My keyboard zapped me -- is this normal?

[fletch to 99]

So I was cleaning some dust off (with my fingers) of the edge of my K70 RGB and as I moved my fingers over the caps lock LED the keyboard zapped me. It wasn't like a static shock, it was much stronger and continous -- for about 5-10 seconds. If I removed my finger and then placed it back it would start zapping me again. Is it normal for this kind of electrical discharge (I assume that's what it's called) to occur? If I put my finger there now it doesn't zap me any more. This isn't the first time that I've been zapped by the keyboard but this is by far the strongest and most consistent.

 

For reference this is where I placed my finger when it zapped me:

 

 

Thanks!

[handymanshandle]

The keyboard doesn't like you.

/s

 

I wouldn't think it's normal.

[Sentryy]

Not normal.

[KE2012]

Ah yes,  this is a new killer feature that corsair has in development. It's still in the experimental phase.  

 

But in all seriousness,  if you actually got a shock and not pulling our legs,  stop using the board and get in touch with corsair asap. 

[fletch to 99]

2 minutes ago, Jon1764 said:

Get it RMAd.

 

3 minutes ago, KE2012 said:

Ah yes,  this is a new killer feature that corsair has in development. It's still in the experimental phase.  

 

But in all seriousness,  if you actually got a shock and not pulling our legs,  stop using the board and get in touch with corsair asap. 

 

7 minutes ago, Sentryy said:

Not normal.

Thanks guys. I'll contact them and see what they say!

[Sentryy]

@Corsair Joseph @Corsair Johan This guy needs your help

[fletch to 99]

5 minutes ago, Sentryy said:

@Corsair Joseph @Corsair Johan This guy needs your help

I've also logged a support ticket with their system.

[Sentryy]

2 minutes ago, fletch to 99 said:

I've also logged a support ticket with their system: "Removed"

You shouldn't post your ticket # they will pm you.

[Huntsman]

Think this is not a keyboard issue. Think this is a PSU issue. Does it do the same thing when you touch your PC casing? If so, replace that PSU FAST.

 

Either that or check if your PC is properly grounded.

[fletch to 99]

Just now, Huntsman said:

Think this is not a keyboard issue. Think this is a PSU issue. Does it do the same thing when you touch your PC casing? If so, replace that PSU FAST.

Well my PC casing is plastic. Its the Corsair 760T. The PSU is an EVGA Supernova 750w G2

[Huntsman]

Just now, fletch to 99 said:

Well my PC casing is plastic. Its the Corsair 760T. The PSU is an EVGA Supernova 750w G2

From the back of the PC, try touching the PSU screws.. or better, do it with a test pen or multimeter set to AC voltage.

[fletch to 99]

1 minute ago, Huntsman said:

From the back of the PC, try touching the PSU screws.. or better, do it with a test pen or multimeter set to AC voltage.

I don't have a multimeter but I've touched the screws on the PSU before while it was running without issue.

[Huntsman]

Have you done it after you start getting shocks? My theory is that there's a faulty ground in your system. It's quite dangerous to just touch it by hand especially if we don't know how much AC we're dealling with, assuming it REALLY isn't static discharges. Best to do it with a test pen or multimeter.

[fletch to 99]

1 minute ago, Huntsman said:

Have you done it after you start getting shocks? My theory is that there's a faulty ground in your system. It's quite dangerous to just touch it by hand especially if we don't know how much AC we're dealling with, assuming it REALLY isn't static discharges. Best to do it with a test pen or multimeter.

Yeah I'll try to see if I can borrow a multimeter from someone and check if that's the issue.

[Huntsman]

Okay, probe from mains earth to the PSU screws. Multimeter should be set to AC voltage. If the reading is more than 5 or so volts you have a faulty PSU.

 

Then probe from PSU screws to something big and metalic anchored to the ground. If the reading is again more than 5 or so, you have a grounding issue. This method isn't the most precise but it should give some indication.

 

Do both these test with the PC plugged into mains and turned on.

[Un4tural]

... how would short from PSU go through the motherboard, USB, motherboard controls stuff, to they keyboard, then to zap his finger...? sorry i do not see it happening without frying motherboard and everything in the dawn of thunder.

 

body of the board should be grounded, (corsair that ground wire is screwed/soldered to the metal bit of board right?) and thus not let static etc. build up (hell even my crapo QPAD keyboard has this) and zap you. either that or not being properly grounded and bleed from voltage converter for LEDs or something.

 

to be honest, i don't quite see what could cause shock. it is 5v, unless they have all the LEDs in parallel...

[fletch to 99]

22 hours ago, Huntsman said:

Okay, probe from mains earth to the PSU screws. Multimeter should be set to AC voltage. If the reading is more than 5 or so volts you have a faulty PSU.

 

Then probe from PSU screws to something big and metalic anchored to the ground. If the reading is again more than 5 or so, you have a grounding issue. This method isn't the most precise but it should give some indication.

 

Do both these test with the PC plugged into mains and turned on.

Just tested them both with a multimeter and both read 0. Perhaps I'm just going crazy but the shock was nothing like a normal static shock.

[Huntsman]

12 hours ago, Un4tural said:

... how would short from PSU go through the motherboard, USB, motherboard controls stuff, to they keyboard, then to zap his finger...? sorry i do not see it happening without frying motherboard and everything in the dawn of thunder.

 

body of the board should be grounded, (corsair that ground wire is screwed/soldered to the metal bit of board right?) and thus not let static etc. build up (hell even my crapo QPAD keyboard has this) and zap you. either that or not being properly grounded and bleed from voltage converter for LEDs or something.

 

to be honest, i don't quite see what could cause shock. it is 5v, unless they have all the LEDs in parallel...

If the shock feels like tingling and not the painful incapacitating, I'm pretty sure it's leakage due to poor grounding. That meant the ground rail of the entire PC is left floating at certain AC voltage. Everything in the PC is connected to the same ground, even keyboards. When human body comes into contact with this floating ground, there's a current path through the human body down to the real earth ground (down to floor) and that's what causes the mild shocks. If the AC voltage is higher than say 40V it would start to sting.

3 hours ago, fletch to 99 said:

Just tested them both with a multimeter and both read 0. Perhaps I'm just going crazy but the shock was nothing like a normal static shock.

Is it an intermittent issue or still ongoing? If ongoing, does it shock you the same if you touch the PSU screws?

[fletch to 99]

14 hours ago, Huntsman said:

- snip - Is it an intermittent issue or still ongoing? If ongoing, does it shock you the same if you touch the PSU screws?

It's an intermittent issue. Its happened a few times but only for 10-15 seconds then it stops shocking me. Touching the PSU screws has no affect.

[SuicideAnomaly]

By chance, were you moonwalking on the carpet?

[Huntsman]

8 hours ago, fletch to 99 said:

It's an intermittent issue. Its happened a few times but only for 10-15 seconds then it stops shocking me. Touching the PSU screws has no affect.

I would try replacing the PSU. Maybe the ground tab is loose or something. Borrow one from friend and see if the issue persists.

7 hours ago, SuicideAnomaly said:

By chance, were you moonwalking on the carpet?

Static shocks don't last more than miliseconds.

[fletch to 99]

@Huntsman @SuicideAnomaly @Un4tural @Corsair Joseph @Corsair Johan 

 

I FIGURED IT OUT!!!! 

 

So I thought I was going crazy when my keyboard was continuously shocking me while my room mate, who right after me touched the keyboard and it didn't zap him at all. I found this very odd. For some context I moved my setup about a week before all of this started happening and it never dawned on me that this could be the cause of the issue.

 

Anyhow on to the problem. So when I'm gaming I usually rest my feet up on the subwoofer below my desk and that was only when the zapping occurred. I never really connected the two until a few minutes ago. Anyhow right above my subwoofer there is a 220V electrical plug for dryers. After closer inspection there is some exposed metal where the screws go. I noticed that when my foot touched that plug, and I typed on my keyboard I would get shocked. So I pulled out the multi-meter and threw the ground end into my 120V ground and the other end probing the exposed metal. Sure enough 65V running right through me! 

 

I'm very lucky my equipment didn't get fried and I wasn't injured. If it was the full 220V (and amperage that goes with it) it could have caused some serious damage and even injury.

 

Here's some photos of the issue.

 

Keyboard relative to plug -- feet sit ontop of the subwoofer

 

 

 

 

Close up of the plug, notice the exposed metal near the screw hole.

 

 

Probing the exposed metal (other end of Multimeter is in a ground of a 120V plug)

 

 

Results on the multimeter

 

Edit: So it appears that the entire faceplate of the plug has this issue.

 

[Huntsman]

LOL great finding! You're REALLY REALLY lucky to not have died from this dude..

 

Get that socket fixed ASAP. Shouldn't cost more than 10 bucks I hope.

 

Conclusion, your PSU has great grounding. A tad too great

[ionbasa]

I bet that 220V outlet has an floating ground aka fake ground. The entire metal enclosure and faceplate should be bonded to the groundwire.

Thats an NEMA 14-50R plug (50 Amps) It should be 3 pole 4 wire, 1 Ground, 2 hots, and 1 Neutral

 

I bet the ground is missing and the entire thing is bonded to neutral. Which also means you'll get some current traveling through the faceplate.

 

Here's a wiring diagram, test it out with your multimeter:

.