T60p TPFanControl for dummies?

[mbarker]

I just downloaded TPFC for the first time ever (on a T60p). By running it, it immediately makes the fan be quiet, which is nice.

The problem is, I don't really understand it (the program) and I don't want to damage the computer through misuse. I've read the readme and the FAQ on the website but I am still fairly clueless- a lot of it is really over my head. Do I just open TPFC and let it do its thing? Or do I need to set it in any way? Is there an old thread around which addresses this program's use for the T6x? Or can someone explain to me in layman's terms what the program is doing and telling me (see screen shot). Does this look normal for a T60p?

Thanks for any help.

[goofyGAguy]

Is there an old thread around which addresses this program's use for the T6x?

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=17715

[Prodeje79]

OK that thread has 36 pages......

I will attempt to dive in now.
If I find a T60p config of sorts, I will post it here.

I have a T60p 2007-YS3 (T7600 with ATI FireGL V5250)

I don't mind having a louder fan if it keeps this thing cool.

[TuuS]

short and sweet...

Click "manual" when doing heavy usage and your fan will run at selected speed "default is 7(highest)", the click automatic when computer is idle.

[ethink]

short and sweet...

Click "manual" when doing heavy usage and your fan will run at selected speed "default is 7(highest)", the click automatic when computer is idle.

TuuS: Thank you for this simple tip on working with TPFC.

I have followed your advice to set TPFC to Manual mode and 7 when doing heavy workload on my TP60p with Win 7.

This seems to work based on results. However, TPFC appears to go back in Automatic mode even after the manual over-ride. Please clarify, is this normal behavior for TPFC?

Thanks!

[TPFanatic]

There's a setting in the TPFanControl.ini (which you can edit) which sets the fan speed mode back to Fan128 at around 90 C, which is BIOS. It seems that by default Thinkpads don't like to spin their fans up, so this is actually counterproductive.

TPFanControl says:

// Fan speed of 64 is extreme and may be an *unsupported*
// and *damaging* mode. A fan speed of 128 setting is
// not really a fan speed in itself but will instead switch
// fan control to BIOS mode (0x80). The idea of this
// is to let the program get out of the way and let the
// BIOS handle extremes.(and then switch back to smart if
// the temperature is okay again)

I guess most people use TPFanControl to make their fans quieter. Other people like me use it to make the fan spin faster.

Near the end of TPFanControl.ini there are the speed and level controls for Smart Mode 1 and 2. It looks like this:

Level=(Celcius) (Fan Speed Mode)
eg.
Level=50 0 (fan off)
Level=55 1
Level=65 3
Level=75 7
Level=80 64
Level=90 128 <-- Replace 128 with 64 or // off this attribute.

This has been my experience with TPFanControl. I've used it on IBM T42p and R50p and Lenovo T500. I've found that the IBM fans are much more responsive, they report temperatures faster and change speeds faster than the T500's fan. It could just be my computer tho, but you can watch how drastic the reported temperatures change (ones to look out for are typically CPU and GPU) and if they're rising too fast the fan may not speed up fast enough to cool the computer down, in which case you'd want to set the fan to run faster at lower temperatures to preempt this. I think this should only be a problem on high wattage CPUs like 35 watt Intel T CPUs.

[n2ri]

I find on models with CPU faster than 2.2ghz this control is better at keeping from hitting the sutdown safety temp of 93c on IBM Thinkpads. my W500 is 2.8ghz and did that often whn worked and it has no warning nor proper shutdown of HDD etc just instant black out. now with TPFC it rarely if ever does it even at 100% CPU, display driver may still or GPU if high def version running streaming/flash game etc, as it switches from CPU temp and only monitors other temps. this 3rd party app is the best free addon I even found to fix a factory design flaw. models like my W500 use same cooling setup as my T61 with 2.1mhz CPU but the W500 has fine screens over bottom air vents restricting air more.

[thomase13]

I found the same thing; it seems really complicated and not very user-friendly which is why I juts got rid of it at first.
I use it in "Smart Mode 1" now which usually seems to keep it cooler than the regular BIOS settings, although it does sometimes overheat and freeze the computer which I have to shut down forcibly and then wait for it to cool off for about five minutes before it will boot again...
Other than that it's great!
If you're not a fan (pun intended) of the cryptic abbreviations of the interface, there's a setting in the TPFanControl.ini file to switch from the default "mini-mode" to the normal descriptive mode. This is what mine looks like on my T60p:

[Pete B]

I have just started using this program on a 14.1" T61 with Intel graphics and it is very interesting.
This fan is a bit noisy so it may be under performing. I also just put an X9000 CPU in it getting
ready for a Frankenpad.
I'm running Prime 95 to get both cores up to 100%.
Note that you have to set the power manager to max performance to get full CPU speed.
In normal BIOS mode the max speed on the fan is about 3000 RPM and the system gets
up to 97 deg where I stopped the program. In contrast, smart mode runs the fan faster
and can keep it around 90 to 91 degrees with the stock heatsink.

In smart mode with level 64 the fan gets to about 4600 RPM and boy does it cool down,
but see the notes for this program that say 64 is probably exceeding the fan specs or
something like that - I need to investigate this more. I don't mind slightly stressing the
fan to keep the CPU cool even if I have to replace the fan every few years.
Edit: It seems that while the lower levels are regulated fan speeds, 64 just puts full
voltage on the fan so that it goes as fast as possible.

You can test levels, by setting it to manual, type in the level and see what fan speed you get.
One more observation is that levels 1,3,5 are not that different, level 1 on mine is about
2900 RPM, 3 hardly changes it, 5 is about 3100, and 7 is about 3500, note that 7 is even
faster than max BIOS mode.

Edit: read the long thread where people mentioned no difference in values above 7 and
I found that to be the case with my system. Other than 64 being full speed unregulated.
My current thinking is that if the CPU is getting around 85 or 88 it makes sense to use all
the fan speed you can so I might set that to 32 7, then at 90 set it to 64.
Another observation is that, for example when you set it to a high speed and there is not
a temp close below it, it will run at the high speed until the next lower step.
So if you set 90 at 64, you probably want 85 at say 16 7, and 80 at 7 or 5 to get the speed/noise
down quickly as it cools. I might limit the max to 32 7 if I find that it exceeds the rated
voltage of the fan - I have to do some reading.

The stock settings for the program try to keep noise down at low temps by not using
the fan at all and then using max speed when things are getting close to shutdown. I
like this, it makes sense but it is hard to resist the fact that even a small amount of
pushed air really helps cooling.
People commented here on shutdown at about 93 C but my system never shut down
even up to 97 deg C and I have read the same from others. Is it T60 vs. T61 or an
option in the BIOS? I don't have my system here to check, will do so later tonight.
Edit: Didn't find any BIOS option.

I'm going to try something like this, Edited after finding that values above 7 are the same:
Level=50 0 (fan off)
Level=55 0 (might use 1 here if the new fan is nearly inaudible at level 1 speed)
Level=65 3
Level=75 5
Level=80 7 (level 7 is already faster than BIOS max speed)
Level=85 64 (going to try 64 with a new heatsink and a T500 fan to see how noisy it is)
Level=90 64 (planning to use 64 here even if it is a bit loud since 90 is quite hot)

Level 128 gives control back to the BIOS, but this system's BIOS (Middleton) never
takes the fan over 3000 RPM so there is really no sense in using it other than: it is
really hot maybe we did something wrong, give control back to BIOS. I don't think
I'll be using 128 since I'm seeing much better results with levels above 7.

[Pete B]

I find that the reported fan speed is only updated every 5 to 10 seconds even
when the system is idle, probably worse when loaded. But when I set the fan
level to 64 the update time is much longer, estimated at more than 30 seconds.
This is when using manual mode to determine the speed for different levels.
Anyone else notice this, wondering if it is just my system?

There are options in the .ini file to speed up the update rate but I didn't change them.

[TuuS]

short and sweet...

Click "manual" when doing heavy usage and your fan will run at selected speed "default is 7(highest)", the click automatic when computer is idle.

TuuS: Thank you for this simple tip on working with TPFC.

I have followed your advice to set TPFC to Manual mode and 7 when doing heavy workload on my TP60p with Win 7.

This seems to work based on results. However, TPFC appears to go back in Automatic mode even after the manual over-ride. Please clarify, is this normal behavior for TPFC?

Thanks!

Sorry for the late reply, and I'm sure someone has already answered this, but TPFC will revert to smart mode if the temps reach a certain level to assure your manual settings don't cause any damage.

[PurpleMelbourne]

there's a setting in the TPFanControl.ini file to switch from the default "mini-mode" to the normal descriptive mode. This is what mine looks like on my T60p:

I have spent a frustrating hour of searching to find this setting!
Change the default SlimDialog=1 to become SlimDialog=0

SlimDialog=0