this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2026
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No Stupid Questions

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I just installed this cheap LED with a brightness of 4600 lumen, which is really great. Now I can finally work without falling asleep.

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But.

It's humming, faintly. Which is annoying. Any ideas on how to rectify this?

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[โ€“] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The humming is going to be its power supply, either a transformer-to-rectifier or switched mode power supply.

You could open it up and see what psu it uses, swap it out for one of same voltage but higher quality. If it's a transformer sometimes you can self-pot them in hot glue to cut down on vibration but you do so at your own risk when working with 240 mains.

[โ€“] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Sweet! Unfortunately I have secured it to the wall with semipermanent double sided tape, and I'd rather not pluck it down at the moment. But if the humming will interfere with my work, I'll check out the insides! Duly noted on the safety risks! ๐Ÿซก Thanks!

[โ€“] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 17 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Before you dismount it from the wall, have you tried turning it on, then applying physical pressure at various parts of the outside of the light to see if the sound changes or disappears? Make sure its not a vibration that could be solved with a tiny bit of padding between two hard surfaces.

Excellent advice! Thanks! I'll try this tomorrow after work. ๐Ÿซก๐Ÿ˜Š

[โ€“] Thwompthwomp@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago

Any ideas on how to rectify this?

Sounds like the LEDs are doing a great job of that already

[โ€“] JohnnyEnzyme@piefed.social 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Now I can finally work without falling asleep.

Err... isn't the noisy PSU helping you achieve your goal? :P

[โ€“] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Yes, but I don't want to be talking to my projects saying: we are getting aggravated ๐Ÿ’€

[โ€“] Kolanaki@pawb.social 3 points 3 weeks ago

Are you one of those albino ghost dudes from The Matrix?

[โ€“] bitteroldcoot@piefed.social 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Sign it up for music lessons?

[โ€“] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Any specific genre? ๐Ÿค” Don't leave me with a half assed suggestion PLEASE. ๐Ÿ˜‚

[โ€“] bitteroldcoot@piefed.social 5 points 3 weeks ago

barbershop quartet. Lots of humming in that genre.

[โ€“] Orygin@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Just put an envelope on it and it should decay, then you'll get your release

[โ€“] Paddy_NI@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Have you tried humming along with it?

It's messing with my head because it sits RIGHT between a G and a G#. Fuck me.

[โ€“] YaDownWitCPP@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It may operate quietly closer to one of it's operating temperature extremes. Have you tried heating or cooling the room? Maybe try -10 or 35ยฐC?

[โ€“] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Gonna try -10 tomorrow and also push that IP65 rating to its limits with a water canon. Yay or nay?

[โ€“] YaDownWitCPP@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

I say it never hurts to try!

[โ€“] wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

cheap led

You answered your own question

[โ€“] Treczoks@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The LEDs do not hum. Their power supply does. Usually, it is caused by bad coils. I'd check which one is humming, and just replace it, but this might not be a method recommendable for anyone.

[โ€“] akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Coils as in the transformer's?

[โ€“] Treczoks@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

Transformers and inductors.

[โ€“] Venator@lemmy.nz 2 points 3 weeks ago

It looks like a florescent tube, not LED, but I guess it's just a diffuser over LEDs?

Florescent tubes can definitely make noise though...

[โ€“] bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Get a few CRT TVs. After a while you won't be bothered by background noise ๐Ÿซ 

[โ€“] Carl@anarchist.nexus 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

My housemate didnโ€™t believe that his TV whistled. It was so loud I could hear it inside my car as I was pulling into the driveway.

[โ€“] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

1960s BBC TV license van teams would like to make you a job offer.

[โ€“] GreyEyedGhost@piefed.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

If you get tinnitus, this little guy won't bother you at all.

[โ€“] Osprey@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

Or it will make it worse.