X20 2662 makes ticking fan noise

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tim.tim · #1 Post by **tim.tim** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 8:58 am

Hello ! My first post:

I own an IBM X20 2662 and the CPU - fan makes a ticking noise when
running. Its the fan for sure, cause I stopped it mechanically and the noise
is away and even without HD in it the X20-Fan makes the same noise.

I tried several of the BIOS-Versions IBM offers, but nothing helped.

Has anybody an idea for stopping the ticking , maybe letting the fan run
full speed all the time ? (I attached the fan to a battery outside the notebook and
it ran quite noiseless, at least without ticking).

Thanks in advance, regards, Tim

beerak · #2 Post by **beerak** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 4:35 pm

tim.tim wrote:Hello ! My first post:

I own an IBM X20 2662 and the CPU - fan makes a ticking noise when
running. Its the fan for sure, cause I stopped it mechanically and the noise
is away and even without HD in it the X20-Fan makes the same noise.

I tried several of the BIOS-Versions IBM offers, but nothing helped.

Has anybody an idea for stopping the ticking , maybe letting the fan run
full speed all the time ? (I attached the fan to a battery outside the notebook and
it ran quite noiseless, at least without ticking).

Thanks in advance, regards, Tim

Fan is not controlled by BIOS or program, imho it can't be affected in any way. It is a job of hardware.

tim.tim · #3 Post by **tim.tim** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 5:07 pm

May be, but I had a read somewhere in Google that the problem
didnt appear in a VERY old Bios-Version.
Regards, Tim

gazingwa · #4 Post by **gazingwa** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 8:08 am

My x20 does the same, I would really like to know what is wrong

AbsoluteRaleigh · #5 Post by **AbsoluteRaleigh** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 9:54 am

tim.tim wrote:Hello ! My first post:

I own an IBM X20 2662 and the CPU - fan makes a ticking noise when
running. Its the fan for sure, cause I stopped it mechanically and the noise
is away and even without HD in it the X20-Fan makes the same noise.

I tried several of the BIOS-Versions IBM offers, but nothing helped.

Has anybody an idea for stopping the ticking , maybe letting the fan run
full speed all the time ? (I attached the fan to a battery outside the notebook and
it ran quite noiseless, at least without ticking).

Thanks in advance, regards, Tim

Replace the fan.

They're $20 on eBay..

rev · #6 Post by **rev** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 12:39 pm

I ordered a FAN for my X20 directly from IBM and it (the new one) still has a ticking noise

tim.tim · #7 Post by **tim.tim** » Mon Jan 31, 2005 2:24 pm

I also tried two different fans, same result.

My theory: IBM tried to make it silent, so they wanted little rpm for the fan.
But there was the danger of getting a voltage, so the fan could stop.
Instead they switch it on and off and on and off for it to run slower.
That makes it ticking. On and off.....

Just my thoughts. Regards, Tim

skuehne · #8 Post by **skuehne** » Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:58 am

My X20 (2662-37U) is doing the same thing. I always was a bit worried about that slight noise (but successfully tried to ignore it ;-) Good to know that this is a common problem and not necessarily an indication that the fan is about the die.

Sven

gazingwa · #9 Post by **gazingwa** » Thu Feb 03, 2005 10:31 am

Has anyone actually called ibm and asked about it? I'm thinking about waiting on hold for a little bit.... but the machine is out of warranty, just picked it up, my wife was always stealing my a20.... I'm not a power user, I just need ram, my desktop is a p4 2.4 with a radeon 9800 pro, therefore the x20 suits my mobile needs i'm just worried about the noise

selvan777 · #10 Post by **selvan777** » Thu Feb 03, 2005 1:49 pm

I've had my X20 for about 4 years now and I've never had a noise problem, not even after putting my ear to it.

If yours is ticking, especially when outside the TP, then I must say it has to be something mechanically wrong with the fan. I've never seen it sitting on a table and don't know if it's possible but perhaps you could take it apart for an inspection and put back together. If not, order a new one and try it, and if it still ticks while out of the TP, send it back for an exchange until you get a good one.

Because mine has never ticked, I presume it should never, not while functioning as it should.

Good luck.

MrPike · #11 Post by **MrPike** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 10:55 am

Same noise here with the 2nd X20 i just received. It's really a bit annoying in silent surroundings.
I thought about ordering a new fan too, but i keep reading that it doesn't help. Really seems like it's a problem with the way the fan is regulated by recent BIOS/EBC-versions. Using latest versions here (BIOS 2.25, EBC 1.36).
Let's keep trying to solve this!

selvan777 · #12 Post by **selvan777** » Mon Feb 07, 2005 11:32 am

Keep swapping fans to solve it. It must be mechanical because I too have the latest BIOS v2.25 (1ZET9DWW) and it does not tick.

dmdsoftware · #13 Post by **dmdsoftware** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:45 am

I hate to revive an old thread, but I finally found a solution to this problem.

I have two X20s and 1 X21 that have very loud fans. Tried everything to correct the problem - replace the fan from a quiet machine, check through the bios updates for a solution. Nothing seemed to work.

I stumbled on this solution the other day. It is related to the Embedded Controller. Some versions that are less than 1.18 contain a bug that causes the CPU fan to be noisy. Your best bet is to upgrade to the latest Embedded Controller 1.36. I've done so and it instantly fixed the problem on my X2*s that were noisy.

To use the Embedded Controller 1.36, you'll also need a bios versions of 2.22 or greater. It will be a great time to upgrade the bios while you are at it.

*make sure you have a charged battery attached and you are running of AC*
Here's the proceedure:
- go to ibm.com support and downloads and search through the X20/X21 section for bios downloads
- download the bios and embedded controller flash programs
(I used the diskette versions)
- run the applications to (filename.exe a:) to create the floppies
- turn the X20/X21 on
- enter the bios (F1) and hit F9 - reset system to default values, then F10 to save
- boot your X20/X21 with the embedded controller floppy first
- select no, the program will run for about 15-20 seconds and then your thinkpad will appear to have lost power (it just suddenly turns off)
- swap floppies (put the bios update floppy in)
- turn the thinkpad back on and boot off the floppy
- hit enter and yes through the dialog screens
- once the flashing starts, it will take about 30 seconds
- the thinkpad will beep and then die
- take the floppy out
- turn the thinkpad back on and hit F1 (the machine may appear very slow coming backup up - please be patient)
- you should see bios 2.25 and embedded controller 1.36 listed in the bios
- in the bios, hit F9 and then F10 to refresh the bios choices
- load your OS off your HD

* when you load windows for the first time after the upgrade, it may crash - this is normal, especially if you had last put the machine in hibernate before doing the upgrade *
* once you load windows for the first time without crashing, it will report a problem loading the driver for the rage video card - this is normal, just restart windows and the problem will be resolved *

retepetsir · #14 Post by **retepetsir** » Sat Apr 29, 2006 12:19 pm

Hi guys (new to the forum!). Just thought I'd make a post....

I have an X20, but with the latest BIOS and Embedded Controller software, and I still have the same problem. My fan does indeed tick...!

I have changed the fan once already, just because I thought the problem was mechanical, but it does exactly as it had done before!

So I'm guessing its a software control fault, and have no idea how to fix it.

Ah well, I look forward to finding the answer!

Terrahawk · #15 Post by **Terrahawk** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 9:27 pm

I have an X20 with the ticking fan problem, and I have managed to successfully solve it the good old fashioned hardware way. After updating the BIOS and EC to the latest versions, the fan actually started ticking worse than previously. I couldn't go back to the old BIOS versions because they were no longer available for download. So, after several months of putting up with the ticking, I decided to have a look at the fan power lines on an oscilloscope.

It turns out that the power to the fan is indeed being switched on and off at regular intervals. This is what is causing the ticking. What I did to solve this is to solder in over 400 microfarads worth of capacitance between the fan power line and ground. This helps to hold the voltage to the fan a bit more steady despite the fan power line being switched on and off rapidly. It's not perfect (according to the 'scope) but it's good enough.

Fitting the capacitors was the most difficult part. If anyone is desperate enough to try this and wants more details as to what I did with mine, let me know.

The ticking isn't exactly gone but is now not noticeable until you put your ear quite close to the fan outlet.

pianowizard · #16 Post by **pianowizard** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 11:22 pm

Terrahawk wrote:What I did to solve this is to solder in over 400 microfarads worth of capacitance between the fan power line and ground.

That's clever!

X20 2662 makes ticking fan noise

X20 2662 makes ticking fan noise

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