Re: solution
Fluorescent tubes can have two separate effects:
Firstly 50/60Hz flicker (depending on the mains frequency in your country) which can be more detectable in peripheral vision - parts of the retina away from the fovea contain more cone cells which are apparently sensitive to flicker right up to around 60Hz. Incidentally, LED lighting that uses an unsmoothed power supply may produce a more noticeable flicker, because the LED response time is much lower than that of flurescent or conventional lighting, so the light curve follows the voltage more closely.
Secondly, the high-voltage "starter" on some fluorescent strip bulb operates at a much higher frequency (in the multi-kilohertz range), and vibrations from cheap transformers at high frequencies can cause a high-pitched hum. Generally speaking, transformers shouldn't give off a "hum", and it is often a good indicator that the power supply for a bit of kit is on its way out if you can hear a high-pitched hum from it.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
