Can transformers be possessed?

[opps]

I was doing pc work until 4.30am. I went to make a cuppa, and for the first time ever I noticed that our NEFF oven/microwave hums pretty loudly. I guess it must be a transformer that controls the pcb/clock etc.

The hum reminded me of a night a week or two earlier when I woke about 3 am and could hear a very high pitched noise- not dissimilar to a modem. On closer investigation I discovered that it was my mobile phone charger that was making the noise (only when the phone was on charge).

is it possible that when on charge the battery is bypassed and I was (somehow) hearing the 3.5g connection in progress whilst rss feeds were being updated (or some such).

BTW I was sober on both occasions.

Thanks in advance

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You should make yourself some tinfoil pants as soon as you can.

 

[opps]

Great idea- will that protect me from the alien an*l probes?

On a more serious note, I was wondering if the transformer coil was acting as an aerial picking up some kind of digital radio signal and whether it is possible if that signal was my phone's signal?

 

[Click-Sure]

I have an in-line isolator next to my bed for the extension lead my pc is fed off for the very same reason, I can only just hear it, but its still just about audible!

 

[opps]

thanks click sure

do you mean someting like this?

http://www.kenable.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=3604

How would that help if the problem was the transformer picking up signals- sorry a bit beyond my ken..

regards

 

[wotan]

I think the noise is akin to hydraulic hammer effect you get when you turn a running tap off quickely.
Remember of a night time there is less demand for electrickery, so its all crammed up inside the cables, and the elektrons are all waiting impatiently to get out, and make a din.

Wotan

 

[opps]

darn that pesky kinetic energy!!!

 

[electronicsuk]

In all seriousness, the noise with your mobile phone charger is more than likely due to the fact that it's a Switched Mode Power Supply. If you stick that into your favourite Google engine, you'll soon see that these drive a transformer at high frequency. If the transformers, inductors or even capacitors have been manufactured less than perfectly or are beginning to age, it's possible they can vibrate. This sound more often than not does vary with the amount of current being drawn.

Alternatively, if you have a radio alarm clock nearby, it could have been having some EMC issues when the phone was transmitting/receiving causing the noise to be picked up and amplified.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Great idea- will that protect me from the alien an*l probes?

Yes, they will, I'm afraid.

Sorry about that.

 

[aptsys]

In all seriousness, the noise with your mobile phone charger is more than likely due to the fact that it's a Switched Mode Power Supply. If you stick that into your favourite Google engine, you'll soon see that these drive a transformer at high frequency. If the transformers, inductors or even capacitors have been manufactured less than perfectly or are beginning to age, it's possible they can vibrate. This sound more often than not does vary with the amount of current being drawn.

The noise he's probably hearing is the converter running in discontinuous conduction mode, which is likely to produce sounds in the audible spectrum.

 

[Steve]

Laptop SMPS, Phone charger, both make high pitched whine. Nothing unusual, its not posessed.

Its the way these things work. They aren't real transformers, they just electronically convert the voltage and current. The great thing with SMPS's is that they can be fed with any voltage from 100-250, at 50-60Hz.

 

[Monkeh]

A good one will operate significantly on significantly less than 100V.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Great idea- will that protect me from the alien an*l probes?

You could try a decoy...

 

[Mursal]

I always thought it was Eddy Currents (inefficiencies) in the winding of the transformer coils?

But anything above 20Hz will be audible.

Sure how would a spirit fit into a mobile phone charger?

Thats just silly!!

 

[opps]

I always thought it was Eddy Currents (inefficiencies) in the winding of the transformer coils?

But anything above 20Hz will be audible.

Sure how would a spirit fit into a mobile phone charger?

Thats just silly!!

A mouse ghost???