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nagromme · May 21, 2004, 01:38 PM

My much-loved AlBook 15.2" fans never used to come on at all except when a) running a 3D game or b) running Folding@Home (100% CPU usage). Then the left fan would come on--but not terrible loudly. I never heard the right fan, maybe it was just quieter. That was the story for 5-6 months.

Still, a week ago I thought I'd keep things cooler by setting my PB on a mesh shelf for Folding at night.

But ever since I did that for a couple of nights, my fans now come on all the time! Even though I've stopped Folding for a few days. The left fan is on a lot, and the right fan comes on soon after--and much louder than the left one! It sounds quite rough. A totally new sound I never heard before even during heavy use. These fans come on even when I'm not using 3D and when my CPU usage is very low--just surfing, say. Not all the time, but they now do turn on. (Room temperature is unchanged, for the record, and I'm sure I'm not hearing the DVD--I feel the right fan blowing air.)

Why the change?

I'm wondering if putting the PB in a cooler place for those nights somehow re-calibrated the temp sensors and my PB "pickier" about heat. Is that possible? Like maybe now it EXPECTS to be cooler, and runs the fans more than strictly needed?

The spoiled brat!

If that makes any sense, will it go back to normal eventually, or can I re-calibrate the fan sensors myself? It has been 2-3 days like this now.

Thanks for any suggestions. Worst case, I have plenty of warranty left--and so far it's just an annoyance and an odd change.

f1000 · May 21, 2004, 01:55 PM

Well, it is getting to be summertime in the Northern Hemisphere.

Maybe your room is hotter now than it has been for the past few months.

nagromme · May 22, 2004, 04:17 AM

No, the thermometer next to me tells me I'm keeping room temperature the same as it has been.

Anyone else ever have their 'Book suddenly start running the fans a lot more for the same tasks? Gaming is suddenly rather annoying with the right fan I never heard before.

TonTaub · May 22, 2004, 05:12 AM

Hi,

Originally posted by nagromme:
My much-loved AlBook 15.2" fans never used to come on at all except when a) running a 3D game or b) running Folding@Home (100% CPU usage). Then the left fan would come on--but not terrible loudly. I never heard the right fan, maybe it was just quieter.

I got my 15" AlBook Wednesday and wonder how you can distinguish the location of the fans

There is a fan running in my PoBo (right now I unplugged the PSU and the fan is still on).
It's not loud, I'd call it "proof of life"

but I can't tell if it's left or right side.

BTW, beeing new to this - what calibration are you talking about. I just know of the battery (which is supposed to be calibrated meanwhile).

:-) Michael.

nagromme · May 22, 2004, 01:05 PM

The fans are in the rear groove--one at either end. Put your ear close and you can tell which end the sound is coming from. The left fan seems to run the most--I never heard the right one until recently.

As for temp/fan calibration--that's only my hope. There may be no such thing. I'll try the power reset though in case it also affects the fans.

f1000 · May 22, 2004, 01:32 PM

EDIT: Scratch that.

madmacgames · May 22, 2004, 02:30 PM

Originally posted by nagromme:
Anyone else ever have their 'Book suddenly start running the fans a lot more for the same tasks? Gaming is suddenly rather annoying with the right fan I never heard before.

I don't have a 15" but I have a 12" and the fan has always come on full blast when doing anything video intensive like games, full screen movies, etc.

nagromme · May 23, 2004, 08:32 AM

Right--mine too--the LEFT fan (15" has two). But now the right fan comes on too for gaming. And BOTH fans come on (less often, but regularly) any time now--even when CPU usage is almost nil and no 3D going on.

This is a sudden change--and seemed to happen right when I started keeping my 'Book cooler with the mesh shelf. (Maybe coincidence--the calibration theory is only a theory.)

TonTaub · May 23, 2004, 12:11 PM

Ok, the fan I can hear is the right one (when sitting in front of the PBook).
But today eventually the left fan went on - this guy is twice as loud as the other one.
I didn't find that bad since both fans are more quiet than most Intel-based notebooks I've heard.
But there also was this tiny rattling noise, much like if the bearing isn't right or the blades of the fan are touching something.
Get me right, me appartement was dead quiet when I discovered that, and you have to listen carefully, but I've to admit that I felt a little pi**ed when I heard that.
In Apple measures this is quite noticable.

Anyone else came accross this?

Michael.

nagromme · May 23, 2004, 10:37 PM

Now THAT's weird, because for me the left is the "main" fan and the right one comes on more rarely--and for months, never at all even when Folding or gaming. (That's left and right when I'm sitting facing the screen.)

In any case, the rough "bearing" sound is familiar--I've heard the same from other users. Not that's it's terribly loud, just that it's less whisper-smooth than you'd expect. I'd call it a whirring sound--for the left fan. The right fan is MUCH louder and rougher--the whirring is not entirely regular, and even changes when I tip the laptop up and down. It crosses the line to being bothersome.

I suppose the right fan might not really be new for me... perhaps it was always so quiet I never detected it at all, and now it is suddenly louder then the left. Hard to say.

In a further development, I have not changed anything... but the fans have become less aggressive. Support for my calibration theory? Running with a cooling shelf made the Book "get used to the cool" so the fans ran extra when I stopped using the shelf? And now perhaps the 'Book has gotten used to not having the shelf again, and has stopped being so spoiled?

I'll keep an ear on it and report back.

TonTaub · 04:45 AM

Originally posted by nagromme:
Now THAT's weird, because for me the left is the "main" fan and the right one comes on more rarely--and for months, never at all even when Folding or gaming. (That's left and right when I'm sitting facing the screen.)

Well - call me dumb but maybe I'm mixing up the harddisk noise with the fan??
OTOH I'm sure that there is a blowing noise ... I mean that gets ridiculous anyway ... as soon as there is *any* ambiant noise I can't hear the PoBo at all

In any case, the rough "bearing" sound is familiar--I've heard the same from other users. Not that's it's terribly loud, just that it's less whisper-smooth than you'd expect. I'd call it a whirring sound--for the left fan. The right fan is MUCH louder and rougher--the whirring is not entirely regular, and even changes when I tip the laptop up and down.

That's exactly how I would describe it.
Maybe one time I'm astonished when the "real right fan" goes off and the whole things starts getting seriously noisy.

Michael.

JKT · May 24, 2004, 06:21 AM

Is it possible that you're PowerBook has got dusty inside and that is why your fans are on more?

FWIW, here's an image of the internals that show the two fans (left hand one is encircled):

Clicky

TonTaub · May 24, 2004, 06:27 AM

Originally posted by JKT:
Is it possible that you're PowerBook has got dusty inside and that is why your fans are on more?

FWIW, here's an image of the internals that show the two fans (left hand one is encircled):

Clicky

Is this an AlBook on that image?
I don't know to what post you are referring to, but my PoBo is brand new ...

Michael.

d.fine · May 24, 2004, 07:06 AM

Maybe there is a difference in location of the fans depending on whether it is a 15"PB 1,25 GHz or a 15"PB 1,5 GHz ...

I have a Alu PB 1,25 GHz, the right fan is the quite one, and the left fan is the one that is loud and comes on when CPU temp is high (it comes on like clockwork at exactly 63,5�C or 145,4�F and brings it down to 60,5�C or 140,9�F and stops)

I don't think auto-recalibration of internal sensors can cause a difference in temp for the fans to activate. I have read a lot about people experiencing quicker fan activation since a Mac OS X upgrade ...

JKT · May 24, 2004, 09:48 AM

Originally posted by TonTaub:
Is this an AlBook on that image?
I don't know to what post you are referring to, but my PoBo is brand new ...

Michael.

Yes, it's an AlBook. You can get the manual from which the screenshots were taken from here.

The dust comment was being made to nagromme. Sorry for the confusion.

TonTaub · May 24, 2004, 09:59 AM

Originally posted by JKT:
Yes, it's an AlBook. You can get the manual from which the screenshots were taken from here.

Ah, great - thanks!

BTW, how are chances that the 1.5GHz AlBook looks different inside?

Michael.

JKT · May 24, 2004, 11:30 AM

No idea really but I would guess that they are pretty much zero other than the graphics chip looking different as the form factor hasn't changed.

nagromme · May 24, 2004, 12:10 PM

Another day of testing... the right fan still comes on--and loudly--and the machine actually feels hot there, so maybe it needs to! But this is when not doing much of anything. Never happened for half a year. So I probably just need warranty service for the unexpected heat on the right side--and perhaps for the noisy bearing on the right too.

Thanks for the comparisons, all.