can you hear a light?

midget · Mar 27, 2011

weird thing.

i just put together a new 6p build.

solarforce tailcap
surefire 6p body
solarforce bezel
nailbender drop-in 3-mode
x2 123a primaries

when i have the light on "low" and "medium" mode, i can hear the flashlight. like literally i can hear it ringing. it's very subtle, you have to put your ear up to the flashlight body. it makes noise, like, a buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. high pitch. no noise on "high" mode.

just wondering if anyone has similar experiences? i thought it was interesting.

hellokitty[hk] · Mar 27, 2011

I assume you mean the 2.8A/3.1A XM-L or SST-50; that buzzing would be from the PWM.

brandocommando · Mar 27, 2011

It is called "inductor whine." If you search, there are lots of threads on here about it.
What you're hearing is the sound of the inductor coil vibrating as electricity packs into it and then gets dumped out, several thousand times per second (hence the high pitch of the sound).
Make sure everything is tight inside the tailcap, and you are getting a good connection between the tailcap and body. One of my lights does this also and I eliminated most (but not all) of it, with a little sanding, cleaning, and tightening.

srfreddy · Mar 27, 2011

hellokitty[hk] said:
I assume you mean the 2.8A/3.1A XM-L or SST-50; that buzzing would be from the PWM.

PWM doesn't make noise: Its inductor whine from unpotted inductors.

midget · Mar 28, 2011

very informative. thanks guys!

HooNz · Mar 28, 2011

I can hear mine when i press the on button on the talicap , in the quiet it sounds like a explosion , just like in that WW2 movie? , when the Americans or British had a small Clicky thing which was supposed to introduce you to another party if it was dark , as they would know it is a "friend" if they heard the CLICK CLICK .
But in the movie a bolt action Mauser getting chambered also went CLICK CLICK .

Tactical Torch?

Paul----

Flying Turtle · Mar 28, 2011

Once you get a little older the tinnitus will drown out the whine.

Geoff

Hogokansatsukan · Mar 28, 2011

nightcacher · Mar 28, 2011

Shh, a torch a sparking.

phonoe · Mar 28, 2011

I will check mine, thanks.

angelofwar · Mar 28, 2011

Flying Turtle said:
Once you get a little older the tinnitus will drown out the whine.

Geoff

Ditto...I honestly couldn't tell you if any of mine whined or not...but my SF's make an increibly loud noise when they get dropped on rough pavement or in rocks...OUCH!

cs44 · Mar 29, 2011

Hi guys, sorry to hijack the thread, but I got a friend trying to sell me his Inforce 6vx, and it's sounded like a bee is trapped inside when turned on, louder in strobe or lower light levels. Is that normal?

Thanks in advance

Machete God · Mar 29, 2011

cs44 said:
Hi guys, sorry to hijack the thread, but I got a friend trying to sell me his Inforce 6vx, and it's sounded like a bee is trapped inside when turned on, louder in strobe or lower light levels. Is that normal?

Thanks in advance

Judging by my Inforce 6VX and 9VX, yes, this is normal. Check the 6VX for uncentered LED and recessed clicky also (see pictures here).

Also, :welcome:

kosPap · Mar 29, 2011

well several of my light whine.....

not all have capacitors in their electronics...

for example my 2x AMC7135 drivers paralled XML mod whiens like an unfed bady...

I do not know what it is in this case but I am open to what some people assume that it is the batteries that whine actually.

(i has a friend that his light whined with a certain low-cost brabd only)

Tana · Mar 30, 2011

I got NB's 2.8-6V XML run with 2.8A, 3 level few days ago... I didn't ask for potted version but package did say it's potted and I got Cu tape with it... (Is potting inside the pill, non visible ???)... Anyway... on LOW, the buzz is almost impossible to hear, you gotta press it against your ear, on MED you can clearly hear it when close to ears... but on HI it just SHINES... no sounds, nothing, only pure brightness...
I don't take it as bad... I love this NB's creation, it's stuck in my "silver" 6P (removed all type II ano from it and installed SS clip and bezel ring)... I kinda think it gives it a little "character"...

brandocommando · Mar 30, 2011

Tana said:
I got NB's 2.8-6V XML run with 2.8A, 3 level few days ago... I didn't ask for potted version but package did say it's potted and I got Cu tape with it... (Is potting inside the pill, non visible ???)... Anyway... on LOW, the buzz is almost impossible to hear, you gotta press it against your ear, on MED you can clearly hear it when close to ears... but on HI it just SHINES... no sounds, nothing, only pure brightness...
I don't take it as bad... I love this NB's creation, it's stuck in my "silver" 6P (removed all type II ano from it and installed SS clip and bezel ring)... I kinda think it gives it a little "character"...

Thats funny! I have that exact same dropin, in the light I was refering to earlier actually (different tint possibally) and it does the EXACT same thing. I can barely hear it on low, it's a little louder on medium, and on high...nothing. It does it with 2 different McClicky tailcaps i've tried, but not with a stock Z41 momentary tailcap. I have got it to the point where I can only hear it if it is about 1 or 2 inches from my ear with the McClickys. Any further than that and I can't hear it so it does not bother me at all really.

HooNz · Mar 30, 2011

"when the Americans or British had a small Clicky thing which was supposed to introduce you to another party if it was dark , as they would know it is a "friend" if they heard the CLICK CLICK .
But in the movie a bolt action Mauser getting chambered also went CLICK CLICK ."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Longest_Day_(film) , that is it , It was called a Cricket!

"

cs44 · Mar 30, 2011

Machete God said:
Judging by my Inforce 6VX and 9VX, yes, this is normal. Check the 6VX for uncentered LED and recessed clicky also (see pictures here).

Also, :welcome:

Thanks, Machete God.

Well, at least I can hear it if I dropped it.

Tana · Mar 31, 2011

Don't have Z41 to try it here but if McClicky (my setup and you tried two different McClickies) helps with creating the buzz, commin sense is that lower resistance helps buzzing... Now would be nice to try ZeroRes mod and see if you could hear flashlight from further away... No way you could lose it in the dark in case you drop it... lol...

Toohotruk · Apr 1, 2011

Flying Turtle said:
Once you get a little older the tinnitus will drown out the whine.

Geoff

Yep. And it also gives you the ability to hear ALL flashlights emit a high pitched whine...even when they are turned off and batteries removed. In fact, as I sit here, I can hear all of my lights making quite a bit of noise. :hairpull:

can you *hear* a light?

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