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Weird Electrical Mystery
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Sep 12, 2021 08:23:05   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
This is a weird one!

About a year ago, a series of rapid power failures killed my TV. When I got a new one, I hooked it up to an APC UPS battery backup, along with Tivo, Roku, etc. When the hot weather hit, I plugged a fan into the plug-in strip. Here's the weird part. If I shut off the fan while the TV is on, the show is interrupted, and I get a flashing black screen with lots of writing. It flickers on and off very rapidly, so I can't read it, but I see something about HDMI. After less than a minute, the TV goes back to normal.

I suspect it has something to do with the fact that a magnetic motor is involved, and that's spinning down with the fan. Let the explanations begin!

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Sep 12, 2021 13:01:37   #
Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States
 
Power spike caused by the blip when the fan is turned off (induction spike).
I can't imagine any magnetism being strong enough to affect the TV.
Besides, if it's an AC motor, I doubt there are magnets in it.

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Sep 12, 2021 16:24:30   #
therwol Loc: USA
 
Longshadow wrote:
Power spike caused by the blip when the fan is turned off (induction spike).
I can't imagine any magnetism being strong enough to affect the TV.
Besides, if it's an AC motor, I doubt there are magnets in it.


Maybe Jerry is still using a CRT. Back in the day, unshielded loudspeakers could give you some interesting and colorful effects if put close to a TV or CRT monitor.

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Sep 13, 2021 07:24:51   #
traderjohn Loc: New York City
 
jerryc41 wrote:
This is a weird one!

About a year ago, a series of rapid power failures killed my TV. When I got a new one, I hooked it up to an APC UPS battery backup, along with Tivo, Roku, etc. When the hot weather hit, I plugged a fan into the plug-in strip. Here's the weird part. If I shut off the fan while the TV is on, the show is interrupted, and I get a flashing black screen with lots of writing. It flickers on and off very rapidly, so I can't read it, but I see something about HDMI. After less than a minute, the TV goes back to normal.

I suspect it has something to do with the fact that a magnetic motor is involved, and that's spinning down with the fan. Let the explanations begin!
This is a weird one! br br About a year ago, a se... (show quote)


What happens when you remove the fan from the plug in strip?

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Sep 13, 2021 07:46:51   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
When I turned the fan off last night, nothing unusual happened. See? I said this was weird. : )

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Sep 13, 2021 07:47:45   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
traderjohn wrote:
What happens when you remove the fan from the plug in strip?


This strange behavior began a few days ago, but it didn't happen last night, so unplugging the fan would have uncertain results.

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Sep 13, 2021 07:51:01   #
alberio Loc: Casa Grande AZ
 
Twilight Zone comes to mind.

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Sep 13, 2021 07:55:53   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
alberio wrote:
Twilight Zone comes to mind.


Definitely

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Sep 13, 2021 07:56:13   #
Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States
 
A hiccup in the TV that just happened to occur when you turned the fan off?
Has it done it since?

Turn fan on and off 12 times a day for the next week to see if it happens again.

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Sep 13, 2021 08:03:45   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
Longshadow wrote:
A hiccup in the TV that just happened to occur when you turned the fan off?
Has it done it since?

Turn fan on and off 12 times a day for the next week to see if it happens again.


I wish the text had stayed on the screen long enough for me to read it. All I could see was "HDMI." I think it did this three times, but three days in a row - although not last night.

I'm not sadistic enough to torture my electrics with all that on and off.

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Sep 13, 2021 08:29:02   #
Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States
 
jerryc41 wrote:
I wish the text had stayed on the screen long enough for me to read it. All I could see was "HDMI." I think it did this three times, but three days in a row - although not last night.

I'm not sadistic enough to torture my electrics with all that on and off.


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Sep 13, 2021 08:36:22   #
aphelps Loc: Central Ohio
 
jerryc41 wrote:
I wish the text had stayed on the screen long enough for me to read it. All I could see was "HDMI." I think it did this three times, but three days in a row - although not last night.

I'm not sadistic enough to torture my electrics with all that on and off.


Is it possible that the power supply is overloaded? Could the inductive spike cause the the ups to cycle off then on to protect the load? Just some thoughts.

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Sep 13, 2021 08:40:49   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
aphelps wrote:
Is it possible that the power supply is overloaded? Could the inductive spike cause the the ups to cycle off then on to protect the load? Just some thoughts.


I doubt it. It's an LED TV, Tivo, and Roku stick - plus the fan. Everything is fine until I turn the fan off.

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Sep 13, 2021 09:27:38   #
JBRIII
 
Probably due to interference feeding into HDMI cable (Come in various grades). First UPS is specifically designed to prevent spikes into devices besides providing power. I always thought all devices on UPS ran from batteries with them being constantly recharged, prevents transfer of power problems when power fails, already running off batteries.
2nd, don't all motors generate magnetic fields/have magnets? Principle of things: electricity/magnetic field = spinning rotor or spinning magnet/coil = generator?
Third, sometime turn off power to UPS and see if it keeps anything running. Cheap batteries wear out quickly in them, very possible batteries bad and getting power change or such as fan goes off or on. Always found out at work that batteries bad after power outages.
Jim

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Sep 13, 2021 10:00:17   #
bamfordr Loc: Campbell CA
 
jerryc41 wrote:
When I turned the fan off last night, nothing unusual happened. See? I said this was weird. : )


I HATE intermittent.

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