Coil Noise, Where should i hear it from and what could it be?

[GhostHunter94]

I am kinda just asking this out of Clarification in regards to an issue i am currently having..

I am trying to determine if i indeed have a Battery Problem or Charger Problem..

Supposedly, Certain Power Supplies and/or Chargers make high pitched "Whining" which is supposed to be called a "Coil Noise", something the coils inside the Laptop in Question make when A/C power is converted to D/C power.

And it is said to sometimes be an indicator of a failing Charger or possibly a failing Battery..


In relation to my Problem: I am running on an HP Elitebook 8440p.

The Battery is towards the right hand side of the Laptop, while the Charger is plugged in on the LEFT hand side..

I believe i am getting this "Coil Noise" but i am hearing it when my Charging indicator is On.. but the noise stops after the Indicator suddenly goes off..

Plus, i am hearing the noise come from he Right hand side of the Computer, which is also about where the Battery is..

Should i be hearing this "Coil Noise" from the right hand side of the computer, or should i be hearing it closer to where the charger is plugged in?

 

[jarotech]

Hi, the coil you have when the battery is charging is PL102, maybe the coil design is not perfect and you can hear a noise. I do not think the coil is faulty, just at the limit of generating a sound when the current passes through.

 

[GhostHunter94]

So this is perhaps saying i have a Battery Problem if i am getting this sort of issue?

Because i am hearing the sound, which is probably from the coil, but it stops when the charging suddenly stops.

 

[jarotech]

You don't have a battery problem, the coil is beside the charging circuit on the motherboard of the laptop. You will have a problem if your battery is not charging, but the noise is just a side effect of the current passing inside the coil.

 

[GhostHunter94]

Well, how do i know?

That doesn't really explain my issue unless its somehow the Charger OR the Charging Circuit/Motherboard..

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I may have a little extra insight into my Issue but i dont know if it helps better pin point what it might be.


This issue started about 4-5 days ago after i had Originally left my Charger out for about 10-15 minutes.. the battery was at 75% originally when i unplugged it, i walk away for for probably 10 of those Minutes, came back and it was still about 50-55%..

Suddenly, only a minute after i saw that previous number, i went back to a game i was playing.. my Battery indicator goes off, saying it was pretty much dead/dying, like it had suddenly dropped to 0% or a number close to it and it tried to shut it self off..

I plug my cord in, saved it from shutting off completely but the screen went black and i couldnt do anything, pressed all my keys and pressed my mouse button, nothing..

so, and this was the only time i had done so in the time i've had this thing, i pretty much pressed the Power Button, which turned it off... i know it was probably the incorrect way of shutting it off but this was the only time i had done so..

Then, it was after i had done so... that i had noticed that the new problem had started..

I mean, on one hand, it charges intermittently: which it didnt do prior to last week (before it started), it used to charge.. well, semi-perfectly at least, yielding perhaps 5% in 2-3 minutes.. now im lucky if i get 1% in 10 or more minutes, plus it stops "Charging" and starts Discharging as soon as i am on and i open certain applications (such as: my web browser or any of my games).

And when it DOES hit 100%, it only holds for about a minimum of 10 minutes or 2 hours max.. (Which is less -possibly far less- than what it used to be)

Plus there is that supposed "Coil" Sound on the right hand side towards the back of the computer, assuming it is where the motherboard is located, and it sounds different from what i recall.. (Then again, i cant remember if i heard it prior to the event)..

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So, now im wondering if my Incorrectly shutting down the Computer perhaps did something to at least the Charger or something to the Motherboard if it is not the Battery... or if my charger is perhaps becoming defective and needs replacing.

Then again, i will admit, even before the event, the charger didnt particularly want to start charging straight away, anyways.. and sometimes i had to wait till the battery was 15-20% before it starts working.

 

[jarotech]

The problem may be the battery, the charging circuit or the adapter. When you turned off by pressing the power button, you already had a problem with the battery charging. Start with a different adapter after the battery, if the charging circuit is the problem, it is more complicated.

 

[GhostHunter94]

Well, i am going to try Replacing both the Battery AND the Adapter 1st.. of course if i do and Neither work.. then i think we have our answer..

Well, guess we'll just wait and see what happens, and i'll come back with an update as soon as i know more about my issue.

 

[jsmithepa]

After all these coil whining theory, it turns out this is the same problem as you have from another post.

Without having to procure an electronics degree, the highest on the list of culprit is the battery because this item wears over time. When a rechargeable battery is at its end of its life (did you ever post what is charge cycle on this puppy?) all bets are off, all readings are not to be trusted.

Now you would not the first who post here that failed to disclose, dropped the laptop, spills blah-blah, OK, none of these happened, taking your word for it.

An obvious thing to do is to try another compatible charger, which am assuming you already considered.

Whinning coils, this is quite common in electronics and it doesn't mean things are failing, but in this particular situation, it tells me the power envelope has been breached. This is a fancy way of saying such coil is designed for a certain rating and due to anomalies, age of components, it's operating outside of this envelope. So the blood pressure is a little high but it doesn't mean ur dropping dead soon.

 

[GhostHunter94]

@Jsmithepa: Hey, i dont always know what my problems are.

No, there hasnt been dropping, spills or otherwise, as i believe i said before.. the only thing i definitely know of was that i had only reset the Computer the Incorrect way ONCE, which might have caused the issue in the first place..

At the same time, i know, with aging items/devices, comes that point in time where it may need that extra care that you cant exactly give it by yourself..

Nonetheless, i just gotta hope i find out the exact issue, hopefully get it dealt with, and perhaps there will be better days..

If it is indeed the Battery.. well hey, perhaps i'll be able to help lower that "Blood Pressure" somehow.

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PS: this post was really just to confirm where i am supposed to be hearing this "Coil Noise" from, because i wasnt 100% sure.

 

[GhostHunter94]

Well, i literally JUST found out my Battery was already 5-6 years old.. no wonder why it's possibly failing..

But Wait, let's see if i am perhaps getting this right.. If it is indeed the Battery, and if it is indeed as bad as it sounds.. then it is rejecting at least 3/4 of all charges, and whatever is rejected is left out and is probably having an extra effect on the Coils, causing a higher coil power output which is ultimately resulting in this loud, whinning noise and other issues with the coils themselves?