My method for stopping the A2D fan problem

Like most users of the A2D, the fan was really getting on my nerves. I wasn't bothered about it rattling constantly whilst playing UT2004, Doom 3 or any other game, but it was driving me mental when I was trying to type an email, use the net, or watch a DVD or DivX. I asked Asus if there was anyway of making the fan run at a low speed constantly to stop the ridiculous cycle of run, stop, run, stop, run etc. When they didn't reply I took the matter to odd extremes which appear to work ok...

1) Using speedswitch 1.4 crank the CPU down to 400mhz, more than enough for the odd email, video or mp3.

2) Blu-tack a graphics card fan to the rear of the PC in front of the vent between the S-VHS port and VGA connector so it blows air straight over the CPU.

3) Connect a 9v battery and DONE. Nice quiet fan keeping the CPU at a constant 47 degrees.

I experimented and discovered that if I connected up the fan to a universal AC adaptor (voltages between 1.5 and 12v) I have full control of the speed. I am currently running it at 7.5v and have been for the past hour whilst watching a film and writing this. The best bit is that it doesn't invalidate the warranty and if the fan fails, the system fan will kick in as usual so there is no danger of the CPU being damaged.

I am looking into ways of clipping the fan to the back of the laptop securely without the blu-tack. I'm also thinking about powering the fan using 12v supplied by the USB socket (afterall the A2D has plenty). I'll take some photos of all this and post them. I'll also keep you all posted on how I get on with the USB power thing.

 

Who said you couldn't mod a laptop!
good work, but its a shame you had to go to such extreames.
a


ASUS M6Ne 15.4" WSXGA 1.7 PM ATI9700 80Gb HDD 1Gb RAM

 

I've been thinking of somekind of heat resistor or something like that. There is that kind of components inside hot air blower etc. The resistance goes up when the heat rises high enough and it cuts the voltage feed.

I need component like that, but it should cut the voltage flow when temperature is not high enough (lets say about 45 Celcius degrees). After that temp it should allow the full voltage to cpu cooler. Heat resistor like that would kill the fan spinning at low temperatures.

I don't know if there is suitable component for doing that, I really don't know very much about electronics... But if there is component like that it would be bullet proof solution for that issue. Assuming that you could get fan's voltage feeding wire on your hands.

Does anyone know how the wiring is done for that cpu cooling fan? Is there just couple wires, or is the cooler soldered staright to the mainboard?

 

That thermo resistor (or whatever) mod would ofcourse void your warranty.

That external cooling fan is good solution, as it probably is not so loud as the cpu cooler. And your warranty is still there, because you don't have to open the case.

I found picture of nice USB connected cooling equipment from http://www.svc.com/pct-breeze.html [There are several cooling kits like that, so I am not advertising any specific company or manufacturer.]

BTW, isn't the voltage in USB port ~5 V, not 12 V?
Correct me if I'm wrong...

 

Hi eg0dp,

1) More than 400Mhz is needed to decode an MPEG-2 video stream (DVD) and any MPEG-4 material. 800Mhz would be enough, but there is no 400/800Mhz-only dynamic switching mode in SpeedswitchXP.

2) That's an idea, but your solution blows dust right into the laptop and does not solve the very problem: the fan may (will) still kick in and stay on.

If you stick a fan behind the notebook, keeping it in its case may become a problem as this will damage the fan.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by escape707

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by escape707

 

Hello folks,

I own a m-2800+ with same problem that we all have "cpu cooling and (noisy)fan turning off jams"(some may remember me from previous my posts). I think problem lies with the drivers written for temp monitor and fan speed control and problem occurs very randomly.

I had a small work this issue some time ago. That is through underclocking, using a software I have lowered voltage and multiplier for amd cpu as I wanted. Now, cpu fan does not turn on as frequently as it used to be and risk of problem reoccuring is lowered. The software is crystalcpu, go and get it now!

If you like to keep Power4 Gear running, make sure you switch it to high or super mode when making changes to multiplier or especially to voltage. Otherwise in dynamic mode (game mode) freezing can occur. In any case, if freezing occurs just push power button on your laptop for a few seconds to turn off the system. BTW, going standby resets your cpu settings, if you want to save it, just click "create shortcut on the desktop" button in AMD K7/K8 multiplier window.

General rule is, higher MHZs requires higher voltages. At 2133 MHZ (top speed) voltage can be as low as 1.45V otherwise system freezes. I have tested 1 Ghz with 1 Volts (lower volts maybe possible) running stable. Currently my cpu runs on 0.925V at 400 MHZ and cpu temp increasing slower and fan has not turn on for a long time (turns on at 55 and off at 50deg Celsius). For temperature monitoring I use speedfan. I hope some day speedfan supports changing fan speeds for Asus A2D laptops too.

Don't forget using the software and my solution is at your own risk!

Without a noise problem it worths buying.

Check this links:

main-website: http://crystalmark.info/?lang=en
software: http://crystalmark.info/soft/CrystalCPUID4-e.html
download: http://crystalmark.info/download/download.cgi?file=CrystalCPUID

speedfan: http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

Configuration: Bios 0208, Cpu amd 2800+ (2133 MHZ), noisy fan

 

I don't like the idea of underclocking because I'd like to enjoy all the power my A2D has, and there is quite plenty of it... [ ]

Does anyone here has experience about these notebook cooler devices?
Like this one--> http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=75005
This sucker here should be much more quieter than A2D internal fan ("Quieter than a whisper, only 25.9 dB"). Anyone knows how many dB's come from A2D fan?

This item costs about 40 € (54USD / 69AUD) in local PC shop, so it is not very cheap. Cooling your notebook from bottom should be the most efficient way to keep your notebook cool. I don't want to pay 40 euros for crap, so I'm hesitating if I should buy one and try that...[?]

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by peacerist

 

I have the antec one, it does an ok job but I have no offical data on how well it cools. However it is quite loud, I also have a coolermaster coolpad, I find this one better as its much quieter and does a good job of cooling, there are a few reviews out there....toms hardware did one a month ago which is worth a read.
a


ASUS M6Ne 15.4" WSXGA 1.7 PM ATI9700 80Gb HDD 1Gb RAM

 

Thanks very much for that peacerist. I'm currently using CrystalCPUID and I've knocked the voltage and multiplier down so the CPU is cool, the fan is quiet and the laptop is stable enough to watch films and do general internet stuff (like this). If I want to play a game, I can just reset to default settings. Thanks a lot. I'll keep using it and let you all know if there are any problems with it, but for now it seems fine.

 

I would repeat that, from my personal experience, installing linux (fc3) resolved the fan issue, and also with intensive use, the fan enters just sometimes.

I tried Speedswitch, but changed nothing, now I'm using in xp just its own handling, without external application, and with mobile meter the hzs are in dynamic switching.

at start the fan enters when needed, but after a load with some apps running, it doesn't stop, and the cpu temp is 30C!!!!

so the problem is software.

I upgraded the bios to 208 (if I recall right)

I own a a2d xp-m 2800+ version.

 

To eg0dp: 400Mhz isn't enough to watch a DVD, unless your graphics card provides hardware iDCT and motion compensation, which is the case for the A2D.
400Mhz is definitely not enough for MPEG-4 video.

 

This is what I'm trying with CrystalCPUID... For now it's working just fine.

I have A2D, mobile AMD Athlon XP-M 2800+

If you have SpeedSwitch running, close it down. Go to power options in control panel and switch to Home/Office Desk or any other scheme that will keep your cpu speed at 100%, in my case this is 2133 MHz. Now start CrystalCPUID and go to File > Multiplier Management Setting. You can of course enter your own settings here, this is just what I have set up. And be sure to test the multiplier and voltages before setting it up. You can to that by pressing CTRL+k in the program. If your comp hangs or you get a blue screen then the settings are not ok. Reboot and try again.

My settings:

- minimum
--- multiplier: 3.0x
--- voltage: 1.150V
--- interval time: 200ms
--- up treshold: 70%
--- down: /

- middle
--- multiplier: 8.0x
--- voltage: 1.250V
--- interval time: 800ms
--- up treshold: 85%
--- down: 30%

- maximum
--- multiplier: 14.0x
--- voltage: 1.350V
--- interval time: 100ms
--- up treshold: /
--- down: 60%

select min->mid->max for both up and down

click apply and ok and the press F3 to start the multiplier management.

These setting run my CPU at 400 up to 1066 and up to 1866 MHz. I underclocked it a little to keep it cool. For this to work CrystalCPUID must be running with multiplier management on, so I made a shortcut to the program and put it in the startup folder. Add this to the end in the target field /HIDE /CQ It must look like this "C ATH_TO_PROGRAMCrystalCPUID42CrystalCPUID.exe" /HIDE /CQ

So this is it... These setting work fine for now, this is the second day I'm running my laptop using this program.

As these setting work fine for me, maybe they won't work for you. So go and test to find the settings that will work best for you. I am not responsible for any damage you may or may not cause to your computer.

 

[ ] Still works? If yes, I'll give a try [ ]

 

For now... yes. The fan doesn't come on that often (compared to before) and it always shuts off when the temp drops. For now it works... I hope it will stay like this.

 

Hello,
same for me[ ], i'am using this settings second day app.: 25 hours of playing, browsing, dvd-watching.
I think that the key is in worming the cpu in not rapid way. i've noticed that the "fan problem" often occures when the cpu load rise fast, ofcoures the cpu temp. either.....
maybe this is the cure for this problem

one thing only bothers me: this is underclocking, but i bought a2d 2800+ mostly for the cpu clock[V]

 

Yes I'm just trying and sound's like it work.

Like you I've noticed that the fan hang very easily if you start multiple applications in the same time or in a short time.

Don't you think we could use more the thresold and interval time to keep it at full speed and still remove the fan porblem. It's a bit annoying to buy a 2800+ and use it like an under 2600.

Anyway thanks all for your help an hope we can still work on that matter.

Wanna good valentine's day ... do not hesitate. www.romancefromparis.com

 

Bad news !

It work pretty well, the fan is most of the time of and the A2D is really silent [ ].

It would be wonderfull if it can be like that forever !

But .... there is a But I had 2 problems :

1 when I start the computer running on batteries afer 3 or 4 minutes I get a blue screen and windows is insulting me [ ]
Ok not a big matter just inhibate crystal cpu and this is done

Worster is I had one hang. It happen when I was switching very fast between differents application with ALT + TAB. The fan start and never stop again !

I'm waiting for the next time it will happen again.

See you all

Wanna good valentine's day ... do not hesitate. www.romancefromparis.com

 

I'll stay away from using CrystalCPU, as modifying the voltage and multiplier is a game I don't like to play especially if that makes me loose several hours of work.

Sorry if I repeat my question, but has anybody noticed any fan issue when limiting SpeedswitchXP dynamic mode to 800Mhz only?

 

I think the problem that chef is encountering must be a conflict between CrystalCPU and another piece of software. I have been underclocking with it for ages now and have never seen a crash on batteries of AC power.

 

Well it's not so annoying.
I don't use my laptop on battery 95% of the time I'm on standart alimentation.
But you may be right. I've planned to fully restore my computer next week. So I'll let you know if I still have this trouble after.
Concerning the fan up to now just it hanged 1 time only since I'm using crystal CPU.
I see no problem in playing underclocking and undervoltage this is 100 % secure for the CPU and for the data. The dangerous game is to overclock and overvoltage.
Really I recommand evrybody who's experimenting the fan hanging problem on A2D to use crystal cpu.

Wanna good valentine's day ... do not hesitate. www.romancefromparis.com

 

hello,
i've noticed the same problem with system hanging on the settings mentioned in this thread.

...so i've changed them, to...

max 14x 1.400v[ ] 100ms 60% down
mid 8,5x 1,275v[ ] 900ms[ ] 85% up 30% down
min 3x 1,150v[ ] 200ms[ ] 70%

as you can see i changed the voltage so on 14x multiplier sytem works more stable (this IMHO coused the freezing)

by changing the 8x to 8,5x multiplier on hiher voltage with 900 ms int. time i'am warming the cpu more before 14x multiplier so the fan is not hanging (IMHO fast temperature increasing coused this situation).

what You think? ....

P.S. Has someone got picture of opened A2D? , what are the locations of cpu, memory....

 

Hi,

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Ganid

P.S. Has someone got picture of opened A2D? , what are the locations of cpu, memory....
<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>

Take a look at http://ec.synnex.com/sb/docs/A2H-Chapter%2004-v1.1.pdf has info on cpu, ram, hdd installation which is same for a2d. I couldn't find other chapters.

If you find anything useful info on the net please post here. []

PS. Anyone knowing PLL IC (clock generator) of A2d for changing the FrontSideBus speed?
http://www.cpu-cool.de/FSB.HTM gives some info however, it is hard to know exactly which it is without opening the case.

Cheers.

 

Anybody ever tried to remove the heatsink and replace the thermal pad with thermal grease? It might help the changes in temp to be smoother...

 

Well,

I've tried to open that plastic cover but ..... it didn't work, I didn't insist cause I love my AD2 anyway so I don't want to damage it [ ].

Wanna good valentine's day ... do not hesitate. www.romancefromparis.com

 

Asus now actually have a FAQ-entry about the ever running fan;

http://www.asus.com.tw/support/faq/qanda.aspx?KB_ID=100091999

They do not, however, have an updated driver if you choose the A2D on the Asus support page, so I decided to try the latest one I could find from the FTP as there doesn't seem to be anything model-specific to them. I used V1043.2.15.41 (The one on the A2D page is V1043.2.15.31). It installed just fine and seems to have fixed the problem for me.

http://www.asuscom.de/pub/ASUS/nb/M6N/ATK0100_XP_2K_050121.zip

 

Just updated my driver... Thank you about that link. [ ]
Let's see if this works. I really really REALLY hope so... I will report results here soon...

 

ý've install the latest driver but the problem still goes on

Asus A2D : Amd 2800+, 512ddr 333mhz, 60gb 4200rpm 8mb cache, 64mb ati mobility 9600pro......

 

Yes, problem is still there.
[V]

 

Latest driver is V1043.2.15.43, not V1043.2.15.41.

 

Does anyone know where to dl this ATKO100 V 43.2.15.43 ?
I seek the whole asus ftp without finding it.
Thanks

Wanna good valentine's day ... do not hesitate. www.romancefromparis.com

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by chef chaudart

 

ok I confirm the problem still exist with the version 41 of the ACPI driver, it doesn't happen so often but still there. I just update to the 43 thanks peace !
I'll let you know if this is the final solution.

Wanna good valentine's day ... do not hesitate. www.romancefromparis.com

 

Nop, even with 43 doesn't work ... I would say worster than 41

Wanna good valentine's day ... do not hesitate. www.romancefromparis.com

 

so......

unfortunately the only way to solve this problem is using CrystalCPUID. I found "spedfan" useless - no efect....

 

Nice working doing it yourself - but who didn't reply? I know asus has one email listed on their site... which is ridiculous.... but you're probably emailing the wrong place..... who and when did you email? Becasue the people getting them should be forwarding them to the proper people.

Thanks,
Justin
PROPortable
www.proportable.com
[email protected]

 

I have now been using my A2D for months (since my last post) with the crystalCPU program and the instructions I posted before. No problems... Completely stable, fan rarely spins when it's running at 400mhz and underclocked (eg. for DVDs, DivX...). My only complaint is that the PC boots at minimum speed so takes a good couple of minutes. Small price to pay for silence.

I'm very disappointed with Asus on this one...