M1 Max & OWC TB4 Dock | Weird Electrical Issue

Sometimes we find that when computer and its peripherals are plugged into Different outlets, their reference ground is not the same. This can be a more extreme problem when the supplied power is "noisy" or there is a fault in the wiring.

To reduce such issues with a Macbook Pro, be sure to add the three-prong GROUNDED AC extension cord to your power adapter.

OhTheFuture wrote:

I have two main setups - home and studio - using nearly the same components: 2021 M1 MAX MBP as main computer that goes with me to and fro. I plug into 1 OWC TB4 DOCK > 1 OWC TB HUB > Monitors > external drives, etc...

The studio setup is connected to a network that occasionally drops off/disconnects when plugging devices into either of the TB Docks or Hub but the real issue I'm writing about is when I plug the main TB4 cable into the MBP there is an obvious electrical "zap" and charge you can see.•

This does not happen at the home setup. I have not tried another Dock yet but for a while now I've speculated there is an electrical imbalance or something. And that this may be also causing the network drop offs, as well.

Is there anyway to test this software wise?

• Is there a fix or cause I can learn and reconfigure?

• I've read similar but not the same situations. Anyone else having similar things occuring with TB4 connections?

Thank you in advance for any help or resources!

You can try a different leg of the electric—ie try a distant (different wall) outlet if the problem is grounding in your workplace circuitry.

OWC / MacSales has excellent customer support for third party devices...

https://www.owc.com/support

if all is plugged into the same UPS, seeing sparks suggest something has failed.