Very weird laptop trackpad issue.

[Stoly]

So, I have a HP 240G8 from work.

I don't actually use it that much at work, since I have a desktop there, so I use it when at home or visiting clients.

One of my coworkers uses the same laptop and told me the trackpad was moving erratically, he never used the trackpad before, but since he forgot his mouse at home, he was using it. So, I tried it and it behaved erratically, mostly with slow movements, the pointer jumped here and there. For kicks I tried mine and the same thing happened, another coworker with the same laptop also the same issue. Too much of a coincidence. a hardware defect maybe?

Well, it turns out our desks top is glass, so when I placed the laptop on a wooden or plastic surface, the problem got away.

Weird to say the least.

 

[Grimlakin]

So, I have a HP 240G8 from work.

I don't actually use it that much at work, since I have a desktop there, so I use it when at home or visiting clients.

One of my coworkers uses the same laptop and told me the trackpad was moving erratically, he never used the trackpad before, but since he forgot his mouse at home, he was using it. So, I tried it and it behaved erratically, mostly with slow movements, the pointer jumped here and there. For kicks I tried mine and the same thing happened, another coworker with the same laptop also the same issue. Too much of a coincidence. a hardware defect maybe?

Well, it turns out our desks top is glass, so when I placed the laptop on a wooden or plastic surface, the problem got away.

Weird to say the least.

So it happened on glass but not on wood... glass is a ever so slightly better insulator in some cases so maybe the case was grounding through the desk and without it it was causing issue with the track pad and static buildup causing bad sensor readings... but wow that's specific.

 

[Stoly]

I also tried it on the glass kitchen table and also exhibits the issue.

 

[Skillz]

I've heard and had this happen with optical mouse on glass tops, but a trackpad aka touchpad on a laptop. There is no optical sensor. This is very strange indeed.

 

[LazyGamer]

I've had it happen on two laptops so far, and it seems to happen a lot based on the research I last did. Best summary I could find is that it was a grounding issue. Never resolved it.

 

[Grimlakin]

I've had it happen on two laptops so far, and it seems to happen a lot based on the research I last did. Best summary I could find is that it was a grounding issue. Never resolved it.

That leads to perhaps a ground is not attached to the track pad that can somehow work through probably touch when a wooden desk is present as opposed to glass??

But wow.. still.. you can see an example with those electric touch ball things that activate inert gasses to light up like lightening.

 

[Brian_B]

I've had it happen on two laptops so far, and it seems to happen a lot based on the research I last did. Best summary I could find is that it was a grounding issue. Never resolved it.

I could totally believe that. A lot of trackpads are capacitance based, and if you don't have a solid chassis ground on the laptop (very very few do), any amount of static will wreck havoc. Glass is notorious for building up static charge too, and it doesn't help that a lot of trackpad surfaces are also glass.