even if technically legal.

03-17-2007, 08:01 AM	#11
dstampe dstampe Posts: 50 Karma: 17 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Canada Device: Sony PRS-500	If the shocks (and these tingles are very low-current shocks) are only happening in 230-volt areas, then it may let Sony off the hook and maybe not. While the charger is UL listed (not CE, which would definitely test at 550 volts for leakage, and is required to make it "legal" in Europe), it is marked as 120-240 volts operation, so should have been tested at at least 500V. Just another case of saving a buck by making the charger as cheap as possible, outsourcing the design and manufacturing to China. That's OK (I've done that myself, and the savings are huge), but it's still good practice for the company that is using the adapter to test it for leakage themselves. International safety standards are for injusry or lethality, not for comfort, and "tingles" are not acceptable market-wise even if technically legal. Last edited by dstampe; 03-17-2007 at 08:04 AM.