Ti-PD-S noise?

In the past 3 weeks i've gotten a Ti-PD-S and a Lunasol 27 and i love them both. I don't know why i waited to get my first McGizmo.

On my Ti-PD-S, when i activate the low mode there is a feint high pitched whining noise. It's only there on low mode. I thought it was normal until I got my Lunasol 27.

Is this a problem? can i fix it or make it stop?

Thanks.

I don't know if your PD-S is abnormal in terms of noise or if you just have good hearing. I have noticed a hum from some of the lights but am not familiar with the PD-S as being noticeably noisey. My hearing is also not what it could be.

The LunaSol 27 is a completely different animal with two converters; one for each LED array. Comparing it to the PD-S is an apple/orange situation.

well to be honest, i only hear it in the middle of the night when its real quiet and i'm playing with my flashlight.

So its nothing i should be worried about right?

Thank you!

toddxtyboy said:

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So its nothing i should be worried about right?

Thank you!

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Well I am by no means an expert but I believe most of the converters are noisy to some extent and I think this is the nature of the beast.

I've asked about noisy inductors before. The electronics gurus said that all coils make noise & it's normal so you shouldn't worry.

I've only had a few lights that had inductor hum, HDS, Arc4, EX-10 (only when battery is low), & one Arc LS. The Arc LS I had had a bad inductor, once I replaced it it was bright again & no longer hummed. I tried potting the inductor on my EX-10 but it still hums when battery power is low.

Although they say all inductors make noise, I've never heard one of Wayne's boards hum even those with unshielded inductors. Even on the lights I have where the boards are not potted like my PDs I've never heard hum. The inductors in PDs are shielded.

Same here. I've heard of HDS boards making noise

If it hums and you can hear it then there is something wrong with the circuits. Humming leads to failure unfortunately. As it is a Ti-PD-S it is worthwhile to get it checked properly by experts etc....

My PD-S hums ever so slightly; so do a few other lights I own. Either the noise is faint enough that I don't hear it unless I'm paying attention to it, or my hearing is not keen enough to pick up the full noise.

Humming leads to failure

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Harmonics (humming) is an effect created by some PWM circuits. The higher the pulse carrier frequency, the harder it is for most people to detect the hum. Most variable frequency AC motor drives have fairly loud harmonics that are easy to hear - even with the machinery running. But they control a motor load of over 3 kw, about one thousand times greater than today's typical emitter.

The better motor drives will hum for over ten years, running 24/7/365

jumpstat said:

If it hums and you can hear it then there is something wrong with the circuits. Humming leads to failure unfortunately. As it is a Ti-PD-S it is worthwhile to get it checked properly by experts etc....

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That is totally false. Most switchers have some harmonic content that puts some of the noise in the audio bandwidth. There is nothing wrong with that and has no deterimental effect on the circuit. Making a circuit totally quiet is very difficult especially those circuits that have multi-levels.

Almost anything can resonanate and generate audio noise. Even the bond wires of IC packaging can be made to move under the correct conditions. Capacitors, inductors, ICs all can contribute to audio output.

Wayne

My Ti-PD-S is completely silent, even if I put it right up to my ear.

I wish I could say the same for my new Arc6 which is so whiny that I doubt I'll use it too much. Such a shame!

My PD-S is silent on both levels.
My HDS was quite a whiner, some levels more than others. Henry said the inductor whine although potentially annoying does not affect the overall reliabilty of the light.

Its okay if it hums, it helps if you are a blind flashaholic...

dat2zip said:

That is totally false. Most switchers have some harmonic content that puts some of the noise in the audio bandwidth. There is nothing wrong with that and has no deterimental effect on the circuit. Making a circuit totally quiet is very difficult especially those circuits that have multi-levels.

Almost anything can resonanate and generate audio noise. Even the bond wires of IC packaging can be made to move under the correct conditions. Capacitors, inductors, ICs all can contribute to audio output.

Wayne

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Wayne I must agree with you as you have more experience than I am. The statement I made was compared to usual general items like flourescent house lamps, amplifiers toroidal transformers, which do go if it starts to hum. I do not have an Ti-PD-S, but I do a Mule Ti PD and a PD-S HA, which do not generate any humming/noise whatsoever yet. Anyways OP should get the light checked by experts. I am assuming that the noise is somewhat distracting to the OP which lead to this thread being created. IMHO if this was an el-cheapo light I wouldn't have bothered, but a McGizmo? Must give it the extra care and attention :twothumbs it deserves