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Setting Fan Speed?(CPU FAN)

Discussion in 'PC hardware help' started by LightXxX, Jan 15, 2011.

  1. LightXxX

    LightXxX Guest

    Im 14 already... about two months now...
     
  2. LightXxX

    LightXxX Guest

    Will it's true.... I dont know which to cut and i dont know what will happen when i cut the one you told me too and how loud it gets...
     
  3. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    LightXxX, next time edit your previous post instead of adding 2 more posts as per forum rules. http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/2487
    12. Repeated posts to increase total number of posts is not allowed. Especially if your message is the last in the thread, edit it rather than post a new message.
     
  4. LightXxX

    LightXxX Guest

    What you mean is that the Thread title didn't match what we are talking right now, about the Laptop?
     
  5. ddp

    ddp Moderator Staff Member

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    no. what i am talking about is that you posted at 18:08, 18:09 & 18:10 which is against forum rules as i posted above so read the rules because next time you'll receive a temp ban.
     
  6. LightXxX

    LightXxX Guest

    MyBad... I dont like answer all in one because all in one makes people confuse like, "What's he talking about"... Also i found a cooling BUT IDK if it good tho...

    http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?In...&utm_medium=ShoppingSites&utm_campaign=NM-006

    I popped open the Case thing(Where i can see fan and Copper and RAM) but im not sure the fan is blowing to it... Im just wondering if you guys could give an opinion to the Cooling...

    ALSO, Does keeping the CPU at 200F*+(+ = UP) good or it's bad? It's the TEMP at when it's 100% usage and im playing CS:S so it's ganna be 90-100% and it's ganna get really HOT...
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 5, 2011
  7. KillerBug

    KillerBug Active member

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    Higher temps always result in reduced life...200F is not good, higher is worse.

    I don't have any pictures of the inside of your laptop, nor do I know the specifics of the fan.

    I'll assume you have a multimeter. If not, either buy one or talk your parents into buying one for you (tell them it is educational; it won't even be a lie). You don't need a top-of-the-line $500 unit or anything...you just need a basic unit with a digital display...you can get a decent one for about $50...here is a nice unit on amazon for under $45 shipped: http://www.amazon.com/TekPower-TP40...f=sr_1_38?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1296886275&sr=1-38

    You need to figure out what each wire is doing before you do anything to them. Sometimes you can make the readings while the laptop is open, sometimes you have to close up the laptop to get it put together enough to actually turn on. If you can test while it is open, then continue to the next step. If you cannot, you may have to splice small wires into the fan wires and run them out the back, so that you can test from those when the system is assembled and running.

    You should have already been close enough to the fan to read the sticker on it; most fans will have a sticker on one side that tells you the voltage and wattage (or sometimes the voltage and amperage; you can get amperage from wattage and wattage from amperage). If it is not on the top, it is probably on the bottom. Write down the voltage and amperage (or wattage).

    Once you can take readings, take readings. First you want to find the biggest difference...the two wires that give you the greatest difference should be the power supply and the ground. Make sure to note which wire is ground; the number on the meter should be positive when the black lead is touching ground. Now, take a reading between ground and the third wire (not power).

    What to do with readings:
    If the difference between power and ground is the same as is written on the fan sticker (like if you get a reading of 4.95V, and the fan says 5V on it), then the fan is being controlled by PWM, through the third wire. If the difference is not the same as the fan sticker (like if you show 3.10V and the sticker says 5V), then it is a voltage controlled fan.

    If it is a voltage controlled fan, then the fix is to supply it with full power. This can be done with a cheap voltage regulator (make sure it is rated for enough wattage and the correct voltage). If the fan is a 5V fan, you can also "steal" power from the USB ports, as they have a 5V line with enough extra current to run the fan easily.

    If it is a PWM controlled fan, things get a bit trickier, and you need to do more readings. Essentially, you want to get a bunch of readings at different temperatures and fan speeds. The problem here is that a multimeter does not read PWM correctly; instead of displaying the peaks and valleys, it just displays the average (it is like trying to fly over a mountain range at 1000ft above average altitude; you will hit a mountain). This is why oscilloscopes exist, but they can be rather expensive. One option is the Arduino...there is an app available that allows it to function as a sub-$30 'scope...it isn't great, but it generally gets the job done and at least gives you an idea what you are working with. While I recommend anyone entering this trade at least consider an arduino, you could try simply disconnecting the third wire to see if the fan has been designed to go to full speed when there is no signal (this is a safety feature included in some fans). If it goes full speed, then there is no need to generate a PWM signal for it, so there is no reason to read the old PWM signal to find the peak voltage. If, however, the fan does not go full speed when this wire is disconnected, then you will need a PWM generator, and first you will need to know what outputs you will need. There are two ways to find out the outputs needed. The first is to get the model number from the fan itself and search for a datasheet with the information; this is usually a lost cause with internal parts on OEM systems, but it is worth a shot. The second option is to use a scope to find out what the peak voltage is on the control line...the multimeter may read 1.0V, but the scope might show you that it is 4V for 1/4 of the time (average of 1V). You would want the peak voltage, in this case, 4V. Once you find this peak, post back here (and PM me in case I am not watch the thread), and I can tell you your options...often it is just a wire, but it sometimes requires a small circuit board that you can make yourself if you have a soldering iron.

    If a picture is worth a thousand words...I think this post is worth at least 2 pictures.
     
  8. LightXxX

    LightXxX Guest

    LOL... There's 3 wires and my bros wont even bother buying something like that... i popped the thing open and it seem to be cooler but if something hit or even fall than it's over... I asked my bro to buy me a Laptop cooler and IDK if he would buy it...

    http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?In...&utm_medium=ShoppingSites&utm_campaign=NM-006

    Also, I wont bother setting fan to full speed.... It's around 160F* after i popped the thing open...
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 5, 2011
  9. KillerBug

    KillerBug Active member

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    Why must you live in your bro's shadow? You are young enough that you could be an expert electrical engineer before college if you stick to it.
     
  10. LightXxX

    LightXxX Guest

    LOL im 14 not 18...
     
  11. KillerBug

    KillerBug Active member

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    Yes, you have 4 years of easy living...I'm not saying that you should or shouldn't try to become an engineer; but do something with your time...once you have a job, you have a lot less time to work on getting a good job.
     
  12. LightXxX

    LightXxX Guest

    yo Killerbug... Im goign to 9th grade and what should i pick for elective? Should i go to computer or some other stuff? My friend said computer is just about typing and making these crappy things with Microsoft Office WORD and PowerPoint and stuff... There's no engineer too so IDK if i should get computer... i have to be at grade 11(16 years or older) to be taking apart and putting back together PC... SUCKS...
     
  13. KillerBug

    KillerBug Active member

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    I really couldn't tell you...I fixed the principal's computer on the first day of 9th grade before I got a chance to choose an elective (she had been informed about me by my last principal; after I rebuilt the school network so that it actually worked), so I got a special elective where I just went around fixing the school's computers for 2 periods a day (they also let me skip gym). I spent most of the time in a room that the school had essentially forgotten about, where I had setup 4 old 486 DX4 systems with Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, Quake 1, and a 10mbps LAN connection between them.

    I do know that the PC classes were a joke; but you have to remember that I went a long time ago; Word and Excel existed, I think even an early version of PowerPoint maybe...but the school wasn't even considering teaching us these things.

    If I had to do it all over again, I would just take an easy elective with absolutely no homework...more time to learn useful things after you leave the brainwashing center, er a, the "School".

    [edit]
    BTW...I'm not saying this is the right choice for everyone, but I certainly do not regret it...I got myself expelled when I was 15. This was not accidental. The school district would not let me test out of classes to skip grades, and they had a rule that they would not allow anyone under the age of 18 to take the GED. However, they had a rule that said that if someone was expelled and at least 16, then they could take an expanded GED that was about twice as long as a regular one...and it would show up as an actual high school diploma, not a GED. Thus, I was in college at 16...two years of my life saved. Every district is different, and my method was only ideal under the rules of my district...but there is usually a route to bypassing at least 1 year if not more. Find the route that applies to your district (usually, they will let you test out of classes...if this is available, I recommend borrowing your brother's textbooks now, and learning the information before you get the high school).

    Oh disclaimer...talk with your parents before you do anything so rash as getting yourself expelled...I had the support of my mother through the whole process, and I couldn't have done it without her support.
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2011
  14. LightXxX

    LightXxX Guest

    I want to know about choosing computer or not :/ You have a pretty awesome life tho LOL... Wish i had one... No one knows(At school) that im good at computer... Im the only person in this world that knows a lot about computer(At my age)... People dont know that and tey think im a useless fool and cant do crap... Plus i dont do anything like you would and go up and talk to whole class and crap... I wouldn't even till my friend that we should do this or that... LOL... Should i choose Computer or not? It's ganna be turned in on Thursday because friday off and not monday...
     
  15. KillerBug

    KillerBug Active member

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    I really can't say if you should take the course or not...I don't know what the course consists of. If it is really just learning Microsoft Office, then I would say to avoid the course; as the school is probably still using office 97 or something. If it is learning web design, it might be a good option...assuming you have trouble learning it yourself.

    Anyway, I don't even know what other electives there are or what your personal tastes are. For all I know, you would be best off in metal shop or auto repair or something...actually, I would recommend either of those above a class teaching Office 97.
     

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