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12863
February 19th, 2008 15:00
E1505 speaker started buzzing, then got very hot.
I have owned my Inspiron E1505 since April '06. I never had a problem with speaker distortion or overheating, even at max volume. Today I was watching a streaming video that had low audio so I turned the speaker setting to max. After about 5-6 minutes, the right speaker began producing a buzzing/crackling sound even after I paused the video. I closed the browser but the distorted sound continued. I then noticed the case directly above the speaker was getting very hot and I could smell overheated/melting plastic. I chose to shutdown the computer but since it takes 2-3 minutes to shutdown the case got hotter and the smell more prominent.
So I am guessing that I blew the speaker, although max volume was never an issue before. What I am curious about is why, with no audio playing after closing the video, browser and then shutting down, the speaker would continue to make a sound which to me indicates it was still operating? Has anyone else experienced this sort of speaker problem? Does anyone know if Dell has been made aware of this type of problem, since IMHO it presents a safety issue with the case getting so hot? I expected to see the case start melting while I was waiting for shutdown to complete and am sure I will see the speaker enclosure distorted when I replace them. It seems to me that if batteries are recalled because of a risk of fire, then the same would apply to other components.
The other thing is whether this could be a driver issue. Having just replaced a HDD that failed, a Dell Technician provided links to all the drivers/programs I would need to restore the computer after a new HDD was installed and the link to the sound driver was wrong. I eventually removed the incorrect driver and installed the correct one but I am wondering if something was left behind when I uninstalled the incorrect one.
Jim Coates
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13.6K Posts
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February 19th, 2008 15:00
Jim
PS I can't see how a driver would have anything to do with it but with computers you never know.
DELL-Chris B
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1.1K Posts
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February 19th, 2008 18:00
I would contact Dell Technical Support immediately and report your experience. Dell Technical Support will be able to evaluate the system and repair as needed. Refer to the following link for contact information:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dellcare/contact_us_options?c=us&l=en&s=gen&~tab=1
Divelucaya
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March 7th, 2008 19:00
Regarding contacting Dell, I have dealt with their tech support reps several times, both on the phone and by e-mail, and don't think it would be worth my effort to do it again regarding a potential safety issue because 1) none of them seem to be able to understand or read English well, 2) I don't believe any of them would give a darn that this may be a safety issue. I just spent two days by e-mail and then by phone trying to get tech support to realize my desktop monitor was malfunctioning and needed to be replaced. After all, when you tell them repeatedly that the monitor display turns white when shutdown, whether or not it is connected to the computer, one can rule out that it is a video card or driver issue. And if the monitor acts fine when on, then what is the purpose of doing a self-test which does nothing to show a problem when the monitor is off. Dell should have a web page specifically for reporting potential safety or health issues.
Well, I digress; here is an update. I purchased new speakers for my E1505 and after replacing them, I still had no sound from the right speaker. The right speaker of the old set, while not visibly disfigured, smelled like melted plastic and the speaker cone was pulled back into the coil (i.e., pushing on the cone did not make it go in and out, it is stuck in the in position (negative mode)). I checked the audio settings, including those for all media players I have and none had the balance set to left only. So now I have to assume that the problem lies with the audio device, which of course is integral to the motherboard and not replaceable (or if so would probably require some delicate soldering skills). What I do not understand is why the headphone jack works okay with sound coming from both speakers. Doesn't the headphone connection come fom the same audio device? Could the problem be with the speaker connector jack? Is it possible that the audio device circuit board also got so hot it melted a circuit for the right speaker?
Jim Coates
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13.6K Posts
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March 8th, 2008 01:00
To run Diagnostics restart the computer and as soon as it starts to boot up hold down f12. Select 'Diagnostic' from the boot menu. The computer will run its pre-boot assessment tests for 3 or 4 minutes before the Dell Diagnostic starts. These pre-boot tests play some beeps and tones through the system speaker but this doesn't test the rest of the audio hardware, so you still need to let Dell Diagnostics run after the pre-boot tests finish. Dell Diagnostics plays an instrumental piece of music complete with drums, so if you only hear some tones then you have only run the pre-boot assessment test.
When Dell Diagnostics opens, select 'custom', then the audio test. This will test your audio system independently of Windows and drivers, meaning it doesn't matter if they are working correctly or not. Alternate between using headphones and listening to speakers in case only one is working.
[If you have ever reformatted your hard drive then the Diagnostics partition might have been wiped off. If the Dell Diagnostics option fails to open, run it from the Drivers and Utilities (Resource) CD if you have one.]
Jim