car stereo - digital noise/buzzing.

Welcome Guest.

You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › car stereo - digital noise/buzzing.

sdavisnz

1015 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#160465 7-Jan-2015 18:41

Hi,

I recently installed a android tablet as my head unit going to a 4 channel amp via 3.5mm to rca.

also recently upgraded all 4 speakers to 4channel pioneer 6" speakers.

problem, when pausing a song i hear a buzzing for about 3.4 seconds then it stops. also when listening to audio i can hear it in the background.

turned volume on AMP to medium and volume on tablet to 70%-90%

how can i fix this?

Cheers,
steve.

Voice gives context

Stu

Hammered
8335 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1210088 7-Jan-2015 18:47

Try a Ground Loop Isolator. Jaycar make one with a 3.5mm plug and socket that works well for in car installations.

ETA: http://m.jaycar.co.nz/m_productView.asp?ID=AA3086

Sorry for the mobile link. On my phone. AA3086 is what you need.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

Referral Links: Sharesies - Backblaze -

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? If so, please consider supporting us by subscribing.

No matter where you go, there you are.

sdavisnz

1015 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1210104 7-Jan-2015 18:50

Thanks,

its very frustrating so hope it helps, ill let you know how it goes

Voice gives context

NzBeagle

961 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1210107 7-Jan-2015 18:51

Watching Topic with interest, that would frustrate me too so might be handy to know some time. Out of interest, what is the tablet source? And can the problem be easily replicated with another source, eg, cellphone?

Stu

Hammered
8335 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1210108 7-Jan-2015 18:52

Does the hum go away when you disconnect power from the tablet and run off internal battery?

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

Referral Links: Sharesies - Backblaze -

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? If so, please consider supporting us by subscribing.

No matter where you go, there you are.

sdavisnz

1015 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1210109 7-Jan-2015 18:54

will try now,

amp is nakamichi ngtd4
tablet is samsung android tablet
power source is cig lighter to usb 2.4 amp

Voice gives context

richms

28172 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1210133 7-Jan-2015 19:53

Its a ground loop, when the audio hardware of the tablet is powered down it stops as there is then nothing driving the signal at the tablet end.

Take a ground from the 5v side of your USB power supply back to the ground on the amp so its not going thru the rest of the cars wiring.

Richard rich.ms

sdavisnz

1015 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1210135 7-Jan-2015 19:59

richms: Its a ground loop, when the audio hardware of the tablet is powered down it stops as there is then nothing driving the signal at the tablet end.

Take a ground from the 5v side of your USB power supply back to the ground on the amp so its not going thru the rest of the cars wiring.

can u recommend someone to do this for me?

im not comfortable touching power cables in the car. even when its turned off

Voice gives context

Equinox IT

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.

Stu

Hammered
8335 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1210144 7-Jan-2015 20:23

While what Rich said should work, the Ground Loop Isolator would be cheaper than paying someone to mod the cable. $13.

I use it myself and it works well. Search for it on Geekzone and you'll find your situation has come up before. Very common issue. The Isolator is cheap, quick and easy. The Jaycar model mentioned is great for this application.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

Referral Links: Sharesies - Backblaze -

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? If so, please consider supporting us by subscribing.

No matter where you go, there you are.

sdavisnz

1015 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1210196 7-Jan-2015 21:42

Cheers for the info

Voice gives context

sdavisnz

1015 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1210370 8-Jan-2015 09:51

Just been to jaycar an picked up ground loop isolator.

Problem fixed.

Brilliant.

Thank you geekzone!!!!

Voice gives context

Stu

Hammered
8335 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1210506 8-Jan-2015 12:54

Excellent news!

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

Referral Links: Sharesies - Backblaze -

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? If so, please consider supporting us by subscribing.

No matter where you go, there you are.

News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00

eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07

BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21

eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01

WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32

RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26

Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24

Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01

Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22

Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46

Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42

D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34

Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15

Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.

Updates »

Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.

RSS feeds: Main feed; Forums feed

Site features: Geekzone BI dashboard; Geekzone Badges; Geekzone Status Page

Affiliate links: Samsung; AliExpress; Wise; Sharesies; GoodSync

Site Information: Subscribe to Geekzone; Privacy Statement; Forum Usage Guidelines (FUG); Advertising; Trademark and copyright