Keyboard frame is electrified, sometimes.

[da_knug]

My keyboard, Corsair K70 Lux, is at random shocking me. This isnt static electricity, as the electricity flow is continuous for multiple seconds. It happens about once every other week or so. When i happens i can feel the electricity from the metal screw in the chassi. 

 

The shockes are of course not dangerous as the keyboard only pulls about 2.5w. 

 

I have tried to change the usb port on my motherboard, it still happens. It even happend once when i had the keyboard connected go a laptop.

 

Its fortunately still under warenty and ive begun the rma process but between the retailer being unhelpful and corsair being slow af, its taking it time. I'm just curious if anyone has experience something similar, or can guess as to what the problem may be. 

[Moonzy]

2 minutes ago, Aiedail said:

can guess as to what the problem may be. 

is your house wiring properly grounded?

[Tristerin]

Sounds like your PSU isn't grounded, wall outlet isn't grounded or something wrong with the electrical in the house you live in.  The electricity has to go somewhere (if its not grounded) so its going through the USB port, to the metal keyboard, to your body which is grounded.

[da_knug]

Just now, Moonzy said:

is your house wiring properly grounded?

Nope, old house with no ground.

 

But since this also happend when the keyboard was connected to a laptop on battery, it has to be something else

[da_knug]

2 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

Sounds like your PSU isn't grounded, wall outlet isn't grounded or something wrong with the electrical in the house you live in.  The electricity has to go somewhere (if its not grounded) so its going through the USB port, to the metal keyboard, to your body which is grounded.

Yeah no ground, but i expericend the problem when the keyboard was connected to a laptop too, so that shouldnt be the problem

[Moonzy]

2 minutes ago, Aiedail said:

But since this also happend when the keyboard was connected to a laptop on battery, it has to be something else

if the laptop is NOT connected to the wall adapter, or to the house circuit in anyway

then i have no explanation, unless you're touching the chassis/metal part of the laptop with your other hand while experiencing the shock (completing the circuit)

[BrinkGG]

12 minutes ago, Aiedail said:

Nope, old house with no ground.

 

But since this also happend when the keyboard was connected to a laptop on battery, it has to be something else

That can still happen. Buildup of static electricity while it's plugged in and charging, then a discharge when you touch the keyboard. 

If you want me to take a guess, this is 100% a grounding issue. If you happen to be on the ground floor of your house, try running a ground wire and stake out your window just to test and plug your laptop charger or desktop into a "ground lift adapter" and connect the ground wire to the bottom tab of the lift adapter. 

[mariushm]

You need earthing / grounding... the power supply leaks some AC voltage by design, because it helps reduce electrical noise (that you'll hear in AM radios, maybe you'd see on monitor if you use vga cable).

Find some AC plug in your house that has ground wire and make sure it has it functional (test with a multimeter, search youtube videos that show how to test).  Then run an extension cord to that outlet. 

 

In old Romanian buildings at least an outlet by the bathroom and in the kitchen had ground wires. 

Another trick you can do ... In very old buildings, the metal pipes going to heating radiators could be used for grounding, but it was dangerous back then and still is if you're living in an apartment you never know who else wires something to those metal pipes.

 

The ac voltage is low current enough that it's not dangerous (as in kill you) but you will experience the annoying shocks.