• Chirp Detector

    From Barry Martin@454:1/1 to All on Wed Feb 16 09:10:00 2022

    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!


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  • From Ky Moffet@454:1/1 to Barry Martin on Thu Feb 17 10:13:00 2022
    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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  • From Barry Martin@454:1/1 to Ky Moffet on Fri Feb 18 10:28:00 2022

    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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  • From Ky Moffet@454:1/1 to Barry Martin on Sun Feb 20 10:35:00 2022
    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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  • From Barry Martin@454:1/1 to Ky Moffet on Mon Feb 21 11:21:00 2022

    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 ®

    ...
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    "No, I made a few mistakes."
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    þ wcECHO 4.2 ÷ ILink: The Safe BBS þ Bettendorf, IA

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