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    Clevo ECView 5.5

    Discussion in 'Sager and Clevo' started by aqd, Jul 9, 2014.

  1. aqd

    aqd Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hello guys!

    I found the ECView (fan control for Clevo laptops) somewhere in China. Here is the re-upload:

    --------------------------------------------------------
    ECView 5.5 setup

    The main installer. It mentions nothing about license so I'd assume it must be free and publicly available. After installation you're required to reboot so the "dpmemio" hidden device/service can be activated - it's required for ECView to read/write fan settings.

    C:\ECView\ClevoECView.exe is the main program and it is written in .NET 2, so you may decompile it easily (no signature, no obfuscation).

    --------------------------------------------------------
    Additional 1: bugfixed ClevoECView.exe

    ClevoECView.exe

    If you have more than 3 HDDs, ECView would fail to run at startup (with a small window showing .NET exception).

    To install, override C:\ECView\ClevoECView.exe with the exe in above link.

    --------------------------------------------------------
    Additional 2: ClevoECView with notification icon

    ClevoECView2.exe (with notification icon in taskbar)

    That's ECView with additional functionality I made: it starts with a notification icon at the taskbar. The background means fan speed (max 4400rpm) and inside is the temperature of CPU in celsius degrees. You can also click on it to open the menu: there are several options of setting fan speed, and the "config" window which opens original ECView.

    To install, just save ClevoECView2.exe to C:\ECView\ and run it instead of ClevoECView.exe. (You still need to have original ECView installed first)

    The newest version 5.5.1.0 changes fan/temp reading method to standard WMI, which should be totally safe - it means now you can use the program to check fan speed without any risk.

    There would be no danger of bricking or any horrible thing you heard about ECView, as long as you don't change fan speed by menu or open the config window.

    Source code: https://github.com/AqD/ClevoECView

    --------------------------------------------------------



    The version of ECView is very old but confirmed to work with our W350SSQ and P170SM-A, which originally set the fan at 60% and auto fan control is completely broken (not kicking off even when the CPU reaches 97C!). I have been using it to force the fan at 100% and our laptops are quite cool now. No problem so far.

    Use at your own risk.
     
    aqd, Jul 9, 2014
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  2. n=1

    n=1 YEAH SCIENCE!

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    Do not use this software!

    Here's why:

     
    n=1, Jul 9, 2014
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  3. aqd

    aqd Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have been running XTU stress test for a day and no crash yet. I also have Prema's BIOS here (W350SS).

    Anyway, the default auto-fan setting of our two new laptops are both broken and do require the tool for correction, otherwise the CPUs might just burn under turbo-boost. :(



    PS: what's "EC" and what do you mean by brick?
     
    aqd, Jul 9, 2014
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  4. Elipsus

    Elipsus Notebook Consultant

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    The EC is Embeded Controller, it's the chip designed to manage the fan policy( and many other things).
    Brick the EC is basically crash it ( for example, fan stuck at at a random speed, no matter the temps), and can be fatal to the computer ( overheat ^^).

    here is the original post about ECview 5.5 , and Prema's word
     
    Elipsus, Jul 9, 2014
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  5. n=1

    n=1 YEAH SCIENCE!

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    Info added to original post, so deleted duplicate stuff here
     
    n=1, Jul 9, 2014
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  6. Djask

    Djask Notebook Consultant

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    So bricking the EC is a problem. But what is the life span of the fans inside the computer. Just curious ^^
     
    Djask, Jul 9, 2014
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  7. Prostar Computer

    Prostar Computer Company Representative

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    The fans will last several years (no definitive average lifespan). In most cases, the fans outlast the other electronic components in the system. The brushless DC fans are pretty simple in design and are not prone to high failure rates. :)
     
    Prostar Computer, Jul 10, 2014
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  8. aqd

    aqd Notebook Enthusiast

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    Updated. I added a ClevoECView2.exe with a notification icon and menu access to change fan rpm.
     
    aqd, Jul 17, 2014
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  9. wingman4ever

    wingman4ever Notebook Consultant

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    So with this program we can set our own fan profile?
    And does this also work for p150em with Prema bios?

    If both yes than that's great news :)
     
    wingman4ever, Jul 17, 2014
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  10. Ethrem

    Ethrem Notebook Prophet

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    Seriously, if Prema says not to use it, don't use it. Prema knows what he's talking about!
     
    Ethrem, Jul 18, 2014
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    n=1 likes this.
  11. aqd

    aqd Notebook Enthusiast

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    @wingman4ever: yes for fan profile. The included ecview.dll also contains functions to detect CPU temperature, so it'd be very easy to write your own auto fan control.

    I'll post here when my EC dies. No problem so far.






    UPDATE: fixed icon leak problem in ClevoECView2; It should no longer quits automatically after a few hours now.
     
    aqd, Jul 19, 2014
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  12. aqd

    aqd Notebook Enthusiast

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    Problems: I encountered twice when my laptop monitor is dimmed automatically and once it shutdowns itself - note it's a normal shutdown not crash, both like initiated by me but I didn't do anything. Not sure if this has to do with ecview....

    Good news: I found in the latest hotkey driver there are many device-related calls such as SetCPUFANControl, GetCPUtemp, GetCPUtempThermalIC, etc on Clevo WMI. So they could be used instead of the currently outdated and dangerous ECView. I'll make it when I have time...


    Confirmed the latest hotkey driver / WMI: I can read rpms of the first fan (probably doesn't work for multiple fans) but I can't set anything and most readings are either 0 or 65535.
     
    aqd, Jul 29, 2014
    #12