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Dell Laptops Have Shocking New Problem

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the jolt-of-reality dept.

dapsychous writes "A friend of one of my coworkers has noticed a problem in Dell notebook computers (also covered in this engadget article about a problem that has been popping up lately in Dell 17" notebook computers). It seems that these computers are putting out between 19 and 139 (65 according to article, 139 according to him) volts of AC power as measured from any chassis screw vs. earth ground. This has led to several problems including fried ram, blown video circuits, and a stout zap on his left hand. According to him, Dell has tried to keep him quiet about the problem and has even gone so far as to have him banned from a few websites, and threatened him with legal action if he tells people about the problem."

4 of 475 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Oh shit. by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 5, Insightful

    *sigh*, Is there not a company we can trust anymore?
    Has there ever been?
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    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
  2. Sample size of one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why are individual gripes making it to /.? What is the statistical significance of this observation?

    A single manufacuring defect (if that is the problem) isn't worthy of /.

    Also, did the "friend" modify the laptop at all? Perhaps disassemble it or otherwise "improve" it?

    We've all gotten a lemon at one time or the other.

    Stop griping... get a life.

  3. You trust them? by Kadin2048 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    i will be calling Dell ASAP to see if I am affected.

    Um, and why would you expect them to give you a straight answer? They'll probably just play dumb and say they've never heard of the problem. (Which will probably be true, at least for the drone you'll be talking to.)

    Get out a voltmeter and test it; that would seem to be the easiest solution, and less likely to lie to your face than some Customer Service rep. Probably faster, too.

    Until a problem like this becomes terribly public -- and by this I mean more public than just being covered on some technology websites -- I suspect Dell will deny it, except in cases where people absolutely insist that they have a problem, and demand a replacement. In those cases, they'll get a replacement machine just to shut them up.

    So I'd just get out the old multimeter, measure the AC voltage from one of the chassis screws to the nearest good ground, and if it's more than a few millivolts, call Dell and tell (not ask) them that you need a replacement unit.

    --
    "Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
  4. Re:I wonder if this has anything to do with by Baron+Eekman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How does static electricity get you an AC current?