Experiencing Shocks while touching your Mac Might be Dangerous; Get the Fix

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Purchasing a brand new Mac or upgrading to a newer Mac machine might be one amongst the happiest moments in your life; however, problems might have already decided to poke you, but this time in an unexpected way. Doesn’t it sound weird when somebody asks if your Mac machine shocks you? Well, you should not be too much surprised over this question, as the scenario is not shocking but your Mac is.’

macshock

After making all the connections properly, you are all set to press the power button to turn on your newly purchased Mac machine. However, you got a shock the moment you touched it and you are not ready to touch it again. This might be due to an uncovered wire touching the metallic body of the Mac machine. Alternatively, the small zap you experienced could be due to the lack of earth wire. You could check if the plug you inserted into the power supply is broken or some wire is loose. Make all connections to the ports correctly and make sure none of the joints is loose.

Anyway, such shocks are common and do not affect your body in a way that you have to go on a trip to the hospital. 

If we see, experiencing shocks from a metallic body containing multiple hardware components, each operated by a required supply of electricity is not shocking. However, when it comes to computers, the issue encountered is quite weird as well as unacceptable and you must take suitable action to fix it at the earliest. While in some cases, this is simply a subject of static electricity that is neither dangerous nor does it indicate any technical fault in the system. In contrast, the human body sometimes acts exactly like a capacitor storing charge and is discharged right at the moment you touched the Mac machine’s body that is grounded, and then you experience a minor electric shock.

Is the Shock Dangerous for my Mac?

The moment you experience a minor or a major zap from your Mac machine, the thought striking in your mind most likely be “is my Mac machine bad?” or “is the shock dangerous for my Mac machine?”

I must say, since the scenario includes a key role of static discharges, they are harmful for electronic components or machine having embedded electronic components. To prevent static discharge and their corresponding threats, developers ship the components like motherboard, PCI cards, and hard drives wrapped in antistatic bags. The application is used in assembling systems, as it grounds the majority of the system discharges to the chassis (or the outer frame) and you do not experience electric shocks except when you touch the system internals. On analyzing, we come to know that system discharges are grounded instead of passing them through the components embedded to the system.

Now, you must have understood that there is not at all an issue dangerous for your Mac machine and leading to further problems. To prevent such shocks in the future, use three-pin plug at the power input and wear rubber shoes while touching metallic parts of the machines operated with direct electricity.

Is the shock Dangerous for Me?

The moment you experience electric shock, you all of a sudden decide to not to touch the same part of the machine again. However, what you experienced was only at the outer surface of your skin and it does not harm you in any sense. You can also take it in a way that it was not of higher voltage. Else, you could have injured. Please remember that if you are using the computer directly connected to a high power of voltage, you must establish a mid way connection. In other words, you must have a UPS device powering your Mac when the electricity fails. Keep the UPS battery fully charged and switch off your Mac when the battery power is low, as the low DC is extremely dangerous.

In contrast, when the direct power supply is active, be attentive and make sure you do not touch a loose portion of the connecting wires. In case you touch a loose portion, the electricity passes through your body and disrupts your muscles and nerves, harming you eventually –the case sometimes leads to burning and death before the circuit breaks.

Since the effects of electric shocks on human body vary with the voltage, it is better to do not come in contact with the direct electricity or use required precautions.

Ways to avoid Electric Shocks

Since these electric shocks are due to static discharges, the only way to avoid them is to manage this discharge at the earliest. However, there is not a single practical way to manage static discharges. All you can do is control the discharge by a bit. Humidity is the best thing that can help you in this regard. Therefore, you need to get a humidifier and set it up near your Mac machine. Alternatively, you might also opt for an ionizer – a device that enhances the conductivity of the atmosphere of a particular place. It also pulls the charges on the contact surfaces away and makes your Mac shock free.

Another options you might like going for is the wooden floor, as wood does not let the electricity pass through itself. Moreover, you too would be standing on the same floor, thereby minimizing the space for shocks.

Bio: – Tom is a Mac author who is writing for an emerging data recovery website. Follow him at Google +.

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