CF-30: distracting high-pitched noise problem.

Hi all, I'm having minor trouble with a CF-30 that I bought off a relative not so long ago, which I didn't read about here; help appreciated.

It's a CF30 Mk2, F-reg; overall I'm VERY happy with it; it runs Ubuntu 11.04 like a dream, except for the WWAN card which is a localized North American affair (I'm in Holland/Germany/Portugal) but I don't really need that.

The only problem is a low-volume, high-pitched noise that I notice when I'm at home. It's too soft to notice in louder surroundings or outside, but it becomes distracting once I'm working quietly in my office. It seems to come from the hard drive bay, so I ejected the hard drive and when I rebooted the unit it was totally quiet.

The obvious measure would be to replace the hard drive (It's a 320 GB Hitachi), but before doing so I wondered whether the HD heater might be the root of the problem. Do any of you ever notice this problem and if so, did anyone delve into it further? As said, help appreciated

 

Really I can't see the heater causing the noise...nothing to it and it should not be on if you are in your office where its not cold. Sounds to me like your harddrive is about to die...time to install a SSD . Best thing I ever bought for my 30 . Below is what the heater looks like... well kinda

 

Yeah, was afraid of that. There's no ticking from the HD though, it doesn't sound unhealthy in any way. SSD would be nice, but the cost isn't...

 

Yup... Most likely the hard drive. It may be about to go bad... I second the SSD... I just got one years after some on here did. I wished I would have done it years ago. It turns the Toughbook from a Brute to BEAST!

 

Sigh... an SSD it is, then - which will mean another uncomfortable talk with my bank account (two months after getting married). I'd hoped to save up for something new - at this rate I'll be in the market for a CF-33!

 

True they do cost more but they are silent and not as hard on your battery...did I also say FASTER TOO .I have a few SSD's from 80GB to 160GB and I still have lost of room left...I paid $75 to $140.00 for mine. I just installed one in my CF-19 MK2 .

 

Energy consumption is an important consideration, to be honest. As is noise. I'll need a 250 GB drive, though, which means raking out something around 220 Euros. But I'll survive, and it'll give the 30 a new lease of life, especially when I up the RAM to 4GB at the same time.

Anyone try installing 8 GB? Ubuntu likes its memory.

 

Nope not me...I only do windows...that's bad enought .

 

Maybe it's LCD inverter/lamp.
My CF-19 also is not totally silent too - if I lean my ear to screen shell, I can hear noise. I think it's voltage converter or something like that.
And CF-T5 has loud noise when it's backlight is not on maximum.
Of course you can hear HDD too, but it's very quiet.

 

I was thinking that too. Last summer Toyo I think was having the same problem with his Mk2

 

I'll check it up, but the noise is really emanating from an area to the lower right of the keyboard.

 

I have the same noise on my cf-18B after i replaced the HDD for a new samsung 160Gb 5400RPM... although the noise is annoying, i know the drive is healthy.

Perhaps its the type of drive you have... I would still invest in an SSD if i were you... I would also but my drive is IDE and IDE SSD's are hard to find...

Andre

 

Hi Pacman1213, thanks. That seems to take some of the urgency out of the matter. My HD doesn't show any signs of impending doom, but it's also almost brand new (Hitachi 5400 RPM out of a MacBook Pro). I've made the call and ordered an SSD. Should set the CF-30 on fire.

 

One more possible reason.

 

The whining is the inverter failing, this is VERY common on the 30 and 19 models. Espically the mark 1s.

 

Doesn't look like it (thankfully); the origin of the sound is quite clear, and when I boot on a USB drive it doesn't happen at all. There is a VERY soft hum if I press my ear against it (without the HD, that is), but that is to be expected in something that is ... well, switched on.

I've decided to go with the SSD; that will come in useful even if I switch to another machine.

 

Update: I replaced my hard drive with an 120GB Adata SSD. Consequences:
- Speed (new install of Ubuntu 12.04) is unreal, full boot in less than 25 seconds after the BIOS screen appears.
- Squeaky noise isn't gone, but much, much softer. Might still be an inverter board problem, therefore (?).

And some (potential?) problems:
- The right palmrest (i.e. on top of the SSD) gets noticeably hotter than it did with the HDD, which I don't understand. Some problem with the heater? I just built the SSD into the HD case, should I disconnect the heater?
- Before, there were three settings for screen brightness in Ubuntu: dark, medium and bright. Now there are two (dark and bright), not only in the new install but even when I boot from the old HDD (external USB case). ?

Any thoughts, people?

 

I am told the heater only comes on when you first start the laptop then shuts off...on my 30 it gets no hotter with the SSD in it...maybe cooler if anything.

 

Update: the noise is back, no HD issue then. Removed the heater connection, let´s see whether it still gets hot.

Let me be a bit more descriptive regarding the 'noise'. It is a somewhat whiny, intermittent noise not dissimilar to the modem noises of old. It can be loud or very soft.

Update #2: I did a bit more probing, and the source of both the heat and the noise appears to be around the memory bay. I was clearly mistaken about the location of the noise, sorry about that. The heat is getting considerable, enough to get me worried.

 

Here is some OLD information regarding the heaters;

There sole purpose is to warm the self-lubricating bearings in the HDD at sub-zero temperature's. No HDD = No Bearings = No need for the heater.

Also, Consumer grade SSD's are NOT designed to be used at sub-zero temperatures....if you need sub-zero then you need the Industrial grade SSD.

o.g.

 

Thoughts as per request:
Screen issue may be acpi related. Tweaking required???
Thermal pads are cheap insurance.
Does it get warm if used for a long time on LiveCD? HDD removed.
Is there anything in the pc slots?
Maybe it is the modem.

I had issues with 10.10 and Mk2...and I have heard they were resolved in 11.? Required noacpi to load.

The heat on TOP of the palm rest is weird.

Good luck.

Jeff

 

Disabling acpi seems to have worked (I'll recheck tonight) but it has also disabled the battery status and system hibernate. Not really a solution, I fear...

Any experience with Ubuntu 12.04 on a CF-31? I'm almost ready to take the plunge at this stage.

 

Don't forget the heat. (thermal pads)
That was why I sold my Mark2. I'm a Linux nut.
I'll see if I can find a post here about 12. Seemed it was working o.k.

History: 6 months ago I read a statement in a Linux forum that said Intel(whatever the MK2 uses L7500?)was broken as far as Linux was concerned.

You may want to research Intel updates for your chip?

And as you said disabling ACPI is not an option for the long term 'cause the F keys, sound?...and a bunch of stuff use them.

I have a MK2 coming and intend to try 12.? Ubuntu. You may want to look at Mint....several people using it as I re-call.

Please continue to keep us updated.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the tips. I considered Mint, Arch and even Fedora, but Ubuntu still serves me best, and I even like Unity now that I've grown accustomed to it. It takes me quite a while to set up a workflow that works, and I can't really understand people that switch distros in the flick of an eye. In fact, the whole fragmentation issue is one of the least attractive features in the Linux community in my mind ... but that is a different discussion.

I've put the old Hitachi 320GB HD back in, and the machine seems to be back to its old ways. I have decided to change tactics somewhat - the MacBook has been switched for an Ubuntu-certified Lenovo T420. That's my machine at home, the Toughbook will serve on the road, at the beach and on a dig.