Hi Folks!

Anyone have suggestions on how to locate the source for a soft and brief
sound I'm hearing up here? Thinking microphone and Rapsberry Pi for the hardware: move the mic closer or further to figure out the source.
("Trick" is the streaming music and ambient noises.)

The noise sometimes sounds like maybe a gas bubble eascaping -- in fact
when it started I thought it was from the battery of a UPS I had
installed temporarily. (Got the replacement UPS, them temp UPS is
stored on the opposite side of the room from where the noise is coming
from.)

At other times the noise sounds like maybe fan ball bearings: a high-
pitched "clink-clink" -- maybe three clicks.

Of course when I listen for the sound it doesn't occur. No real
pattern. There are enough fans, capacitors, batteries where the source
might be so as to shut down and listen would take forever (plus be a
major disruption).

TIA!


> BarryMartin3@ <
> @MyMetronet.NET <

... Q: What's brown & sounds like a bell?
A: Dung.
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BARRY MARTIN wrote:

Hi Folks!

Anyone have suggestions on how to locate the source for a soft and brief sound I'm hearing up here? Thinking microphone and Rapsberry Pi for the hardware: move the mic closer or further to figure out the source.
("Trick" is the streaming music and ambient noises.)

No idea, but I have a similar story...

Kept hearing backup beeps, like from a heavy truck. Very faint, nowhere
close. Could still hear 'em on the porch, a little louder, but where??
No idea. Couldn't tell. 24 hours a day. Must be the gravel pit or the
sewage plant, a mile in either direction. Maybe where they're replacing
gas pipeline across the road and down the way?? Maybe from the refinery
across the river?? I can hear their noon chimes...

Eventually became deaf to the beeps.

A whole year later, the power goes out and the beeps stop.
[At which point I noted that the #1 UPS was dead and needs replaced.]

Turns out it was Moonbase (DOOM computer) ... somehow the CPU overheat
alarm had gotten turned on, but it was so faint that it didn't register
as IN THE DAMN HOUSE, especially since it sorta projected out the back
of the box and through the wall (thus louder on the porch than right
next to it).

<headdesk>

Turned off CPU overheat alarm in BIOS. No more beeps!!

Moonbase does not overheat, far from it. Dunno why the alarm setting was
on. Probably hadn't looked in the BIOS in ten years, let alone fiddled
with anything. Mind of its own? too many dead hellspawn gumming up its
brain??
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Hi Ky!

Anyone have suggestions on how to locate the source for a soft and brief sound I'm hearing up here? Thinking microphone and Rapsberry Pi for the hardware: move the mic closer or further to figure out the source.
("Trick" is the streaming music and ambient noises.)

No idea, but I have a similar story...
Kept hearing backup beeps, like from a heavy truck. Very faint,
nowhere close. Could still hear 'em on the porch, a little
louder, but where?? No idea. Couldn't tell. 24 hours a day. Must

HaHa! That sounds like something that happened here! I could hear a low rumbling in the Living Room. Computer in there is off; there is an audio
amp with a fan but that's off (checked with my hand for a breeze).
Heard the noise for several days -- same level: constant low-level
rumble.

Finally had to go into the basement for something: ceiling fan had been
left on in the room below the Living Room! I was hearing the vibration!

Turns out it was Moonbase (DOOM computer) ... somehow the CPU
overheat alarm had gotten turned on, but it was so faint that it
didn't register as IN THE DAMN HOUSE, especially since it sorta
projected out the back of the box and through the wall (thus
louder on the porch than right next to it).

Turned off CPU overheat alarm in BIOS. No more beeps!!
Moonbase does not overheat, far from it. Dunno why the alarm
setting was on. Probably hadn't looked in the BIOS in ten years,
let alone fiddled with anything. Mind of its own? too many dead
hellspawn gumming up its brain??

Maybe during a boot the CPU reached an abnormally-low heat setting,
triggering the alarm. I've notice this computer will heat up
immediately after a reboot and settle back to normal. I'm thinking the
chassis fans shut off for a couple of seconds so the CPU one probably
does too, not dissipating the heat.

At least you noise was constant -- mine might not occur again for 20-30 minutes!


> BarryMartin3@ <
> @MyMetronet.NET <

... I wanted to be a procrastinator, but kept putting it off.
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BARRY MARTIN wrote:

HaHa! That sounds like something that happened here! I could hear a low rumbling in the Living Room. Computer in there is off; there is an audio
amp with a fan but that's off (checked with my hand for a breeze).
Heard the noise for several days -- same level: constant low-level
rumble.

Finally had to go into the basement for something: ceiling fan had been
left on in the room below the Living Room! I was hearing the vibration!

Similar story... first summer here, why do I keep hearing a fan? After
some stumbling around, located it... on the roof. Did not know this
house had an attic exhaust fan that comes on automagically at some too-high-for-the-attic temperature. (Turns out it also has a manual ON switch.)

KM> Turned off CPU overheat alarm in BIOS. No more beeps!!
KM> Moonbase does not overheat, far from it. Dunno why the alarm
KM> setting was on. Probably hadn't looked in the BIOS in ten years,
KM> let alone fiddled with anything. Mind of its own? too many dead
KM> hellspawn gumming up its brain??

Maybe during a boot the CPU reached an abnormally-low heat setting, triggering the alarm. I've notice this computer will heat up

I think more likely CMOS battery went dead (who knows when it was last changed, the board is now 19 years old) so it reverted to defaults.
Since I have no reason to care about date on that box, and everything
else is default, I wouldn't notice dead CMOS battery... for a
looooooooooong time....

immediately after a reboot and settle back to normal. I'm thinking the

That's because right after bootup, it's BUSY. First loading the OS, then whatever other crap. Setting up the network connection is surprisingly CPU-intensive. If your UPS lets you monitor power output, you can see a
big spike there as it goes through the boot process, then drop down to
idle power draw.

At least you noise was constant -- mine might not occur again for 20-30 minutes!

Yours is more weird than mine. :D

Do you have a water softener? they do weird things at odd intervals.
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Hi Ky!

HaHa! That sounds like something that happened here! I could hear a low rumbling in the Living Room. Computer in there is off; there is an audio amp with a fan but that's off (checked with my hand for a breeze).
Heard the noise for several days -- same level: constant low-level
rumble.
Finally had to go into the basement for something: ceiling fan had been
left on in the room below the Living Room! I was hearing the vibration!

Similar story... first summer here, why do I keep hearing a fan?
After some stumbling around, located it... on the roof. Did not
know this house had an attic exhaust fan that comes on
automagically at some too-high-for-the-attic temperature. (Turns
out it also has a manual ON switch.)

At least that was a positive surprise. :)

KM> Turned off CPU overheat alarm in BIOS. No more beeps!!
KM> Moonbase does not overheat, far from it. Dunno why the alarm
KM> setting was on. Probably hadn't looked in the BIOS in ten years,
KM> let alone fiddled with anything. Mind of its own? too many dead
KM> hellspawn gumming up its brain??
Maybe during a boot the CPU reached an abnormally-low heat setting, triggering the alarm. I've notice this computer will heat up

I think more likely CMOS battery went dead (who knows when it was
last changed, the board is now 19 years old) so it reverted to
defaults. Since I have no reason to care about date on that box,
and everything else is default, I wouldn't notice dead CMOS
battery... for a looooooooooong time....

That's probably what happened. Still, at one time the CPU hit the alarm
point, but possibly that was altered as the battery failed. Low battery voltage can do strange things.

immediately after a reboot and settle back to normal. I'm thinking the

That's because right after bootup, it's BUSY. First loading the
OS, then whatever other crap. Setting up the network connection
is surprisingly CPU-intensive. If your UPS lets you monitor power
output, you can see a big spike there as it goes through the boot
process, then drop down to idle power draw.

Probably more that than the CPU heating up from the fan being off for a
few seconds. Sort of forgot about all those boot-up events. ...HDD
Activity LED blinking/flashing randomly? Good:doing something and not
stuck.

At least you noise was constant -- mine might not occur again for 20-30 minutes!

Yours is more weird than mine. :D

I win this contest! ...All sorts of electronics in the area of where
the sound is coming from; guess the good news is doesn't seem to be
adversely affecting anything - yet. May be nothing more than bearings
in a fan clinking together.

Do you have a water softener? they do weird things at odd
intervals.

No water softener. And yes, the HVAC vent is also in the area from
which I hear the noise; we have been in the basement but don't hear the
noise, nor any other part of the house.



> BarryMartin3@ <
> @MyMetronet.NET <

...
"Did you sleep well?"
"No, I made a few mistakes."
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