Power adapter buzz?

Well, my power adapter has always buzzed....one of those high frequency sounds, or a low drone sound. However, I could only hear it if I had my ear close to the adapter. Today, for some reason, it was so loud, I heard it while playing music with earphones in my ears! well, I in between songs atleast
Anyways, as I'm typing this, it is buzzing away very loudly. Its not any hotter then it usually is, but it still sounds bad. Also, if I unplug the magsafe but leave the adapter plugged in, the buzzing stops. So its only buzzing when it is pulling power to charge. In 10:08....no wait, now its only 1:23 mins when its done charging i'll have to take notice if it stops buzzing when it is fully charged but I'm getting scared and might not leave it plugged in that long.
I am using the 3 prong grounded cord, so I know its grounded. Its plugged into a surge protector too. The same outlet I've used in the past without problem.
Any ideas?
Should I have AppleCare replace it or is it ok?
-Scott

eww wrote:
You don't have the adapter brick sitting on some different surface from the usual, do you? Something that might resonate and amplify its normal inaudible or barely-audible sound?
If not, then it may be worth taking it into an Apple Store for evaluation.
Same spot. I did notice that moving it seems to change the sound. But then it will start buzzing loudly again all by it self. I guess i'll just have to stay alert when using it and keep an eye (or ear) on it!
I don't have any apple stores nearby (closest is 2-3hrs), but I am traveling later this month to a place that does have on in a mall. I might be able to stop by, and if so I will bring them the power adapter if it is still behaving this way.

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Power adapter buzzing?

hey all, i just noticed this, but my power adapter is making some sort of strange... buzzing noise. anyone else notice this? whats going on with it?

I bought a white MacBook the week of its release and the
power adapter buzzed and crackled so loud that it was
annoying, and I was afraid to let it remain plugged in
when leaving the house expecting it to burst in to flames.
I received a new power adaptor from the Apple store (after
having used an 85W MacBook Pro adaptor for two weeks), and
for the first 10 days it was quiet.
Now it is crackling as loud as the first one. The really
funny thing is that it now stops making noise when I press
the mouse button on the laptop, or when I start a new
application. It must be very sensitive to how much the
battery is charging/draining.
Unless Apple fixes the problem and initiates a trade
in program I may have to buy the 85W MacBook Pro version
(same plug, but bulkier)
edwin
MacBook Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Intermittent audio buzz when recording with power adapter

While running my 13" Unibody MacBook Pro on the power adapter, I get an regularly pulsing buzz that affects audio recorded in through my Griffin iMic. There's a sample of the buzzing I recorded at http://drp.ly/lmd8R - it starts halfway through it. The buzzing starts a few seconds after plugging in the power adapter and stops a few seconds after plugging it in. The power adapter is grounded and the cord is separated from the audio cords. Any help would be appreciated.

Are the Mac and all of the connected devices plugged into the same grounded UPS or outlet strip?
When I had a similar problem I ended up having a very serious electrical wiring problem in my house–a poor earth-neutral bond in my case. You may want to have a professional electrician check things out.
Message was edited by: DaddyPaycheck

New Macbook Pro Penryn Power Adapter Whine/Buzz

Hi all,
While I was using my new 15.4" 2.4Ghz MBP Penryn last night I heard a high pitched whine coming from the area. I tracked it down to the power adapter that was plugged into the wall. I tried it on several different outlets in my house and heard the same amount of whine.
Interestingly, that if I have the adapter plugged into the wall, it doesnt have to be plugged in to the MBP to hear the whine. This is reassuring as it doesnt appear to be anything from the MBP causing this.
Has anyone else heard this type of whine from a apple power adapter?
Jeff

I do not know if we are talking about the same thing, but I wanted to at least add my situation to the thread to help others in narrowing down the issue. I am experiencing a strange buzzing issue right out of the gate with my new 2.5Ghz MBP. It is on the right side and is a constant low pitched buzzing that sounds either like a fan or hard drive. The best analogy to a sound would have to be the noise a loose wire, on a home audio system for example, sounds when not properly connected. This noise is pretty annoying in a quite environment and not something I could say sounds appropriate. I have never heard such a consistent noise in the in the nine years I have been using apple notebooks.
I called apple care today and they said it is increased fan speed due to the smaller chips and higher processor speed, which is total bs considering I just had a 2.4Ghz MBP. I am slightly irked by the fact that customer support would come up with pretty pathetic explanation such as that and obviously bothered by this noise even more.

Macbook buzzing as power adapter

My macbook makes this buzzing sound that is similar to the power adapter. I actually exchanged my adapter through apple and the new adapter seems to cause the macbook to buzz too. The old one didn't, just itself. Buzzing seems to only occur when plugged in and charging. Is this normal?

Well, I sent it in and...it didn't solve the buzzing. Right now I figure I'll just leave it alone since it's actually not doing any harm/bothering. They did however replaced the keyboard cover due to discoloration. Well, I THINK they did. There's still some uneven lines at the edge of the cover near the fan that resembles the same ones from before. W/e. It was a good experience, at least, the repairing part. They sent a nice looking box (on the inside), sent it in, received, repaired, and shipped (fedex overnight) back all in the next day, and I got it this morning. Just wow. Don't think I've ever experienced such (comparatively) fast service before. Then again, they didn't solve the main issue. Oh well, no more discoloraton is good enough for now.
note: according to the paper, they also replaced the "fan w/ cable"

BUZZING Magsafe AC Power Adapter pack

My Magsafe AC Power Adapter pack is making a buzzing noise when it's connected up to the electricity! I've tried it in different sockets around the house and it's still making the same noise.
Don't know if anyone can help or reassure me before i contact Apple UK
Regards,
Terry

All that you need is a standard international plug kit. The adapter itself will work at any voltage. Apple has an international kit -> http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB974ZM/B/apple-world-travel-adapter-kit?fnode =3c.
Clinton

Verizon Westel 327W abroad - Buzzing sound from the Power Adapter ?

So I moved to Caribbean Islands for schooling and the DSL Modem from local company here was plain 1 port one. The voltage here is 220V, so I have put a transformer and then plugged my Westel 327W into 110V and it works great.
However, I am noticing a buzzing sound from within the power adapter. The adapter is running somewhat hot since I plugged it in a few days ago. Should I be concerned about this buzzing sound or is it just that its sitting on my desktop and I am noticing it now ? Its loud enough to be heard in a completely quite small room....
Thanks

Hi D_U, sorry to hear of your issue, sounds electrical and thereby out of my scope of support.
Constance
Verizon Telecom
Fiber Solution Center
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Noise on audio output when using the power adapter

I'm a musician and use my mid-2007 MBP 15" in my live rig. When I use the power adapter, I hear a buzz, sometimes accompanied by a slightly louder buzz that cycles on & off about 1x/second. There are a few weird things going on here:
1. The buzz does not happen all the time. That leads me to think it may be noise in the AC line that the adapter is plugged into.
2. The noise is heard when I use both the built-in audio output AND an external USB audio interface.
In any case, when I disconnect the power adapter and run my MBP on battery, the noise goes away completely. I can probably do this on most gigs, but I'm a little nervous since I run a FW drive, an external USB audio interface, and my midi keyboard (powered by USB) so I am putting a little heavier than usual load on the MBP's battery.
As I said, this may be a noisy AC line. Another guess is that it's the PMU inducing noise into the audio circuitry. I'm hoping a simple AC line filter can help me but I thought I would ask here first in case anyone else has dealt with this. TIA for any help!

I had a similar problem and fixed it with a $5 universal travel adapter. Yours might be different but here's my situation. Try it for little cost and see if it works.
I'm also a muso with an iMac running external KRK speakers via USB Mbox2. Previously I had a Macbook Pro and the same audio problem. I've been putting up with a very low volume, high pitch noise until now. I simply plugged the Mac power cord into a universal travel adapter which then goes into the wall. For Aussie users there is an adapter on ebay that will allow a 3 pin Aussie plug to go into female side and has a two pin Aussie male on the other. For US users you can probably get the same although there is a 59c product that will do the trick called a ground lift adapter. Applecare actually agreed this was the best fix and confirmed there would be no problems with power supply or Mac performance. What a gem ! God knows I've looked into all kinds of alternatives that could have cost hundreds instead of $5.

Defective power adapter??

My iBook gave me quite the scare last night. (I'm using my Compaq Presario (w/ Vista, God help me!) to post this.)
My iBook had about 20 percent left on the battery, so I put it to sleep and plugged it in to charge it. About an hour or so later, I checked and the battery had drained to 18 percent. The plug light was amber, but it obviously wasn't charging. And here's what was flakey: There was a soft buzzing sound from the power adapter. When I shut down the iBook, the buzzing stopped and the light stayed amber. But I checked another hour later and the battery continued to slowly drain.
So, I checked these discussion boards, reset the PMU, took out the battery and put it back in, checked the power at about this mac (it was not charging and the battery had -- I can't remember exactly -- zero capacity), tried the power adapter with the 2-prong thing (without the three-prong extention), and the battery continued to drain. It finally got to the point where the iBook would go to sleep in less than a minute. I could barely power up or shut down. The iBook did nothing when I tried only the power adapter with the battery removed.
So I'm thinking do I need to replace the adapter, the logic board, the DC in board, the battery?? Then I again unplugged the power plug and checked the pin for damage. There isn't any. I plugged it in again and booted, and now IT'S CHARGING. And the About this Mac > power shows a healthy, charging battery. I shut down, and it's charging now, no buzzing noise, and I'm not touching it until the light is green.
Can somebody tell me what happened? Do I need a new power adapter? I bought this iBook new from Apple in September 2005. It has the orignial battery. I've never had any real problems with my iBook. What's going on?

Just an update, but I'm hoping that this problem is solved.
The new battery I ordered from OWC arrived today. I replaced the original battery and NO PROBLEM. I didn't have to wiggle the plug or anything. Everything is working as it should. The battery has charged 100 percent and I'm keeping the plug in for 12-plus hours, as instructed to calibrate it.
I'll know for sure if that was the problem after I drain the new battery to empty and see if it recharges as it should. But for now it looks like the 29 month old original battery was the problem. That kind of ticks me off because it still had 56 percent of its original capacity. It seems like I should have gotten another year of use out of it. When I removed it (and it was fully charged), it had 484 load cycles.
The battery from OWC ($99) was a lot cheaper than Apple's price ($129). Also, they were not overly helpful at the closest Apple store (23 miles away). I would have to bring the iBook in so they could inspect it. They would have to order the part (if it was the DC-in board) and I would have to make a second trip to the store. The part wasn't in, but even if it was, they wouldn't hold it for me, and they wouldn't order it for me until they inspected the iBook, and they wouldn't just sell me the part. I had to have it installed by them for $85. The DC-in board is $12. The cheapest new one I could find on line was $29.95 (and $9 shipping).
So ... I'm hoping the new battery fixed everything. All seems to be well.

Noise when using power adapter

I've got a 1.25Ghz Powerbook 15 inch. It's been pretty noisy lately and sounded like a high pitch type mosquito sound. I just unplugged it to use battery power and the sound stopped. Now it's quiet as it should be. Does anyone know what may be causing this noise?
Also, what happens when I reset the power management on a powerbook? Do I lose any settings?

I had the same irritating 'mosquito' buzzing sound when plugged into my new 65 W AC power adapter (my previous one died) and the charging was intermittent and would require plugging & unplugging to get it to start charging again. I reset the PMU (power management unit) -- see BGreg's link above -- and it now working well. I hope it works for you!
cheers

10 w power adapter leakage fault

If the power adapter for the iPad is plugged in the wrong way, there is an electrical charge induced on the metal chassis. It feels like a prickly, buzzing sensation. An ac voltmeter shows a low ac potential on the case relative to ground. Reversing the plug causes the phenomenon to disappear. When connected through the adapter extension, the power adapter is forced to connect with the correct polarity, so there is no leakage. On a normal socket, the left hand, or wide blade receptacle, is connected to ground, while the other narrow blade receptacle is connected to 120 vac. There must be some kind of internal fault in the adapter, a manufacturing or design error. I plan to return to an apple store to demonstrate this, and ask for a replacement.

Last year when the original iPad came out, there were a few reports from the UK of this. I thought this was resolved. Is this on an iPad or ipad2?
Anyway, I think Apple swapped out the power supplies when notified.

Power Adapter Cord Transformer/Brick/Block Thingy

The power brick/block on my power adapter cord get sooooo hot! How hot is too hot? This is a replacement cord after the first one's magsafe died. This one is the 85W. This one is working fine, but the block is so hot (seems especially hot today). If I hold it up to my ear I can hear a faint buzzing noise. Is this normal? Thanks.

OK, thanks. That's what I have been doing (letting it sit asleep but on) have actually had this for... hmmm I think its having a 2 year birthday! But this brick is new and I think it might have just been the intensity of the cpu and the location of the brick. I hope. It was HOT. I could pick it up, but if I put my hand flat against it's flat side, it was too hot to keep my hand there. (is it of any use to actually measure the temp?) Right now it is on a table, actually near an open window so that is cool air, and it is just warm. Normal amount I think. Still making the buzzing only if I hold it up to my ear. Battery indicator says 96%. Cord itself is not warm at all neither is mag safe. I'm going to mark this as "solved." But do post if you/anyone has anything additional to add or if that one overheating episode sounds like a bad indicator of a problem. I don't want to leave it unattended if it is a fire risk. Most important of all because of our animals.

Power unit buzzing/crackling

My Powerbook's white power unit has, in the last couple of days, begun buzzing/crackling when I place it in to a power socket. Either it's the unit or it's the electricity transfer itself. Either way, I'm worried. Both about what's going on, what damage it might do to any hardware and what might happen to me.
Advice please? It doesn't even look like I can open up the unit like a regular plug to check for any loose connections.
Could this have been caused by mishandling the unit, or what?

Thanks - that's all the prompt I need.
I'd like to get one from eBay because they're pretty pricey from the Apple Store. I know the one I have is a 65W model, but most of the 65W models I'm seeing on eBay say they are suitable for...
This 65 W Apple Power Adapter is used with these computers:
· PowerBook G4 (1GHz/867MHz)
· PowerBook G4 (15-inch FW800)
· PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.5/1.33GHz)
· PowerBook G4 (17-inch)
· PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.33GHz)
· PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.5GHz)
... for example.
Whereas mine is a Powerbook G4 15" 1.65GHz (1Gb DDR2 SDRAM) PowerPC.
Does it matter that I'm not finding 1.65GHz listed anywhere?
I'd like to purchase a new power supply *as soon as possible* so all help appreciated!

MBP power adapter

I have noticed that lately, after I got my new battery from Apple, (it malfunctioned and I got a new one under warranty), that my power adapter has gotten louder and louder with its buzzing noise. I told Apple about it before I received the new battery, and they said that it was normal, but I don't think it's normal anymore. What can I do about it?

If you already contacted Apple about it, there's little you can do about it. If you have brought it into your Genius Bar and they have said it is within normal limits, there is nothing Apple will do about that.
You can purchase a new one, or a used one on eBay or the like.
For the record -- I administer about 15 MBA's in my office, and not one of them makes any sound in the power adapter.

Could I have got a new power adapter for free?

My power adapter for my mac stopped working recently and as far as I know I didn't cause any damage to it myself.
I read the following on the apple website:
Additional Information
Whether your product is in or out of warranty, you can take your adapter to an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple Retail Store for evaluation and replacement if necessary. Pending the results of evaluation, you may or may not be eligible for a replacement adapter free of charge. Signs of accidental damage would negate any coverage. Be sure to bring in the computer used with the adapter; it is required to process potential adapter replacements.
Which seems to suggest that even out of warrenty, if the charger has broken of it's own accord you can still get a free replacement?
I took my adapter and mac to the shop, they said there were no signs of accidental damage but said I still have to pay for it. I referred to this statement from the website but they were very dismissive and kept saying it was out of warrenty. Perhaps i'm reading the statement wrongly.
Just wondered if anyone could clarify :-)

As you indicated, it depends on the results of the evaluation.
Apple takes responsibility when design faults cause certain failures, especially when it represents a safety concern. There have been a small number of cases where failure met certain characteristics that Apple deemed that it should not have happened, regardless of age or use.
I am reluctant to indicated the specificity of some of these issues, because for many reasons Apple would not want us speculating on the subject. Suffice it to say your product failure may not have met any particular characteristics associated with failures deemed to have extended coverage.
If your product failed for an unknown reason, or apparently a failure stemming from age or normal life expectancy use, and it was after the normal expiry of warranty, then no further consideration was given. You need to buy and pay for a new one, unless you yourself, can provide extenuating circumstances to consider.

Power adapter buzz?

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