Why is this laptop adapter grounded?

Question

This adapter is clearly not capable of delivering a null, a power and a ground to the laptop because the connector only has two surfaces. The adapter itself is plastic. So why is it grounded? (Note that this is not specific to this particular brand or model, I see many such adapters.)

I was thinking that maybe on DC side the adapter the ground and the negative is connected but isn't dangerous to connect power to the ground? At another point, say the bathroom you touch a pipe which is connected to the same ground and poof, shock.

Answer 1

In the U.S., we refer to the three pins on the AC plug as Hot, Neutral, and Ground. Sometimes the Ground is more accurately called a "Safety Ground".

On the DC Plug going into the laptop, the ground conductor is usually (but not always) connected to the Safety Ground. Doing this makes it easier to pass regulatory testing approval (EMC, ESD, Etc.). It also reduces leakage current through the "isolation" barrier inside the power supply. Some people complain that when laptops are placed on their bare laps, they get a tingling sensation where the screws of the laptop touch their skin. Having those screws connected to the safety ground of the AC plug mostly gets rid of that issue.

Also, even if the safety ground is not connected to the ground conductor of the DC jack, it could be providing some additional safety benefits inside of the power supply itself.

Answer 2

The third pin on the DC power connector is to allow the power supply to communicate its specifications to the computer so the computer knows how much power it can draw. Some use a resistor to indicate the current draw and others send a digital signal over the extra pin. The extra pin can cause issues with third party/generic power supplies.

The negative on the connector may be connected to AC ground. This grounds the laptop, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. If the laptop wasn't grounded, the decoupling capacitors (to clean up radio frequency noise) between hot and ground and neutral and ground on a 3 prong AC plug based laptop supply would form a capacitive voltage divider which would cause the laptop to float at around 60V (120V divided by 2) with weak current - this will give you a little buzz when you touch it. Grounding the laptop, however, can cause ground loops when connected to other devices that are also grounded. When high current devices such as motor drivers and two way radios are connected to computers, the voltage drop between the external device and its own grounded power supply can easily result in a 1V at potentially high current being injected into the USB or other ports on the computer through the ground and/or as common mode on the data lines. Connected to audio equipment or test equipment, you may get hum. Floating the ground on the laptop allows you you to ground the laptop externally in accordance with your grounding needs for the overall system.

If the laptop power supply has a 3 prong plug, there is a good chance it will ground the laptop while a 2 prong plug should not.

Answer 3

That looks like a Dell power supply in that case the center pin of the connector goes to a memory device within the power supply (a Dallas Semiconductor One-Wire device) that is interrogated by the computer so it can determine what power supply is connected.

The computer then knows how much power it can consume - it also can refuse to charge or only run at low speed if it determines it is not a certified power supply.

Be careful about probing the center pin with a voltmeter - if you short the center pin to the inside of the barrel it will destroy the ID memory device and cause the computer to think that the power supply is not certified (been there done that :-().

You can read more about how it works Inside the Dell Power Supply

Answer 4

The ground in most electronics is primarily used as an RF shield around the device. This keeps noise out, and emissions in. In the case of a DC powered, low voltage device the ground is usually tied to the DC negative input.

Answer 5

The ground connection to the power supply can perform a safety function despite the the case of the power supply being plastic.

isn't dangerous to connect power to the ground?

Avoiding multiple ground to neutral connections is primally to prevent equipment cases becoming live though the internal circuitry and therefore posing an an electric shock hazard in the event of the combines neutral and ground conductor being broken.

The output voltage of the laptop power is to low to be an electric shock concern.

Not only does does the power supply need to prevent its case becoming live to a dangerous voltage, it also needs to prevent the output becoming live to a dangerous voltage which is rather more complicated to achieve.

As with protecting a metal case, this can be achieved by grounding the output, or by adequate reliable insulation.

Answer 6

Without the ground, the output of the power supply will have an AC common mode component. That is, although the potential between terminals may be constant, the potential between any terminal and ground will be time varying.

Although it is possible that no problems will be manifest because of this common mode component of the output, it is also possible that problems will be manifest. So, it is undesirable.

Several problems that sometimes manifest with ungrounded power supplies are

1. Touch potential. When someone touches a conductive part of a device powered by an ungrounded power supply, they may experience a mild, but usually not life threatening, shock.

2. Signals used between the device and a third device may lose their fidelity. If the signals are digital, there may be complete failure in communication. If the signals are analog, perhaps audio, the signals may be plagued with a hum, a buzz or a whine.

3. In some cases, the device may struggle to function properly when located near a large grounded conductor, such as a radiator.

All of these symptoms are the result from a combination of the common mode voltage of the power supply and a circuit path from either power rail of the power supply output back to ground, resulting in current flow through that path.