Camera Flash Charging Sound

[CodyW]

Hi everyone,

Does anyone know what component or components in camera flashes circuitry are responsible for the high pitch sound when it's charging up?

Kind regards,
Cody

[Rerouter]

Either The inductor for the flyback or the high voltage capacitor,

[Richard Head]

It's the inductor of the flyback converter. The effect is called magnetostriction.

[Hardcorefs]

It can also be caused by ceramic SMT caps.
One of the cap manufacturers (Murata) has a white paper on it, they take a number of manufacturers to task over the incorrect use of  Ceramic caps in various  Switched designs, they also point out it can lead to mechanical failure of the devices.

[kiran_shrestha]

Its because the oscillation running on frequency in audible range. Here's a quick explanation in my blog with circuit U can check it out .Its from my old Achiever camera flash. http://shortedwire.blogspot.com/2014/09/this-is-how-camera-flash-works-19.html

[Things]

Some camera's can do it purely in software to give you an indication the flash is charging up, but otherwise it's just the small flyback transformer.

[Niklas]

It can also be caused by ceramic SMT caps.
One of the cap manufacturers (Murata) has a white paper on it, they take a number of manufacturers to task over the incorrect use of  Ceramic caps in various  Switched designs, they also point out it can lead to mechanical failure of the devices.

You don't happen to have a link to that white paper? Tried to find it, but without any luck. Would be interesting to read

[CodyW]

Awesome! Thank you, everyone!

Cody

[Mandelbrot]

This is why I love this forum so much. I'm a senior in college now and learn about all sorts of cool stuff, but this is the kind of thing that you don't hear about in school. 

[Zero999]

It can also be caused by ceramic SMT caps.
One of the cap manufacturers (Murata) has a white paper on it, they take a number of manufacturers to task over the incorrect use of  Ceramic caps in various  Switched designs, they also point out it can lead to mechanical failure of the devices.

In that case, it's caused by the piezoelectric effect.

It also works in reverse: the capacitors will generate a small voltage when vibrated which I imagine could cause acoustic feedback in audio applications.