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I have no Electrical engineering experience and would appreciate a layman's explanation on what my issue is (if possible).

My laptop battery became swollen a few months back so I removed it and have yet to find a replacement, The laptop is therefore powered directly from the power cable. My country is experiencing intermittent power outages so I purchased a UPS device (spec sheet here) for when things go dark.

If the laptop is plugged into the mains directly there is no issue, If the laptop is plugged in to the UPS device and I am not touching the laptop and I have my headphones on, I can hear an "interference" of some kind, a sort of buzzing that slowly increases and then decreases in intensity in a consistent wave pattern. If I touch my laptop the sound stops.

This behavior is consistent whether the UPS device is being powered by the mains or if it is running off battery only.

The laptop has a 3 pole power plug, the UPS provides a 3 pole socket, the UPS device charges using a 2 pole power plug.

  1. Is there any clear reason for this behavior?
  2. Is this any reason for concern / could this be damaging any electrical components on my laptop?
  3. Is there any way I can fix the issue myself?

I would appreciate any insight.

Fuzz
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    Is the laptop power supply with 2-pole un-earthed/un-grounded plug or 3-pole earthed/grounded plug? Does the UPS provide a 3-pole or 2-pole socket? Is the UPS itself having a 3-pole or 2-pole mains cord? Is it connected to 2-pole or 3-pole wall socket? Have you read the UPS manual how it must be installed? – Justme Feb 10 '22 at 07:04
  • @Justme - The laptop has a 3 pole plug and the UPS device provides a 3 pole socket, the UPS charges using a 2 pole socket, I have followed the manual on how it must be installed. – Fuzz Feb 10 '22 at 07:15
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    Almost certain it's the same issue as [this Q and A](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/478607/feeling-a-tingling-sensation-by-touching-stuff-is-this-safe). – Andy aka Feb 10 '22 at 09:29
  • +1 on Andy's link. It's the olde' Y-capacitor leakage. – winny Feb 10 '22 at 10:08

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