Tips on silencing notebook fan (Micron Trek 2)?

Control: management of fans, temp/rpm monitoring via soft/hardware

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johnreid
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Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:26 pm

Post by johnreid » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

Congratualations on the new site. Badly needed!
<BR>I have a Micron TransPort Trek 2 AGP, 300 MHZ PII that is almost unuseable due to constant fan noise, which has been there all along but has gotten worse over time. The fan turns on about 15 sec after pushing the power on button and stays on -- even after the HD stops spinning and the screen shuts down when the computer has been idle for some time -- and doesn't turn off until the computer is powered down. Micron has no solution except to send it in -- minimum of $200 charge, which is about half the value of the notebook.
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<BR>The notebook never gets warm, even after running all day (although I haven't tested in warm weather) and I was wondering whether it would be safe to try disconnecting the fan or if there is another solution. I've disassembled the computer to the point where I could see the fan -- it sits on the left side toward the back next to the heat sink and measures about 25 mm square by 10 mm deep. News on Adda's New Air Bearing Cooling Fan, AD2510AB, posted on this site looks promising. Is it available?
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<BR>Thanks for any suggestions.
<BR>John
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MikeC
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Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Post by MikeC » Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:32 pm

If the fan has been getting worse, that's usually the sign of bearing that are going. You could try several things:
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<br>1) disconnect or remove the fan. If the notebook never gets hot, it might be worth a try. Could be your simplest solution.
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<br>2) run the fan at lower voltage. If you're handy with a soldering iron, a 1W 50-ohm resistor should knock the voltage down from 12V to 6V. Of course, I am asumming 12V is the normal voltage for the fan -- you should double check.
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<br>3) replace the fan. Most 1" fans at normal voltage will be noisy, but if the fan voltage feed is less, a 12V fan will give you lower noise because it will run slower. If the feed voltage is less than 5V, you may have trouble with consistent starts, but again, if the PC never gets hot...
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