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I have these semi-old working earbuds that I plug into my PC, either in the front port or directly into the motherboard via port at the back of the PC.

No matter which of these it is plugged into, seemingly at random I will get a slight shock from my earbuds in my ear and hear a popping noise.

At the same time the monitor plugged in via HDMI cable will flash black and then 'reconnect'. It shows the HDMI icon in the top left corner as if it was just connected to my PC.

I have no idea what could be causing this, and with the same earbuds/PC I was NOT having this problem in a different location, so that might factor into it somehow.

While nervously trying to replicate this I did notice that moving also produced smaller popping noises (no/smaller shock) on the screen instead of all turning black would flicker a tiny bit in places. I don't know a lot about electronics so any help is appreciated!

Outdated Computer Tech
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wbrugato
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    is your computer on the ground? can you show us pictures? – Outdated Computer Tech Apr 12 '16 at 19:02
  • I would certainly be interested to see pictures of your setup. It may help us figure out the problem. – Peter David Carter Apr 12 '16 at 19:02
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    Here is my setup: http://imgur.com/a/tEyFS Note that I have two monitors (one HDMI, one VGA). The left-most monitor is HDMI (also set as main monitor) and it is the only one with flicker/'disconnecting-reconnecting' issue when I get shocked. Also Both monitors, my PC, and a Ethernet switch are plugged into the surge protector which is in turn plugged into the wall as shown. Also my headphones are plugged into the back of my PC (they say 'J4' on them). This is exactly how things were set up last time I got shocked and my HDMI monitor flickered. – wbrugato Apr 12 '16 at 19:15
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    It might be you, not your system, that gets a static build up, and then discharges through your earbuds. Do you sit with your feet off the ground? Is there carpet under you? What's your chair covered with? And, if my guess is right, this might help you solve it: [How to prevent static electricy build up](http://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/8027/how-to-prevent-static-electricity-build-up) – Wes Larson Apr 13 '16 at 01:12
  • Interesting. I sit with my feet on the ground usually and have one of those plastic mat things under my desk to better roll my chair over. My chair is like a faux leather. Now that you mention it though I have noticed that I get mild electric shocks when touching my Pc box sometimes. – wbrugato Apr 13 '16 at 14:04

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The earbuds are not the problem. The monitors are. Usually, the vga and hdmi cables carry very little charge to allow passage of signals between the monitor and the cpu. however some old monitors allow current leakage from the monitor to the cpu case. Hence the minor shocks when touching the back of your case or any metallic parts of the case. But if you did not experience this in a different location, the problem may be caused by bad earthing of your power outlet.

johnalex
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