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October 15, 2010

The most evil bit of electronics ()

by fluffy at 8:22 PM
So, I've always had tinnitus, my whole life. Of course, sometimes it's better and sometimes it's worse. But for the last few days I've thought it was getting really bad, especially when I'm at home alone in my living room where it's generally pretty quiet. But there was something not quite right about it: it had a direction to it.

Tonight I finally tracked down where it was coming from: the transformer on the cheap PS3 Move charging station I bought. Which was especially maddening since I had it unplugged from the charging station itself (to turn off the obnoxiously-bright obligatory blue LEDs) which only made it even louder. And it's at pretty much the exact same frequency as my tinnitus, making it really hard to track down or even tell if there's a difference between it on or off (because if I plug my ears, of course the tinnitus gets relatively-louder).

Also, as it turns out, when I have the Move controllers docked on it with it unplugged, it drains the Move controllers' batteries. So much for convenience.

Basically, I can't really recommend the CTA four-port Move charging station, especially if you have really good treble hearing, a case of tinnitus, and an aversion to REALLY BRIGHT LIGHTS.

Comments

#13486 10/16/2010 05:31 pm
that sounds very annoying. literally. =( don't know what would help solve the problem either. is there something like noise-canceling headphones for specific frequencies and for electronics equipment? not that it would solve the tinnitus. so i dunno, is it better that the frequency matches your tinnitus? it'd probably be even worse at a frequency that is super dissonant when paired with the sound already in your ears. in any case, my sympathies and let us know if you find a solution to the problem!
#13487 10/16/2010 11:40 pm
The solution is to just unplug the transformer from the wall instead of from the charger. It only squeals when it's generating current that's not being used, apparently.
#13493 10/18/2010 11:40 am
ah of course i missed the obvious solution! =/ well good to know that the fix is an easy one even though inconvenient!