mike wrote:

I have two Compaq Armada Laptops.
Armada E500
Armada M700
BOTH have a popping/crackling noise in the right channel only.
Starts out ok, but gets unbearable after a few minutes.
Sounds like there's gravel in the speaker, but you still
hear the noise using headphones, so it's not busted speakers.

I found several similar reports on the web, but no solutions.
Most of the discussions missed the point entirely and talked
about low-level hiss/noise etc. This is not anything that might have
been there at design time. It's HORRIBLE. Nobody could ever
think this was ok. Something broke. On BOTH machines.

I'd rather not reverse engineer this laptop if I can help it.
Are there any schematics of the audio available?
Suggestions?
Thanks, mike

Never had the problem on my E500 or M300. I've torn down the E a
couple of times for repairs and not had audio problems afterwards..

Have you tried muting items in the sounds control panel, the
microphone, line in, CD in etc and notice any difference?

Plug in a mic to disconnect the internal mic and check for the noise.

That's a step I'd take - see if the noise is caused by the amplifier
or is the amplifier just amplifieing the noise.
--
"If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?"