[Novalug] chirping

Jason Kohles jason@nova-labs.org
Tue Sep 23 12:27:36 EDT 2014


If it's coming from the UPSes and they are more than a couple of years old then it's probably telling you it needs new batteries.  Although that kind of chirping is generally at a very regular interval and not random.

If it's a PC or power supply it could be "inductor chirp".  Inductors are components on the motherboard and in the power supply that kind of look like a donut with a wire wrapped around it (sometimes they may be small coils of wire possibly in a plastic case).  They vibrate during operation (due to magnetostriction) and they normally have the coils glued in place to prevent the vibration from causing noise.  Sometimes (especially if it's a cheap component) they may lose the glue (or not have enough in the first place) and the wire can rub against the "donut" and make chirping noises.  It's generally really difficult to figure out which inductor is causing the problem, but if you do manage to figure it out you can often stop it with a generous application of hot glue..

-- 
Jason Kohles - Vice President - Nova Labs, Inc.
jason@nova-labs.org - www.nova-labs.org
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On Sep 23, 2014, at 12:13 PM, Beartooth via Novalug <novalug@firemountain.net> wrote:

> 
> 	Two or three at least of my computers (probably running Fedora 20, but I'm not at all sure which nor even how many) emit a curious sound, unlike any other and even pleasant, at what seem random intervals.
> 
> 	It is also possible that one emitter is a UPS.
> 
> 	Any light on identifying the chirppers, or what they're trying to tell me?
> 
> 	There are 3 PCs, 3 UPSs, a laptop, a tablet, a netbook, and a smartphone on this floor; the smartphone is least likely, since the chirps sometimes come while it's in my shirt pocket.
> 
> -- 
> Beartooth Staffwright, Not Quite Clueless Power User
> Remember I know little (precious little!) of where up is.
> 
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