- #1
DaveC426913
Gold Member
- 22,784
- 6,471
I just found out why the TV in my bedroom will very occasionally spontaneously try to turn itself on. I've experienced this before, during a lightning storm. A good close hit will sometimes cause the TV to try to come to life (it's twenty years old and makes a loud piercing twang upon turning on). There's no mystery that it's coming to life because remote sensor is being triggered by the same frequency as the remote. (The TV doesn't actually turn on, it just goes through the motions of doing so. It will also do this if you don't properly press the button, or double-press it.)
Last night, though there was no lightning storm, it tried to come on spontaneously anyway. It's done this before. This time I was able to identify the cause: a passing streetcar. My bedroom window is about 50 yards down a sidestreet from the main streetcar line in our Toronto satellite town. The spark from the cable must have sent out a sort of EMP, including the freq used by my TV remote.
Funny thing though, while the TV is now 20 years old, I presume it still operates on an IR signal. How could an IR signal pass through my walls? Or could it be strong enough to bounce in my window through a 90 degree angle?
Oh yeah, the cordless phone also tried to come to life.
Last night, though there was no lightning storm, it tried to come on spontaneously anyway. It's done this before. This time I was able to identify the cause: a passing streetcar. My bedroom window is about 50 yards down a sidestreet from the main streetcar line in our Toronto satellite town. The spark from the cable must have sent out a sort of EMP, including the freq used by my TV remote.
Funny thing though, while the TV is now 20 years old, I presume it still operates on an IR signal. How could an IR signal pass through my walls? Or could it be strong enough to bounce in my window through a 90 degree angle?
Oh yeah, the cordless phone also tried to come to life.