CTEK chargers - source of electrical interference

[99_Octane_in_a_1.4]

This may be an observation in the "Prehistoric news" category, but I've just come across this effect when charging a Bosch battery with the CTEK charger plugged into a household double socket.

I've tried to print-out a page from my computer (Downstairs) to a printer (Upstairs) over a Devolo power line link and, on two different occasions have found that it fails when the CTEK is plugged-in and working off the downstairs ring main. It also appears to inhibit the scanning program. Normally, when the CTEK is not being used, I have no problem printing or scanning.

I've found that when the CTEK is powered-on at the same time as the printer/scanner is in use, the printer will happily print/scan the first document and thereafter goes into error mode and won't output anything. When this happens the interrogation of the network using the printer/scanner's on-board "Check Network connection" reports it as "OK", but delving a bit further reveals that both Devolo units have been set into error mode (Red light flashing) and only removing the Devolo plug from the power socket, replacing it and then hitting the "Reset" button on the side of each Devolo unit restores printing and scanning functionality over the network.

Not that coincident battery charging and network printing/scanning is a frequently occurring event/problem, but I'd be interested to know if anybody else has experienced this and whether there's a preventative fix.

N

[Krikkit]

There is a fix - use a less st powerline system.

I use a TPLink set and they're fine with a CTek.

[99_Octane_in_a_1.4]

I thought Devolo was OK. Currently on my second generation of their powerline plug and had no problems before.

This Devolo web page suggests that distance may be of significance:-

https://www.devolo.co.uk/guide/optimising-data-tra...


Whilst this web page queries whether CTEK are installing the same electrical interference components in the production line output as they do in the example sent for CE Approval:-

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/345044-ctek-...

N.

[Evercross]

Krikkit said:

There is a fix - use a less st powerline system.

I use a TPLink set and they're fine with a CTek.

Most Devolo and TPLink homeplugs use EXACTLY the same Atheros chipsets.

[Mouse Rat]

CTEK chargers like most rectifiers will put some electrical noise / currents down the earth / neutral. Interference also depends how well your ring main is earthed.

You could try and line conditioner on the charger

[99_Octane_in_a_1.4]

Experimented with re-siting the CTEK. Distance seems to work.

Re-plugged the CTEK into another another double plug in the same room (10 feet away from the original) and on the same ring main, then tried multiple prints and scans - no issues.

Wonder if its RF ?

N

[Dogwatch]

Because we have a solid concrete ground floor the majority of outlets in the house are on the same circuit including those for the Devolos and the Cetek
I haven't noticed any printer difference post Cetek arrival last Autumn.

[anonymous-user]

It's just one of the things with powerline. Noise on the circuit interferes.

Transformers (your ctek, phone chargers etc etc) are noisy in electrical terms and inhibit the data using the same power cables.

My second WiFi router is on the end of tplink powerline adapters and it works fine, until, I turn on my hallway light which is a low energy bulb . Slows the second routers internet down to a crawl, cabled (nothing to do with WiFi).

The devolo comment is nonsense btw.

Powerline adapters use your mains cable as a network cable. Mains AC is noisy already. Add more noisy alliances (transformers, low energy bulbs, chargers, motors etc) and it gets messy fast.

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 3rd February 15:17

[anonymous-user]

Yes it is RF.

All ac mains powered equipment creates and injects electrical noise back into the mains as a by-product of normal operation. There are strict limits on how much noise can be fed back into the mains.

As for power line networking devices, these deliberately create RF signals and inject these into the ac mains wiring to be picked up by a sensitive receiver. By moving the ctek further away you are lowering the level of noise the power line receiver is seeing from the ctek so it works. If the ctek is closer to the power line receiver it is 'deafened'or blocked by the ctek noise.

There is whole argument about the interference that power line networking causes and as they get faster the more interference is created. They have been known to interfere with FM radio.

[99_Octane_in_a_1.4]

In the old days UK standards were UK standards and could be relied upon, now with goods entering the country from any part of the circular globe you get lowest common denominator standards, and compliance with those standards, if you're lucky.

Recently, I've had a number LED bulbs that have expired well before their specified lifespan, they might have been the source of additional trouble or an indicator that there's something awry with the 35 year old household wiring.

And even before I started to use the C-Tek charger, the data throughput rates on the Devolo units (Rated at 1 GBps) have been consistently down (Barely achieving 0.5Gbps) and have been going up and down like tower bridge. Originally I was achieving at least 0.8Gps

It could be anything, perm any 8 from 100 - prime is that I'm right in the middle of a triangle formed by 3 mobile masts @ 250 m distance each, also I'm on the flight path to RAF Northolt @ 1 mile distant (Microwave landing system ?) So any changes to these systems might be inducing interference. Let alone the utility companies using power cables to collect home monitoring data and more home wi-fi signals local to me that I can shake a stick at. I have got dodgy electronics on a Hotpoint fridge (Turkish manufacture) such that recently it occasionally momentarily blanks the computer screen on compressor start-up and other minor quirks.

Roll-on full fibre.