osborn@ux1.lbl.gov (James R Osborn) (05/26/91)
My friend has an original Mac II that he is soon going to be upgrading to a IIfx. The power supply doesn't get any upgrade and his original fan (built in to the power supply) is very virulent and noisy! I suggested to him that we could purchase one of the Quiet SE fans and replace it. Alternatively, I seem to remember something about adding in a resistor. Does anyone know the preferred solution to a noisy Mac II fan? -- James .------------------------------.--------------------------------------. | James R. Osborn | It just goes to show you it's always | | Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory | something. Either it's baffling | | osborn@ux1.lbl.gov | tech notes or your mac is smoking. | | (415) 548-8464 | It's always something... | '------------------------------'--------------------------------------'
dce@smsc.sony.com (David Elliott) (05/27/91)
In article <13583@dog.ee.lbl.gov> osborn@ux1.lbl.gov (James R Osborn) writes: > >My friend has an original Mac II that he is soon going to >be upgrading to a IIfx. The power supply doesn't get any >upgrade and his original fan (built in to the power supply) >is very virulent and noisy! > >I suggested to him that we could purchase one of the Quiet >SE fans and replace it. Alternatively, I seem to remember >something about adding in a resistor. There are a number of alternatives, but you must be careful. You can replace the fan with a quieter fan (such as an SE fan or the Radio Shack fan), but a quieter fan usually means a reduced airflow. This can result in damage to the power supply (I know about this from firsthand experience -- over $200 in repair and shipping costs, plus a lot of aggravation) unless special care is taken to keep the unit away from excessive heat. If the Mac is to be kept in an office or a room that doesn't get too hot, it may be fine, but even keeping it near a window can cause problems. A better alternative is to get a fan controller, such as the Nova. This consists of a thermostat and a circuit that causes the fan speed to be a function of the temperature of the disk drive. When the machine is cool, the fan goes slower, thus making less noise. I definitely recommend the latter over the former. It's more expensive, but the fact is that when the machine gets hot, the quieter fan simply won't be able to cool the machine. I always thought it would be a good idea for someone to invent a temperature-sensitive fan card that fit in a NuBus slot. It could be placed where it would do the most good. Heck, it could even be made to sample temperature and humidity data and make it available on the bus for programs to display.
brady@swift.cs.tcd.ie (05/30/91)
> A better alternative is to get a fan controller, such as the Nova. > This consists of a thermostat and a circuit that causes the fan speed > to be a function of the temperature of the disk drive. When the > machine is cool, the fan goes slower, thus making less noise. > Does anyone know a supplier for the Nova kit, or a similar fix for the noisy fan? Thanks Mike Brady brady@cs.tcd.ie
osborn@ux1.lbl.gov (James R Osborn) (05/31/91)
In article <1991May30.095334.7940@swift.cs.tcd.ie> brady@swift.cs.tcd.ie writes: >> A better alternative is to get a fan controller, such as the Nova. >> This consists of a thermostat and a circuit that causes the fan speed >> to be a function of the temperature of the disk drive. When the >> machine is cool, the fan goes slower, thus making less noise. >> >Does anyone know a supplier for the Nova kit, or a similar fix for the noisy >fan? > >Thanks >Mike Brady >brady@cs.tcd.ie Soft Solutions 907 River Road, Suite 98 Eugene, Oregon 97404-3228 (503) 461-1136 (503) 461-2005 FAX "Nova Fan Controller" for Astec or Sony power supplies found in II and IIx's $76.45 plus shipping (approx. $5 2nd day air). Very nice people. They sell stuff for fixing Mac+ power supplies, etc. too. -- James .------------------------------.--------------------------------------. | James R. Osborn | It just goes to show you it's always | | Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory | something. Either it's baffling | | osborn@ux1.lbl.gov | tech notes or your mac is smoking. | | (415) 548-8464 | It's always something... | '------------------------------'--------------------------------------'