Vga electric shock

[Cafael]

Hi there,

I have come into possession of a large CRT monitor, and I would like to try plugging it into my laptop, as it's a big screen and I rather like CRT displays.

However, I notice that when the monitor is plugged in, I get a noticeable electric tingle (constant, not static) from touching the metal casing of the monitor's VGA cable.

Is this normal, or will it fry my laptop? I've recently moved to China for work, and the monitor came with my apartment; I'm cautious about the tech here, and in any case, it's an old monitor.

It's currently attached to a tower pc, but when I switch the pc on with the monitor plugged in, the pc beeps intermittently, and the monitor switches itself off. If the monitor is not plugged into the pc, it comes on and says 'no signal', while the pc boots without beeping.

Thanking you in advance,

Cafael

 

[skaz]

It sounds like the Monitor is not grounded properly. Either the outlet used for monitor is not grounded, or the monitor itself has a faulty ground. I would definitely stop using it until your grounding issue is figured out.

 

[Cafael]

Thanks a lot skaz. I think it's the monitor because everything else in here is fine, e.g. if I plug a vga cable into another appliance.

It's only a tingle, but I did wonder why power would be coming through vga on the monitor - surely it should be going the other way, if anything.

 

[skaz]

No problem, enjoy your new home!

 

[Cafael]

Best answer selected by Cafael.