Noisy Camera

[Clarkey]

I am hoping some of the knowledgeable folks on SGL can help me with a bit of an odd problem.....

I have a Rising Cam IMX571 camera that has been getting noisier and noisier. It was a high pitched whir / whine so I thought the fan must be going. Anyway, today I replaced the fan. This turned out to be more hassle than I expected as I ended up having to rewire the plug which was a different fitting. Having done this I turned it on and WHIRRRR!!! On closer inspection the noise was happening even when the fan was not moving.

So, my two questions are:

What in a solid state device would make the noise of a worn out fan?

Given the noise is getting worse, should I be concerned that the camera is likely to fail?

Any ideas?

[symmetal]

Inductors used in DC power converters like buck converters can give a high pitched whine if their internal windings are not wound tightly enough, or it's not anchored to the PCB properly. They try to vibrate at their operating frequency, generally around 100kHz, and a resonant sub-harmonic of the PCB or coil structure can create a lower pitch noise in the audible spectrum.

It's likely the camera has one or more of these DC converters to power the sensor and interface circuitry from the main 12V input. It's usually just a nuisance but if it's getting louder it implies something is getting looser. As you've had it apart to change the fan, while it's powered, can you push against any of the exposed PCBs or large components with something non-conducting, like a cotton bud or cocktail stick, to see if the noise changes or stops and so isolate the cause.

It may just be a screw holding a pcb which has some inductors mounted, has come loose and the pcb itself is vibrating.

Alan

Edited October 21, 2023 by symmetal

[Clarkey]

On 21/10/2023 at 21:02, symmetal said:

It's likely the camera has one or more of these DC converters to power the sensor and interface circuitry from the main 12V input. It's usually just a nuisance but if it's getting louder it implies something is getting looser. As you've had it apart to change the fan, while it's powered, can you push against any of the exposed PCBs or large components with something non-conducting, like a cotton bud or cocktail stick, to see if the noise changes or stops and so isolate the cause.

I dismantled the camera again today but could find nothing amiss. I put everything back together and no noise.🤔 Anyway, I'm guessing something must have been vibrating against the case. Who knows? But peace has returned...

[symmetal]

That'g good to hear. 🙂

Alan