o2 ATOM High pitched noise *solution*

[mystiknight]

Hi I am a owner of this device as well and I'm not very happy about this product. I have a sensitive inner ear and this noise makes me physically ill. However I have found a workaround for the noise problem, it does not fix the problem of course (that is up to o2!!!!).

What I did was stick a screen protector (purchasable from Ebay) over the top. This cut down on the high frequency noise significantly for me. I still am going to try for a repair station solution though, as this is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!!! I mean for a thousand dollar product you would think that they would at least make it usable.

Pls let me know how other users go with this.[/b]

[Esra]

I'll give this a try and it really drives me nuts.

I just got my phone back from Optus in Australia.
The phone has been away for 3 weeks and i was told the screen and gasket had been replaced and tested and that the phone was ok.

5 minutes use later there's the noise again just as bad as before if not worse.

Completely unacceptable.

Now i have to send it away again as Optus can't authorise a repair.

[boim]

Is it possible that I am hearing the noise via BT headset? I have this annoying noise also. By the way, I do have a screen protector..

[homer285]

Dont bother sending it back to O2, I have had 3 Atoms replaced and 2 Exec's replaced each time they promise it is fixed but as soon as the replacement is switched on the noise is there instantly. O2 are selling and distributing these faulty products and they know very well they are faulty, now they do not reply to my emails and when I call them they merely want me to send the faulty crap back to them again and again. I suggest if your device has this noise then send it back to whoever you bought it from for a refund, if that doesnt work then write a complaint to the relative consumer protection agency or telecomunication ombudsman.

[mystiknight]

I now strongely suspect that all the O2 atoms w/ the new rom make that noise to varying degrees. O2/Quanta should know this, but they ignore it because it would cost too much money to conduct a recall.

My suspicians were verified by a trip to my local shopping centre. Of 6 shops I visited that sold this device 5/6 of the display models emit this sound. The one that didn't make this sound had the old rom.

I suspect that wenever the new rom is installed it changes some power output settings which damage something in the screen. This damage is irreversable. This may explain why many ATOMs only exhibit symptons after several days use with the new rom.

[homer285]

I now strongely suspect that all the O2 atoms w/ the new rom make that noise to varying degrees. O2/Quanta should know this, but they ignore it because it would cost too much money to conduct a recall.

My suspicians were verified by a trip to my local shopping centre. Of 6 shops I visited that sold this device 5/6 of the display models emit this sound. The one that didn't make this sound had the old rom.

I suspect that wenever the new rom is installed it changes some power output settings which damage something in the screen. This damage is irreversable. This may explain why many ATOMs only exhibit symptons after several days use with the new rom.I bought my first Atom in December last year, I have flashed every rom since without any problems no high pitch noise, since then I have purchased another Atom and an Exec both with the problem. I would say this problem is hardware fault either in the LCD or in the power management, after playing around a little I have discovered that the Exec battery in the Atom handset considerably lowers the high pitch noise and battery life is better. Looking at the two batteries I see that the Atom battery is made in Taiwan and the Exec battery is made in China, whether this makes any difference who knows but perhaps O2 or Quanta are now also using a different company to supply them LCD's.

[jacky111]

I remeber this pitched noise was come from old CRT monitor. If the monitor use high resolution and refresh rate, it is the same as this atom pitch sound. When change the value to lower, the noise will gone.

But i dont know how to change lower refresh rate or resolution in atom .

anyone know how to do this? change registry?

[Esra]

My phone is now off for the second time.
I told them i want it replaced not repaired so we'll see how it goes.
If it still has the same problem when i get it back I'll just be ending the contract with optus and buying the HP unit outright from a friend of mine who works there.

I had it out with them and told them I knew that the machine was faulty and not tested after the supposed repair and that i didn't want to be without the phone for another 3 weeks.

They said it would be an express courier and I would hear about the replacement 2 days after it is picked up.

So annoying, the XDA Mini i had before this was awesome, no problems at all.
These new manufacturers should be ashamed for putting such a badly designed phone on the marketplace. O2 must be pissed.

[mazam]

interesting...
I've done a survey with atom with about 50 atom's user. For those who bought the 1st batch of atom in dec-mar , they dont have this high pitch noise, but for those who bought in march and so on 19 out of 30 got this high pitch noise, u can check your batch by imei number to your nearest o2 service center...

[100]

Noise eh? The problem is arising from the charge-pump cap in the backlight circuit in your fone. You need a cap to power the backlight LED, because the LED requires a higher potential difference (P.D. / Voltage) than that of your battery's supply voltage. Think of it as a step-up transformer, but instead of using the traditional inductor step-up model, you use the solid state model, different technique delivering much the same effect when analysing at low frequencies (i.e. analysis by a human).

So there is your answer... make the capacitor do less actual work, decrease its workload, frequency and you may not hear the sound any more. I can hear the noise in my Atom, but it doesn't bother me at all.

Solution (although I haven't tested it, because the problem isn't frequent/very audible on my atom) would be to lower the backlight intensity in Settings>System>Backlight. No solder rework or reflashing involved!

[Esra]

Solution (although I haven't tested it, because the problem isn't frequent/very audible on my atom) would be to lower the backlight intensity in Settings>System>Backlight. No solder rework or reflashing involved!

That doesn't work.

I'm getting my O2 back probably tomorrow and supposedly it has been repaired and tested to ensure a solution. They told me they replaced the screen and gasket. I told them that is what they were supposed to do the first time and that if the noise is still there when i get it i want a replacement. They said they only replace when they can't repair the phone! I said that if you've tried something two times and it's still broke then you can't repair it.

I told them i work for another very large mobile company and that the company will gladly pay for legal help to help me make them look stupid in the press.

All of a sudden they said they will re-test the phone for 24 hours to ensure that the repairs have solved the problem.

I'll let you all know if the phone is actually repaired when i get it back.

Why the hell didn't O2 just get HTC to make this one aswell????

[100]

I'm sure it is the capacitor. It isn't decoupled properly, and there is a coupling effect between the main speaker and the cap.

Maybe solution is to install a small pf cap in series to backlight LED circuit, after the transistor driver?

G

[Esra]

Got the phone back after the second repair (replace screen and gasket) and the noise was back with in 25 hours.

Expecting to hear about the replacement today.

What a joke, if they had just left the phone running for a day they would have seen it hadn't been repaired and could have replaced it.

I figure with the cost of 2 screens and 2 gaskets and shipping and time spent they could have just bought me a new one.

[Esra]

A bit of news.

Just got finished talking to O2 and they are going to replace the phone as soon as they have stock. That's all well and good however what they said next was interesting.

They warned me that they can't guarantee the next unit would not also emit the noise. They said they were looking into a possible manufacturing fault whereby placing the unit in your pocket and thus putting pressure (any amount) on the screen will cause compression of the gasket and the noise to start. They said once started it can't be stopped.

I asked why they bothered trying to fix the phone twice when they knew it was a manufacturing problem and they said they weren't sure.

I told them i wanted my phone replaced and if it makes the noise they'll replace that one too until we get one that doesn't make the noise. Grudgingly they agreed.

I think O2 are seriously regretting not using HTC to make the Atom.

[Esra]

I have gotten the replacement and it's making the noise aswell.

I have no idea what the hell they're doing.
They have said they will send a replacement but i told them that I now have no confidence in the unit.

Anyone had any experience ending a contract with Optus in Australia because the phone is faulty?

[X_Farhad]

guys, i'm having the opportunity to exchange my qtek s200 with an o2 atom , paying an extra houndred dollars. considering the fact that there is absolutely Nothnig wrong with my s200, except the dull sluggish 195mhz cpu, is it good deal, is it really worth it? i really wanted to do this, but i'am starting to have second thoughts since i saw this topic, could it be really annoying for everyone, this problem you're talking about?
plz answer me asap...thanX

[homer285]

guys, i'm having the opportunity to exchange my qtek s200 with an o2 atom , paying an extra houndred dollars. considering the fact that there is absolutely Nothnig wrong with my s200, except the dull sluggish 195mhz cpu, is it good deal, is it really worth it? i really wanted to do this, but i'am starting to have second thoughts since i saw this topic, could it be really annoying for everyone, this problem you're talking about?
plz answer me asap...thanX
I personally find the high pitch noise very frustrating three times my Atom has been to O2 service centre and twice replaced. I would suggest the HP rw6828 over the Atom or if you can afford it wait for the Nokia N95 which will be available early next year.

[X_Farhad]

I personally find the high pitch noise very frustrating three times my Atom has been to O2 service centre and twice replaced. I would suggest the HP rw6828 over the Atom or if you can afford it wait for the Nokia N95 which will be available early next year.

Dude we're talking about PDAs in here why would you suggest n95?! big fan huh?;) thanks for the advice though, actually i live in iran and there's not any kind of real gurrantee around here...so i guess i'll just stick to my s200

[Dmitry N]

For me, the problem was resolved automatically a while ago. The noise was just gone for good.
It started coming back and going once in a while, but about a couple of months ago it was completely gone.
I had to get along with the noise for about 4 months before this happened though...

[Esra]

Hey guys,

Just got my Atom Exec from O2 as a replacement for my buzzing Atom.

They included the RF keyboard too.
Not too bad.

They admitted it was a design fault, they have just redesigned teh screen and are using the new ones in new units and this one is not buzzing at all.

If your having this problem call them and say you either want a new phone or the screen replaced with the new design.

[mma]

Hey guys,

Just got my Atom Exec from O2 as a replacement for my buzzing Atom.

They included the RF keyboard too.
Not too bad.

They admitted it was a design fault, they have just redesigned teh screen and are using the new ones in new units and this one is not buzzing at all.

If your having this problem call them and say you either want a new phone or the screen replaced with the new design.

folks,

Does any one know who I can check if the O2 I am about to buy is from the new desgin vs the old one?

Thanks for your help.

[viperx]

I have the exec. i just bought it 2 months ago... it has started buzzing.

I'm wondering whether I should give them trouble. the sound seems to be getting louder...

[viperx]

Here is an interesting development on the squealing of my exec

I have contacted O2, they say because I have used my device for more than30 days they can't do a swap but they will have to get me to send it to MPS for repair. However, I've emailed MPS to ask them what the current plan to fix this problem is as I really can't afford to have the phone away longer than neede (and certainly not months on end) due to work.

However, I figured a few days ago- if the sound is due to the electronics in the screen which occurred after some usage, then why don't I just leave the screen on for longer and see what happens?

It sort of worked- the sound went away totally and then came back again. Now it intemittently goes up and down in volume. Doesn't seem to be related to anything. Not sure why...

I'm hoping that this problem will eventually fade away as then I won't have to send it away, its just too much hassle!

Albert

[viperx]

or, i wonder whether my ears are just dying or getting used to the sound. :D

[Esra]

The noise won't go away.
They told me it was due to the screen being placed too close to the touch sensors.

Bad design apparently.

as for finding out which one it is before buying, i don't think any of the new ones are on the marker.
The one i got was a new EXEC, then they replaced the screen with a new LCD.

They aren't actually making the EXEC with the new screen at the moment.

no idea why.

this will probably be the last O2 device i buy unless they go back to HTC.

Anyway you can buy direct from HTC now.

[X_Farhad]

The noise won't go away.
They told me it was due to the screen being placed too close to the touch sensors.

Bad design apparently.

as for finding out which one it is before buying, i don't think any of the new ones are on the marker.
The one i got was a new EXEC, then they replaced the screen with a new LCD.

They aren't actually making the EXEC with the new screen at the moment.

no idea why.

this will probably be the last O2 device i buy unless they go back to HTC.

Anyway you can buy direct from HTC now.

ٌWell, i think you'll eventually have to reconsider your decision, i think o2 has the best software support and gurantee services, plus they've started to sell Gigabyte and Asus products too, and i tell you, two minutes of working with something like p525 would be enough for anyone to fall in love with it:cool:

[yzdw]

so sad,i bought the atom 2 weeks ago, it has started buzzing ....5555,it comes to louder and louder ,how to deal with it ?
deassamble it and make the touch-screen away from the lcd?

[pakiyabhai]

so basically there is no solution to this $300 piece of worthless high pitch noise wielder device ?

Nope there aint , I have it and hate it

[viperx]

Well I just sent mine in for service. I had to, noise was bad and also i had contact problem with speakers, they cut in and out.

Terrible quality control

Esra did they fix your exec properly? I hope they do, I have borrowed someone's hp 1940 and phone for the while. so inconvenient.

Never O2 again.

The noise won't go away.
They told me it was due to the screen being placed too close to the touch sensors.

Bad design apparently.

as for finding out which one it is before buying, i don't think any of the new ones are on the marker.
The one i got was a new EXEC, then they replaced the screen with a new LCD.

They aren't actually making the EXEC with the new screen at the moment.

no idea why.

this will probably be the last O2 device i buy unless they go back to HTC.

Anyway you can buy direct from HTC now.