Does your ARC6 whine loudly?

[MY]

I have had my ARC6 for about a year and am basically happy with it . . . except for a loud whine that increases with the brightness level. On level 7, it is so loud that I can easily hear the light holding it out with my arm outstretched. Others can also hear it and have asked if this noise is normal. Because of this noise, the light has hardly been used.

I know that Peter has said that there is some induction noise but the amount from my light is hard to believe to be acceptable. I have many lights that have a small amount of noise but you have to place them next to the ear to hear it.

My question is whether others also notice this level of noise. If not then I will send it back for a replacement.

I believe that lights are to be seen and not heard.

Regards.

 

[chaoss]

I'm new to the ARC user's group but i can tell you that my 6 does have a slight whine on the upper levels. Right now it's highest level is set at 3 and i have to hold the light to my ear to notice it.

 

[fyrstormer]

Yes, that's normal. That's the sound of the induction coil charging and discharging rapidly as it produces the necessary voltage to run the emitter.

I don't mind it; I just tell myself it's the sound of the high-tech driver doing its thing.

 

[UnderTheWeepingMoon]

My HDS U60GT makes a loud whining noise at certain levels. The pitch and volume of the noise changes depending on the brightness level and the light can be heard at arm's length at some levels.

A while back, I sent Henry an email about the noise and he assured me that it is a perfectly normal and common behaviour and does not affect the light's performance in any way. I now just use the light and the noise doesn't worry me at all.

 

[fyrstormer]

If you really really REALLY hated it and you were willing to make the light non-serviceable, you could probably pot the driver in epoxy to dampen the remaining sound, but again you'd never be able to fix it if it broke.

 

[Illumination]

Mine does not (as far as I have noticed), but to be honest I hardly use it because the spring is so tight it is painful to use...

 

[fyrstormer]

Mine does not (as far as I have noticed), but to be honest I hardly use it because the spring is so tight it is painful to use...

The low-force springs used in newer McGizmo PD lights also work in Arc6s. The low-force spring I put in my Arc6 saved it from getting sold.

 

[Illumination]

The low-force springs used in newer McGizmo PD lights also work in Arc6s. The low-force spring I put in my Arc6 saved it from getting sold.

Good to hear; thanks.

Where can I get one of those springs? Don? The Shoppe?

 

[fyrstormer]

Good to hear; thanks.

Where can I get one of those springs? Don? The Shoppe?

Ay, that's the rub.

I'm pretty sure Don has a huge supply of them, but there might also be a group buy, so scan CPFM and then ask Don if you can't find anything.

 

[MY]

My HDS U60GT makes a loud whining noise at certain levels. The pitch and volume of the noise changes depending on the brightness level and the light can be heard at arm's length at some levels.

A while back, I sent Henry an email about the noise and he assured me that it is a perfectly normal and common behaviour and does not affect the light's performance in any way. I now just use the light and the noise doesn't worry me at all.

In today's age, I do not think that it is sufficient to simply say "it does, it was designed to." I have many many high performance lights of all stripes and some of them do whine if I listen close enough. But none of them are anywhere near as loud as my ARC.

Regards.

 

[heckboy]

Here is my oringinal thread with the discussion of the springs:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=210960&highlight=heckboy

There was a group buy here (now closed):
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?p=2222463#post2222463

Both those threads have the specific part numbers for the springs. I still have one that has not found a home that I can send to you if you want.

On the Arc6, I changed the oring to a slightly smaller one and put a low force spring in. On my light the o-ring was extremely tight. You can remove the o-ring from the PD to see if that makes the light more to your liking; then put in a smaller o-ring to maintain some level of water proof. The light is much more to my liking now.

Later,
HB

Good to hear; thanks.

Where can I get one of those springs? Don? The Shoppe?

 

[fyrstormer]

In today's age, I do not think that it is sufficient to simply say "it does, it was designed to." I have many many high performance lights of all stripes and some of them do whine if I listen close enough. But none of them are anywhere near as loud as my ARC.

Regards.

Yes, but how many of those lights are flexible enough to have each brightness level programmed by the manufacturer to ensure each light has the exact same brightness and tint as the last? My guess is none; I haven't seen another light yet with the flexibility of the Arc6. That flexibility comes at a price, and the price is compromise; instead of having each brightness level governed by a resistor, with a microprocessor that only kicks in to switch between resistors as you cycle through the modes, the Arc6's driver has a microprocessor that constantly monitors battery voltage and adjusts the PWM (and god-knows-what-else) to compensate. A circuit that complex is going to make noise.

 

[mikes1]

A circuit that complex is going to make noise.

I don't think any of the very complex electronic devices around the house (TV computer blue ray player ect) emit a whine from the circuitry :thinking:

Mike

 

[fyrstormer]

I don't think any of the very complex electronic devices around the house (TV computer blue ray player ect) emit a whine from the circuitry :thinking:

Mike

Open your computer case sometime, stop all the fans, and listen really closely to the motherboard. All of the ICs on it make at least a slight buzzing sound, and in any event, most of your electronics at home don't have induction coils cycling a few thousand times per second with a couple thousand milliamps running through them.

All I can do is speculate about the way the Arc6's driver circuit works, so I invite Peter to correct me as necessary: since the voltage regulator circuit can't rely on a fixed-value resistor because it has to be adjustable on-the fly, the ground path most likely uses a high-speed switched gate wired in-parallel with a capacitor to simulate the function of a current-control resistor, but with the ability to vary the "resistance" by changing the frequency of the gate. When you combine the fluctuations in circuit voltage caused by that gate switching on/off very rapidly with the fluctuations in circuit voltage caused by the induction coil charging and discharging, you're going to get harmonics.

The flexibility and upgradeability of the Arc6 is worth the tradeoff in circuit noise. So it's not a good light to go snooping around in a terrorist safe-house; big deal, nobody was going to use it for that anyway.

EDIT: About the TV, they all make noise; ask any kid. Heck, I can still hear them and I'm closing in on 30.

 

[carrot]

It is just a side effect of the method used to regulate the current flowing to the LED. I am no electronics expert but it seems to me that on lights with many output levels some kind of inductor is required to provide such a functionality.

 

[mikes1]

Open your computer case sometime, stop all the fans, and listen really closely to the motherboard. All of the ICs on it make at least a slight buzzing sound, and in any event, most of your electronics at home don't have induction coils cycling a few thousand times per second with a couple thousand milliamps running through them.

All I can do is speculate about the way the Arc6's driver circuit works, so I invite Peter to correct me as necessary: since the voltage regulator circuit can't rely on a fixed-value resistor because it has to be adjustable on-the fly, the ground path most likely uses a high-speed switched gate wired in-parallel with a capacitor to simulate the function of a current-control resistor, but with the ability to vary the "resistance" by changing the frequency of the gate. When you combine the fluctuations in circuit voltage caused by that gate switching on/off very rapidly with the fluctuations in circuit voltage caused by the induction coil charging and discharging, you're going to get harmonics.

The flexibility and upgradeability of the Arc6 is worth the tradeoff in circuit noise. So it's not a good light to go snooping around in a terrorist safe-house; big deal, nobody was going to use it for that anyway.

EDIT: About the TV, they all make noise; ask any kid. Heck, I can still hear them and I'm closing in on 30.

The point I am making is all the complex eletronic devices around my house do the job they are designed for without making an obtrusive whining noise

Mike

 

[fyrstormer]

The point I am making is all the complex eletronic devices around my house do the job they are designed for without making an obtrusive whining noise

Mike

I understand that, and in turn I'm saying if you were holding them in your hand near your head while you were using them, you would probably notice they do in fact make quite an obtrusive whining noise at that distance, provided they weren't also making other, much louder noises that could mask the electrical whine.

As previously stated, you could always pot your Arc6's driver board with epoxy if you really want to shut it up, but that was specifically not done so all parts of the light could be repaired or upgraded in the future. It sounds like what you want is a sealed unit to match all of your other non-serviceable electronics.

Maybe Peter could offer a potting service, with the understanding that it would negate all parts of the warranty related to surgical repairs?

 

[mikes1]

I understand that, and in turn I'm saying if you were holding them in your hand near your head while you were using them, you would probably notice they do in fact make quite an obtrusive whining noise at that distance, provided they weren't also making other, much louder noises that could mask the electrical whine.

I don't really see were you are going with this, why would you want to hold a TV to your head? You have made a sweeping statement that is not true my iPhone as far as I can tell dose not whine or buzz.
The question here is weather the noise the Arc6 makes acceptable or not I think only the individual user can answer this.

Mike

 

[fyrstormer]

Where I'm going with it is that the Arc6 uses a lot more power than most devices its size, so the electrical whine that goes along with its operation is going to be likewise much louder. Devices that use a similar amount of power will also make a similar amount of noise, but they are usually too large to hold near your head even if they were intended to be used that way, which of course they aren't. (of course, you could always put your head near the back of your TV to hear how much noise it makes, if you were so inclined.) That combination of small size, handheld use, and high power consumption makes the Arc6 a rather unique case, and so an exception needs to be made for it.

But yes, I agree that only the owner can decide whether that exception is one they are willing to make in exchange for the Arc6's unique functionality.

Anyway, I think this horse died a long time ago.

 

[paulr]

The whine is probably from the inductor used in the voltage boost circuit. Computers and mobile phones usually don't use any voltage boost. My Fenix LD10 makes a noticable sound if I hold it up to my ear, but it's not a big deal in normal operation. I don't notice any sound from the Arc AAA, but it's a lower powered circuit and may be running at higher frequency. Potting the Arc6 circuit might damp the sound some, but would make servicing impossible, as has already been mentioned.