Thinkpad Fan Noise Problem: Light at the End of the Tunnel

Message

#151 Post by **Shimodax** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:42 am

New version.

See README.TXT there for changes

Current Version: http://www.emtec.com/zzstuff/tpfancontrol_v015.zip
Previous Version: http://www.emtec.com/zzstuff/tpfancontrol_v014.zip
Previous Version: http://www.emtec.com/zzstuff/tpfancontrol_v013.zip

Source Code: http://www.emtec.com/zzstuff/tpfancontrolsource.zip (MS Visual Studio 6.0 project)

As always:

README.TXT updated in 2nd post of this thread (version changes, tested models, some adjustments etc.)

Please read the README.TXT before running the program for the first time. This is a bare bones tools with no bells or whistles (you'll need to modify the ini file to be able to access the function to turn chang the fan).

Also see the links section on the readme.txt for tech background.

If you want to discuss temperature settings, sensor locations etc. please use this thread: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=17733

Questions, suggestions, and reports of successful tests on various untested models (see readme) should be posted here.

Enjoy

Markus

sebmue · #152 Post by **sebmue** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:12 am

Thx a lot again, 0.15 works fine on my R50 and does everything it is supposed to do

Btw: is it possible to work with the source in one of MS' visual studio express editions?

#153 Post by **Shimodax** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:55 am

sebmue wrote: Btw: is it possible to work with the source in one of MS' visual studio express editions?

It's made with Visual Studio 6.0 but I see no reason why it would not work with any of the newer versions.

Markus

mg · #154 Post by mg » Thu Dec 01, 2005 1:17 pm

kw wrote:The HD-Drive will be louder.

I'd say the fan at level 1 is louder than the disks on my T43p -- at least the kind of noise from it is much more uncomfortable.

#155 Post by **Shimodax** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 1:28 pm

mg wrote:
kw wrote:The HD-Drive will be louder.
I'd say the fan at level 1 is louder than the disks on my T43p -- at least the kind of noise from it is much more uncomfortable.

Same here, I don't hear the disk with fan on. And the overall sound pattern of the disk is less annoying than the fan.

Markus

kw · #156 Post by kw » Thu Dec 01, 2005 3:20 pm

I dont' mean the scratching noise caused by access but the low whirring noise of my Fujitsu Z60. Here Level 1 dies away.

duffy · #157 Post by **duffy** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 3:29 pm

WOW!

Thanks so much Markus for the time and effort you have put into this awesome app. I've been using it for the past couple of days and I have to say that it is progressing very nicely. I just d/l'd v.15 and it's awesome. Thanks for adding the auto minimize and ability to ignore sensors. BTW, this is being tested on a Z60t so yes it does work with the new machine.

gzt036 · #158 Post by **gzt036** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 3:40 pm

It seems v15 version is more stable than the 13,14 versions.

And yes, fan noise at level 1/2 is louder than HD, it is still not very comfortable, but acceptable for practical purpose, I think. Noise at 3+ level is unacceptable to me for long time use. Without FC I would almost return my T43 for sure, now I couldn't decide ... HELP ME...

I don't understand why T42 should run much cooler. The cooling system is suppose to be similar. The major differences are

1. P-M 2.0 sonoma vs. 1.7-1.8 GHz dothan. However, most time the CPU runs at 800MHz/0.988V. I can undervolt to about 0.8V or so no problem, so is this a real reason?

2. 533MHz FB vs 400MHz FB,

3. X300 graphic card vs. ATI 9000 readon.

anyone has insight about the power efficiency of the two systems? Is there any real difference in term of power consumption we should be aware of?

#159 Post by **Shimodax** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 3:47 pm

Noise (or it's perception) is a funny thing. What drives me nuts is constant noise (even fan level 1 and 2). It's no problem to accept level 5 or 7 fan noise if I know it will go away in a minute or two.

So I'm using the program in a way that if it kicks in, it will do with level 4 and cool it down 7°C so that it will stay quite for another 15-20 minutes.

Markus

kw · #160 Post by kw » Thu Dec 01, 2005 4:43 pm

In the end it seems there are different senses of what is noise. I prefer a continuously slightly fan-whirring instead of a short "fan explosion".

vpn-user · #161 Post by **vpn-user** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 5:11 pm

Shimodax, did you consider my idea for automatic mode-switching between "smart" and "bios"? Currently, your tool can handle that only one-way, smart->bios. Would be nice to work backwards, too!

Because my fan (T41p 2373) fluctuates very strange when temperature is around 70°C, even when just set to manual speed 7. It doesn' t do that when BIOS mode is active. That' s because I would like to be able to switch back to "smart" when temperature is low again.

#162 Post by **Shimodax** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 5:36 pm

kw wrote:In the end it seems there are different senses of what is noise. I prefer a continuously slightly fan-whirring instead of a short "fan explosion".

Quite amazing how we react to perception and not to the bare facts (and that's quite a loaded statement if you carry it beyond fan noise

).

Markus

#163 Post by **Shimodax** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 5:37 pm

vpn-user wrote:Shimodax, did you consider my idea for automatic mode-switching between "smart" and "bios"?

To be honest I did miss (or forget about) that one. It currently does not fit into the program easily but I'll see what I can do for you.

Markus

christopher_wolf · #164 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 5:40 pm

Well, it is all how you "customize" your fan under normal settings. Some people prefer little bursts while others prefer a low whirring noise (Here, the disk is a Hitachi and it is louder than the fan at level 1). I actually like to use my laptop for hefty work loads and rendering, so I am not suprised at low-level fan noise. Part of the normal operation. There isn't much of a difference between the T43 and T42 besides the Sonoma and various other things, as far as I know. I don't know how much could change...I suspect that if you took the system board off a T43 and put it into a T42, the "Problem" would appear on the T42 as well. The really good thing about IBM is that they use the excellent Thinkpad Chassis they developed for all modern T Series Thinkpads. It could just be a BIOS issue; if it was possible...I would like to see a BIOS System swapped in the aformentioned way between a T43 and T42.

kw · #165 Post by kw » Thu Dec 01, 2005 6:11 pm

@Shimodax: okay, back to topic.

Mostly I have temperatures about 50°C, rarest the lower forties. With my energy-settings and level 1-fan I can handle it. Your default ini-settings are too differentiated for my systen so I have to bear louder fan noise most of the time.

A problem: it doesen't fall back to a lower level although the temperatures sinks down. Thus I have decided not to let the temperature rise at all by using a lower fan-level from systemstart.

ruthlessbrad · #166 Post by **ruthlessbrad** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 6:11 pm

Ignore individual sensors? Goodbye XC1!!!

I will, however, be keeping an eye on it for a while to make sure it doesn't get too hot.

christopher_wolf · #167 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 6:24 pm

Well, there has got to be a reason for the temperature sensor, right?
What does the XC1 Sensor correlate to?

TimWang · #168 Post by **TimWang** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 6:30 pm

What do these sensors look like? Maybe we can open up a Thinkpad and look for them.

christopher_wolf · #169 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 7:25 pm

There is a partial description about the sensors on ThinkWiki.

From what I have felt, though, I think XC1 is monitoring something under the left palmrest near the touch pad. I tested this Idea out when I shut off the fan and watched what temperatres increased and which ones increase the fastest. Within 45 minutes, I felt a warm spot on the left palm rest. Upon spooling up the Fan to level 7, I felt it start to cool off within 5 minutes. It reached the temperature it had started out at in about 30 minutes. What exactly is there anyway? I do know that a major inlet for the fan is located in the PCI Express card bay...Yet what is getting hot that quickly there?

TimWang · #170 Post by **TimWang** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 7:52 pm

Can we ask IBM what it is?

ffalcon2 · #171 Post by **ffalcon2** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 9:58 pm

I'd like to add my voice to those thanking Shimodax and others whose work went into this great fan control tool.

Now if only someone could figure out how to stop the fan from pulsing every 5 seconds, my T43 would finally be useable in a quiet room ...

kenr · #172 Post by **kenr** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:17 am

ffalcon2 wrote:I'd like to add my voice to those thanking Shimodax and others whose work went into this great fan control tool.

Now if only someone could figure out how to stop the fan from pulsing every 5 seconds, my T43 would finally be useable in a quiet room ...

Once I use the fan control tool and stop using the BIOS fan control, my fan pulsing goes away. It only shows up if I switch back to BIOS control.

Jmmmmm · #173 Post by **Jmmmmm** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:25 am

I'm sure it says somewhere else, but I'm not sure of the purpose of turning off some of the sensors.

Can someone briefly say which sensors one might want to turn off, and why?

christopher_wolf · #174 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:32 am

IMO, there is no purpose to turn off the sensors, they are there for a reason. The trick is which one to pay attention to. Not paying attention to a vital stat of the Thinkpad that would normally get well taken care of is asking for trouble.

ferganer · #175 Post by **ferganer** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 2:34 am

anyone know how to deal with the fan pulsing problem?

Zeitgeist · #176 Post by **Zeitgeist** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 2:47 am

ferganer wrote:Dear Shimodax,

Thanks for the reply. I can guess from the postings that you did a great job here. The problem is that I am not a programmer and didn't quite get how your program works. Just a few questions:

1. How to launch it?
2. Will it work with my T43 2686-N9U?
3. If it fails to work, how will I know?
4. Most important, does this program allow me manually set the fan speed, i.e. do I have to adjust it all the time, or after it's launched, no adjustments are necessary?
5. What are the "side effects"? I mean, is the pulsating problem really worth taking the risks?

You copied Shimodax's readme file, did you read it? To make it still easier for you:

1. "Well, edit the fancontrol.ini
file, change the "active" setting to 1 and save. Start
FanControl.exe again."

2. "Currently users have reported successful initial tests
with the following Thinkpad machines. (Great thanks to
those who were brave enough try):

- T23 (2647)
- T41p (2373),
- T42
- T43 (1871 and 2668)
- T43p (2668)
- R50 (1829)
- X41 (tablet 1866) "

3. "It may do funny things to other models and
may have bugs. So have a fire extinguisher at hand or a fresh
egg (the Thinkpad may turn into the most expensive pan ín your
house). "

4. "For a test switch mode to "Manual" and change the value between
0 and 7"

5. See 3.

nrj45 · #177 Post by **nrj45** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:02 am

edited : 3.13.05
@ ferganer : thank you

ruthlessbrad · #178 Post by **ruthlessbrad** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:38 am

Since installing version 0.15, I have occasionally received an error related to WinIo.sys failing to load when attempting to start FC. I have never received that error with other versions.

Sura · #179 Post by **Sura** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 10:59 am

Great job! Thanks, man!
Work pretty good on my R52 -1847-42G

duffy · #180 Post by **duffy** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 11:45 am

I have a comment regarding the ignoring sensors issue. Some of the sensors can be ignored in regards to the fan operation. Case in point the battery temp sensors. The sensors are integrated into the battery packs so they are not indicative of the internal temp of the computer. Since the temps are internal to the battery itself the fan can not cool the batteries if they were to heat up. So it would be possible to erroneously cycle the cooling fan to cool a battery pack that is not capable of being cooled with the fan. The temp sensors are there so the machine can monitor the battery temps and if implemented regulate the charge to control the battery temps.

Thinkpad Fan Noise Problem: Light at the End of the Tunnel

Yay. Now if only someone could fix the fan pulse issue

Re: Yay. Now if only someone could fix the fan pulse issue

Re: Yay. Now if only someone could fix the fan pulse issue

Re: please, explain me as if i were 6

Successfully tested this great program on R52

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