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Use a Red Bull can as a radio interference shield

by Mike Schramm Jun 26th 2008 at 9:00AM



I love the iPhone, save for one thing. It sits on my desk every night, right near my computer, and the speakers I've got hooked up to it. And every 15 minutes, when the iPhone checks email for me, I get that buzzing -- the sound of radio interference flying across my speaker wires. And almost every night, I have to jump out of bed angrily just to shut off the speakers and stop the buzzing. Little did I know, all I've ever needed was an empty can of Red Bull.

Yes, someone has fashioned a "shield" out of an emptied and carved up Red Bull can, and supposedly it works like a charm -- just fashion it around the dock that came with the iPhone, use a little doublestick tape to make sure it stays on there (and I would maybe put some around the edges, too, so you don't slice your fingers open every time you pull the iPhone off the dock), and no more buzzing sound.

The maker does wonder if it would affect the actual signal of the iPhone at all, but it hasn't so far. If you've got a Red Bull can around to cut up and are driven as nuts as I am by that buzzing noise, here's your makeshift solution. The other option is to buy speakers that don't buzz, of course, but this seems a lot cheaper.

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I love the iPhone, save for one thing. It sits on my desk every night, right near my computer, and the speakers I've got hooked up to it....
 

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GenghisPhlip

This is a myth. We tried it along with all the other suggested fixes and found that none of them worked at all. Best solution is to upgrade your speakers.

http://www.ifonenation.com/2008/06/26/soda-can-iphone-radio-interference-shield-busted-as-a-hoax/

GenghisPhlip

June 27 2008 at 2:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to GenghisPhlip's comment
GenghisPhlip

Sorry, didn't mean to post twice. I didn't think the first comment went through. Seriously not trying to spam. Please forgive me.

GenghisPhlip

June 27 2008 at 2:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
GenghisPhlip

We tried the can among other suggested solutions and found them all to be hoaxes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndKvr00fyVQ

GenghisPhlip

June 27 2008 at 2:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kevin Sorensen

Also, now following the goofy rant above...


...I can't tell you how incredibly disappointed I was to hear your "opinion" on the pragmatic "dis-useful-ness" of children because they double the carbon footprint. It is indeed sad, when a self-centered generation thinks more of saving energy for their technology (and just for the record, I 6 Macs at present, 6 ipods, but no iPhone yet) than they do of the life - children - around them.

Not condemning you, 'cause I read this blog daily. However, I would challenge a bit more careful thought on issues of life vs. carbon-footprinting for energy's sake.

June 27 2008 at 9:40 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kevin Sorensen

Buzzing? Buzzing? Of course, there's buzzing. You're drinking Red Bull, you silly twit. It's supposed to give you a buzz!

What's that? The speakers? Oh, nevermind!

June 27 2008 at 9:37 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ted Lemon

I hate to be a party pooper, but you may reduce the life of your iPhone by doing this. Putting your iPhone in a partial faraday cage changes the standing wave ratio of the antenna. This can cause the final output transistor in the WiFi, Bluetooth and GSM radios to overheat, reducing its life. I don't know if it will make an appreciable difference, but I certainly wouldn't recommend doing it.

Instead, try moving the phone away from the speaker, or shielding the speaker and the cable leading to the amplifier, if the speakers are amplified. The speaker isn't a radio transmitter, so putting an RF shield on it won't cause any problems.

June 27 2008 at 2:53 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jash Sayani

I dont like RedBull... Would a Fosters tin do ??? :)

June 26 2008 at 1:26 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Steve Tharp

It actually has nothing to do with the iPhone or any phone for that matter. It's truly the speakers fault, and is usually fixed by putting a ground loop isolator between the speaker(s) and the amp, or in this case the computer. Usually about $10 bucks at any radio shack.

June 26 2008 at 12:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Lars Hoel

For heaven's sake just use Airplane Mode. End of problem, end of discussion.

June 26 2008 at 11:38 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to Lars Hoel's comment
brian

How the hell do you get a phone call or text message if your in "Airplane" mode. You can't. Are you kidding lars? I use my phone for business and can't turn it off during the day.

June 26 2008 at 11:56 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jesse

Brian, you seem awefully defensive about something. Three times, someone has left a comment about the article, and you assume they're talking directly to you.

The article author made it pretty obvious that he likes the idea of this shield as a way to stop interference on his speakers while he's in bed. That's why people are talking about the wastefulness. It really doesn't have anything to do with you.

Do you have some guilt about what your carbon footprint used to be, so have to defend yourself with details of your new lifestyle at every chance you get?

June 26 2008 at 3:13 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bryan Walls

I recently dropped a coffee travel mug with metal lining over my iPhone to act as a Faraday cage and cut out the obnoxious noise on my speakers. It worked for the noise, but the iPhone got really hot! Of course, it was killing reception as well as noise, and the poor phone was trying to talk to the towers with all its might.

I may try a half shield.

June 26 2008 at 11:20 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jan

why would you want to leave the speakers on in the first place? do you use them as an alarm?

June 26 2008 at 10:39 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to jan's comment
brian

You leave speakers on so you can hear sound come out of them like music or video, or interface sounds form the computer. The buzzing happens while if sounds is coming out of not. Also, my cisco phone speaker is on all the time and the iPhone makes it freak out.

June 26 2008 at 11:54 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
jan

i guess i knew that you'd leave the speakers on to hear sound... ;-)

my point was the same that adam williams made above (didn't see that before i posted) - given that the speakers draw power the whole night, if you can switch them off, then why leave them on in the first place (when you don't want to hear sound that is).

June 26 2008 at 12:20 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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