hi all,am a complete newbie to all things mac, just got a span new 15' mbp, i have started to notice a little barely audible "chinking" sound when using the trackpad or keyboard. is this normal? anything to worry about? just having spent a lot of money id rather put any problems right at the start before they get any worse. apologies if this seems like a silly question. hope to hear from someone soon, thanks
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chinking noise from my trackpad
- Thread starter hupdehup
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sorry i should add that this sound is very random and happens sporadically
thanks again
when i say chinking its a high pitched noise, very short, a little like something is a bit loose, also get it if i apply a little pressure to the area around the trackpad
thanks again
when i say chinking its a high pitched noise, very short, a little like something is a bit loose, also get it if i apply a little pressure to the area around the trackpad
I know what you mean.
Mine does the same. I think it's actually the hard drive protection thing locking and unlocking... basically, MacBooks will lock up and "stow" some of the more sensitive mechanical components when it senses a tip or vibration. This is so if your MBP is knocked off a table, your hard drive won't be damaged by moving parts when it hits the ground.... or something like that.
I think using the trackpad "unlocks" it but sometimes just a tap of the finger on the body is enough vibration for it to "lock" ... or something like that. i'm sure someone else could explain this better.
Mine does the same. I think it's actually the hard drive protection thing locking and unlocking... basically, MacBooks will lock up and "stow" some of the more sensitive mechanical components when it senses a tip or vibration. This is so if your MBP is knocked off a table, your hard drive won't be damaged by moving parts when it hits the ground.... or something like that.
I think using the trackpad "unlocks" it but sometimes just a tap of the finger on the body is enough vibration for it to "lock" ... or something like that. i'm sure someone else could explain this better.
aha so u dont think its anything too serious then, thats great to hear, like i said i am completely new to macs and believe it or not laptops too!
actually best description i could give of the sound is that its like a clocks single tick every now and again. thanks for your help
actually best description i could give of the sound is that its like a clocks single tick every now and again. thanks for your help
I think you are slightly off when you say that noise is coming from your trackpad. It is indeed coming from your hard drive head parking. Grab your MacBook Pro and sharply jerk it (controlled - don't be too crazy) and you should hear a chinking noise. It happens with mine too
Don't purposely make the HD head chink all the time - I don't think its THAT good for it. But don't be parinoid if it happens every now and then...
Don't purposely make the HD head chink all the time - I don't think its THAT good for it. But don't be parinoid if it happens every now and then...
Does it sound a little like "breaking" glass. If so it is quite possibly caused by a small set of spring-type "spacers" in the rear of the macbook and usually happens a lot more when the machine is warmed up.
If so,it`s quite common, mine used to do it quite often, like a little "tink" sound, I suppose you might also say it sounds like a car cooling down a little.
There are instructions online in a youtube video showing you how to remove this spacer and stop the sound altogether.
At least this has been the case with mine, sorry I forget the name of the video but I think I just searched for MBP trackpad noise.
Try at your own risk, but it`s easy to replace if you need to take your MBP in to Appple and seems to cause no harm without it.
If so,it`s quite common, mine used to do it quite often, like a little "tink" sound, I suppose you might also say it sounds like a car cooling down a little.
There are instructions online in a youtube video showing you how to remove this spacer and stop the sound altogether.
At least this has been the case with mine, sorry I forget the name of the video but I think I just searched for MBP trackpad noise.
Try at your own risk, but it`s easy to replace if you need to take your MBP in to Appple and seems to cause no harm without it.
thanks for all the replies folks,
i did the jerking thing and heard the lock going on but its a different sound to the one im describing,
fubar you seem to have hit the nail on the head, that seems to be it alright, as long as its nothing serious im not worried, wouldnt go to the trouble of removing it ( doesnt actually annoy me, just thought it might have been something more serious )
again i just want to thank all of you that posted here, been a great help in putting my mind at ease
cheers
i did the jerking thing and heard the lock going on but its a different sound to the one im describing,
fubar you seem to have hit the nail on the head, that seems to be it alright, as long as its nothing serious im not worried, wouldnt go to the trouble of removing it ( doesnt actually annoy me, just thought it might have been something more serious )
again i just want to thank all of you that posted here, been a great help in putting my mind at ease
cheers
Get it fixed
1. Hopefully you have a Mac store near you. no reason to live with an annoyance when they can probably fix it in just a couple of hours. (my last trackpad repair took about this long)
2. It could be indicative of a larger problem. Get it taken care of
3. If you don't want to do 1 or 2, get Applecare in case it does turn out to be a problem in the long run.
1. Hopefully you have a Mac store near you. no reason to live with an annoyance when they can probably fix it in just a couple of hours. (my last trackpad repair took about this long)
2. It could be indicative of a larger problem. Get it taken care of
3. If you don't want to do 1 or 2, get Applecare in case it does turn out to be a problem in the long run.