Humming Fidelity Advanced Voice

klute · Post by **klute** » Sat Jun 20, 2015 1:45 pm

Hello All

Feeling nostalgic, I recently acquired a new old stock Fidelity Advanced Voice (model UVC) and while it works fine, there's a distinctly audible humming sound emanating from the speaker circuit both when the voice feature is activated and when it is muted.

Thirty years ago I had both a Voice and a Decorator, but I simply can't remember if either or both made the same humming sound. For what it's worth, by comparison my mint Voice Sensory of the same vintage is whisper quiet in terms of background noise.

I opened up the UVC to try to get to the bottom of the humming sound and found a cold solder joint on one of the speaker leads. I fixed this, however the humming sound remains. I'm thinking that perhaps I should replace the electrolytic capacitors for good measure - but before I do, could other UVC / VSC owners perhaps let me know if their units also make an audible humming sound - or not?

Enter Your Move Regards

Post by **Steve B** » Sat Jun 20, 2015 10:07 pm

Hi Cameron
i checked both the Voice and Advanced Voice

both have a low level hum coming from the speakers as soon as the units are plugged in..even with the sound turned off

Humming Bird Regards
Steve

Post by **Fernando** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 1:02 am

Steve B wrote:Hi Cameron
i checked both the Voice and Advanced Voice

both have a low level hum coming from the speakers as soon as the units are plugged in..even with the sound turned off

Humming Bird Regards
Steve

Surely you have a Boris Diplomat.I would like to know your impression about it.

Diplomatic regards
Fern

Post by **Fernando** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 1:21 am

Fernando wrote:
Steve B wrote:Hi Cameron
i checked both the Voice and Advanced Voice

both have a low level hum coming from the speakers as soon as the units are plugged in..even with the sound turned off

Humming Bird Regards
Steve
Surely you have a Boris Diplomat.I would like to know your impression about it.

Diplomatic regards
Fern

Forget it............

klute · Post by **klute** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 2:42 am

Steve B wrote: i checked both the Voice and Advanced Voice

both have a low level hum coming from the speakers as soon as the units are plugged in..even with the sound turned off

Ok, thanks Steve.

Perhaps they really always were like this and I'm just getting fussier in my old age. My UVC really does sound like a miniature power station though!

The reason I mentioned capacitors and electrolytic ones in particular is that they have a finite life and will eventually fail after gradually losing efficiency - about half the duration of a typical human lifespan.

You can usually count on caps lasting at least 20 years and often up to 40 - but these machines are now 35 years old and we've well and truly entered...

...the twilight zone Regards

klute · Post by **klute** » Sun Jun 21, 2015 2:47 am

Fernando wrote: Surely you have a Boris Diplomat.I would like to know your impression about it.

Boris Diplomats take the great Philidor's love of pawns a bit too literally and often will make ten pawn moves for every piece move in a game! Someone forgot to tell them about development!

Pawns may be the soul of chess but there are limits Regards