High pitch beeping sound from near drivers door

[martinmeyer]

When I’m driving, I hear a very high pitch sound beeping at a constant rate. Fit doesn’t seem to vary with speed. I can sometime hear it when at a stop, but it seems to come and go. It’s high enough frequency that it’s probably not audible to some people. If I hold my hand up at the 10 o’clock position it shuts the sound off. If I turn my head I can’t hear it anymore.

Has anyone else heard this sound? I’m thinking maybe one of the ultrasound sensors is misbehaving.

 

[MoniputerLM]

When I’m driving, I hear a very high pitch sound beeping at a constant rate. Fit doesn’t seem to vary with speed. I can sometime hear it when at a stop, but it seems to come and go. It’s high enough frequency that it’s probably not audible to some people. If I hold my hand up at the 10 o’clock position it shuts the sound off. If I turn my head I can’t hear it anymore.

Has anyone else heard this sound? I’m thinking maybe one of the ultrasound sensors is misbehaving.

 

[s55b30]

There are speakers in the A-pillar of the cars interior, I wonder if that corresponds with the location when you say the sound is at your 10 o'clock position.

 

[martinmeyer]

I will check tomorrow, but I don’t think it’s coming from the speakers. It’s not the sort of wine or buzz sound you would normally get from a speaker. I also hear it when sound is off and the sound level is constant regardless of audio level when on.

 

[hydbob]

Is it really a beeping? I know there is a high pitch sound from the seat fans but it's not a beeping sound.

Maybe try turning off the seat fan and see if it goes away?

 

[PCorkett]

Is it really a beeping? I know there is a high pitch sound from the seat fans but it's not a beeping sound.

Maybe try turning off the seat fan and see if it goes away?

Try removing the battery holder from the visor. I know it doesn’t match the 10 o’clock positioning but I’ve noticed an odd faint high pitch sound which seemed to emanate above me. When I swapped my visor battery holder for the one on passenger side, which the batteries had died, the odd sound went away. When I eventually replaced the batteries the sound returned. It is intermittent. So just curious if it’s the same for you. This is pretty faint sound. To the point I question myself as to whether it’s really there.

 

[martinmeyer]

Is it really a beeping? I know there is a high pitch sound from the seat fans but it's not a beeping sound.

Maybe try turning off the seat fan and see if it goes away?

It's definitely a constant rate non-continuous sound. That's how I define a "beep". Definitely not the seat fan, I forgot I even have those ;-)

Try removing the battery holder from the visor.

How do I remove the battery?

 

[PCorkett]

there is a little plastic fitting along the edge of the visor. Pinch it slightly pull back. It's likely described in the manual some where too. It can be a bit stiff pull back. But its made to come out so the batteries can be replace.

 

[martinmeyer]

I just got back from my first service visit and have some new info to share about this. We were able to reproduce the sound, but it wasn’t what I though it was.

The sound is somehow caused by the brightness adjustment on the main display. It adjusts the leds throughout cabin, and the ones in the front doors make a beeping sound in several different dimming ranges. Move the brightness slider around and you’ll probably hear it too.

We don’t know yet why the brightness adjustment causes this sound, or how to fix it. At least now though I have a way to make it stop before I lose my mind.

 

[hydbob]

I just got back from my first service visit and have some new info to share about this. We were able to reproduce the sound, but it wasn’t what I though it was.

The sound is somehow caused by the brightness adjustment on the main display. It adjusts the leds throughout cabin, and the ones in the front doors make a beeping sound in several different dimming ranges. Move the brightness slider around and you’ll probably hear it too.

We don’t know yet why the brightness adjustment causes this sound, or how to fix it. At least now though I have a way to make it stop before I lose my mind.

Interesting! Just tried it, trippy

 

[PCorkett]

<whew> So I'm not crazy. Or at least for that reason I'm not. Do share if they follow-up with a solution. thanks for sharing!

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I just got back from my first service visit and have some new info to share about this. We were able to reproduce the sound, but it wasn’t what I though it was.

The sound is somehow caused by the brightness adjustment on the main display. It adjusts the leds throughout cabin, and the ones in the front doors make a beeping sound in several different dimming ranges. Move the brightness slider around and you’ll probably hear it too.

We don’t know yet why the brightness adjustment causes this sound, or how to fix it. At least now though I have a way to make it stop before I lose my mind.

Interesting! I’ll take a listen, I was wondering what it could be when you mentioned it at the New England get together. Glad I’ve damaged my hearing in my prior career and have tinnitus, means I probably won’t notice it much unless I really look for it.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I just got back from my first service visit and have some new info to share about this. We were able to reproduce the sound, but it wasn’t what I though it was.

The sound is somehow caused by the brightness adjustment on the main display. It adjusts the leds throughout cabin, and the ones in the front doors make a beeping sound in several different dimming ranges. Move the brightness slider around and you’ll probably hear it too.

We don’t know yet why the brightness adjustment causes this sound, or how to fix it. At least now though I have a way to make it stop before I lose my mind.

I was able to reproduce this too at max brightness, which causes both a high pitched oscillation sound and blinds your eyes. Luckily I must have enough hearing damage from my prior career that I can’t perceive this sound at normal brightness levels.

 

[martinmeyer]

For me this isn’t just at high brightness. It seems to happen in bands throughout the brightness range. The screen seems to automatically adjust brightness too, so it comes and goes all day as I drive.

 

[idiot900]

My screens do the same thing. The noise varies according to the screen brightness, which itself varies according to the ambient light.

But I have a separate high-pitched whine which comes from the window switches, around 8 kHz, which gives me a headache. Mobile service (Andy, here in SE PA, who was extremely persistent in diagnosing the problem) will be replacing the driver door switches.

I suspect it's from pulse-width modulation to dim the LEDs in the window switches. I am hoping that, if the switch replacements don't work and it comes to it, there is some way just to disable the LEDs in the switches.

 

[Deisic]

Thanks for posting this, my dimness was moved down by the auto detailers, and I was like, WTF is going on with my car after I picked it up? I can confirm that the high-frequency noise is being emitted due to the screen brightness.

 

[Deisic]

My screens do the same thing. The noise varies according to the screen brightness, which itself varies according to the ambient light.

But I have a separate high-pitched whine which comes from the window switches, around 8 kHz, which gives me a headache. Mobile service (Andy, here in SE PA, who was extremely persistent in diagnosing the problem) will be replacing the driver door switches.

I suspect it's from pulse-width modulation to dim the LEDs in the window switches. I am hoping that, if the switch replacements don't work and it comes to it, there is some way just to disable the LEDs in the switches.

wow this is wild. amazing what kind of noise can emit from electronics

 

[idiot900]

The replacement switches were a little better but I had service disconnect the rear set of switches on the driver door, which helps a bit. I keep brightness set either at 100% or 0% depending on ambient light - these seem to be the least bothersome settings.

Hopefully Lucid is able to provide a fix at some point.

 

[borski]

wow this is wild. amazing what kind of noise can emit from electronics

The evolution of dimming technology has certainly become more complex than simply reducing the current. LED bulbs, for example, can be dimmed, but there's a catch. If you suffer from migraines, try recording your LED bulbs at home with a slow-motion camera; you might discover that they flicker! Replacing these flickering bulbs with non-flickering alternatives could potentially provide some relief from migraines - it makes a huge difference for one of my best friends.

Here's the science behind it: LEDs powered by a DC source have electrons that remain charged within the diode, continuously emitting light. On the other hand, a typical power source, such as a wall socket, produces alternating current, causing the inverter to switch on and off in each cycle, resulting in a flickering LED light when recorded on video. Because of this, any LED bulb will have a driver that converts AC to DC et voilá, no flicker. But hang on - it still flickers in your home? Well, is it dimmable?

Now, here's where it gets a bit technical. Most LED dimmers utilize a technique called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). PWM dims LEDs by rapidly blinking them, switching between "on" and "off" states multiple times per second. This reduces the overall brightness as the LEDs are not constantly emitting light. By adjusting the ratio of "on" to "off" time, the brightness can be controlled.

The crucial point to understand is that PWM dimming essentially creates a controlled flickering effect. Even though it might appear seamless to the human eye, the LED is not producing a constant light output with consistent brightness. In essence, all PWM-based LED dimmers will exhibit some level of flicker. Therefore, when we refer to "flicker-free," it's more accurate to say that the LED is free from the negative effects of flicker.

To truly eliminate flicker, a very high-frequency PWM driver is required, operating at something like 25,000 Hz. This high frequency ensures that the power supply can respond quickly to the rapid switching between "on" and "off," preventing any oscillating vibrations that could generate an audible buzzing sound. Frequencies below 25,000 Hz run the risk of creating this unwanted noise, as that sound is going to be *at* the PWM frequency; humans can’t hear 25kHz.

However, high-frequency PWM drivers come at a higher cost, and their availability can be limited, impacting the feasibility of implementation - especially during a pandemic.

I'm curious; who wants to go and record their car's dimmed screen to see if it flickers? I suspect it does, and I'm willing to bet $5 on it!

(Thanks for coming to my TED talk, lol)

 

[Deisic]

The evolution of dimming technology has certainly become more complex than simply reducing the current. LED bulbs, for example, can be dimmed, but there's a catch. If you suffer from migraines, try recording your LED bulbs at home with a slow-motion camera; you might discover that they flicker! Replacing these flickering bulbs with non-flickering alternatives could potentially provide some relief from migraines - it makes a huge difference for one of my best friends.

Here's the science behind it: LEDs powered by a DC source have electrons that remain charged within the diode, continuously emitting light. However, when viewed through a camera, the flicker becomes invisible. On the other hand, a typical power source, such as a wall socket, produces alternating current, causing the inverter to switch on and off in each cycle, resulting in a flickering LED light when recorded on video. Because of this, any LED bulb will have a driver that converts AC to DC et voilá, no flicker. But hang on - it still flickers in your home? Well, is it dimmable?

Now, here's where it gets a bit technical. Most LED dimmers utilize a technique called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). PWM dims LEDs by rapidly blinking them, switching between "on" and "off" states multiple times per second. This reduces the overall brightness as the LEDs are not constantly emitting light. By adjusting the ratio of "on" to "off" time, the brightness can be controlled.

The crucial point to understand is that PWM dimming essentially creates a controlled flickering effect. Even though it might appear seamless to the human eye, the LED is not producing a constant light output with consistent brightness. In essence, all PWM-based LED dimmers will exhibit some level of flicker. Therefore, when we refer to "flicker-free," it's more accurate to say that the LED is free from the negative effects of flicker.

To truly eliminate flicker, a very high-frequency PWM driver is required, operating at something like 25,000 Hz. This high frequency ensures that the power supply can respond quickly to the rapid switching between "on" and "off," preventing any oscillating vibrations that could generate an audible buzzing sound. Frequencies below 25,000 Hz run the risk of creating this unwanted noise, as that sound is going to be *at* the PWM frequency; humans can’t hear 25kHz.

However, high-frequency PWM drivers come at a higher cost, and their availability can be limited, impacting the feasibility of implementation - especially during a pandemic.

I'm curious; who wants to go and record their car's dimmed screen to see if it flickers? I suspect it does, and I'm willing to bet $5 on it!

(Thanks for coming to my TED talk, lol)

what the actual heck?! Dimmed lights are simply turning on and off really quickly?! -that is actually really fascinating! I can see why it could cause people to have headaches!