Fan Speed readout
Fan Speed readout
Hi all,
I am working on a sensors.conf file that will be specific to the BP6 running a Linux kernel >=2.6.5 and lm-sensors >=2.8.6. The file will only include information specific to the BP6 so it will be readable and it will also include comments if you want to add personal touches.
There is one issue I need your help on. My BP6 was unfortunately delivered with broken fan headers so I can't do any experiments myself on this: I need to know what the lowest rpm you have seen reported by BP6 in BIOS, in some Windows sensor program (such as MBM) or "sensors" in Linux.
I have a feeling that the BP6 isn't capable of reporting speeds lower than 3000rpm or so, but that is still just a gut feeling. I want to know what you guys have seen in this regard.
I will of course post this file on BP6.com once I am done with it...
I am working on a sensors.conf file that will be specific to the BP6 running a Linux kernel >=2.6.5 and lm-sensors >=2.8.6. The file will only include information specific to the BP6 so it will be readable and it will also include comments if you want to add personal touches.
There is one issue I need your help on. My BP6 was unfortunately delivered with broken fan headers so I can't do any experiments myself on this: I need to know what the lowest rpm you have seen reported by BP6 in BIOS, in some Windows sensor program (such as MBM) or "sensors" in Linux.
I have a feeling that the BP6 isn't capable of reporting speeds lower than 3000rpm or so, but that is still just a gut feeling. I want to know what you guys have seen in this regard.
I will of course post this file on BP6.com once I am done with it...
2x533MHz@544MHz, 2.0V
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
After tweaking the sensors software for Linux I was able to get readings down to 1600rpm on my machine. The "theoretical" lowest speed I can now read with my modifications to the software is 665rpm...
I found out that both fan headers for the cpu's are broken since they don't supply 12 volts anymore, however the tachometer is still working fine! The third fan header can drive a fan but the tach is not working
Does anybody know what components are used to supply the fan headers with voltage?
Btw, my BP6 specific sensors.conf will be posted soon. I just want to test a few more things and put in comments so everybody can tweak on their own....
I found out that both fan headers for the cpu's are broken since they don't supply 12 volts anymore, however the tachometer is still working fine! The third fan header can drive a fan but the tach is not working
Does anybody know what components are used to supply the fan headers with voltage?
Btw, my BP6 specific sensors.conf will be posted soon. I just want to test a few more things and put in comments so everybody can tweak on their own....
2x533MHz@544MHz, 2.0V
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
Sounds like some good stuff you are doing there.
I wouldnt worry about the third fan header not having a tacho, it never did, only the two cpu fan headers have a tacho.
I too would be intrested in what supplys the voltage to the cpu fan headers, mine still work at the moment, but if they can be enhanced allowing people to use bigger fans, that would be great. (*david strokes his big fans, "It wont be long now")
Purrkur: Would it be possile to write a a program that does the same as bp6fsb/fanspeed etc.. which make the fans slow down when the cpus are cold and as they heat up speed up again?
I wouldnt worry about the third fan header not having a tacho, it never did, only the two cpu fan headers have a tacho.
I too would be intrested in what supplys the voltage to the cpu fan headers, mine still work at the moment, but if they can be enhanced allowing people to use bigger fans, that would be great. (*david strokes his big fans, "It wont be long now")
Purrkur: Would it be possile to write a a program that does the same as bp6fsb/fanspeed etc.. which make the fans slow down when the cpus are cold and as they heat up speed up again?
24 Seven: Good information there. Thanks. Knowing that there is no tach on the third fan header changes my configuration for sensors!
To answer your question: I am not really sure. What these programs do is to access a DAC somewhere that can affect the output provided to the fan headers. I am not sure if it is the w83782d chip they are controlling or not. Even if that is the case, I would have to read up on the drivers to see if that possibility is there. If it is then I will find a way to use it.
Sorry if my posts here are a bit sporadic at times. I got two young kids that take a lot of my time. The free time I get to do other stuff doesn't come at regular intervals so I am never sure when I can sit down in front of my machines again to hack away But I will check out the above!
/Dave
Hmmm. That would be fun now wouldn't it? I am not a programmer, just a sysadmin who is doing an analysis of the documentation that the sensors team writes and applying that to the configuration. The default configuration file doesn't bring out everything that sensors can do so it has been fun!Would it be possile to write a a program that does the same as bp6fsb/fanspeed etc.. which make the fans slow down when the cpus are cold and as they heat up speed up again?
To answer your question: I am not really sure. What these programs do is to access a DAC somewhere that can affect the output provided to the fan headers. I am not sure if it is the w83782d chip they are controlling or not. Even if that is the case, I would have to read up on the drivers to see if that possibility is there. If it is then I will find a way to use it.
Sorry if my posts here are a bit sporadic at times. I got two young kids that take a lot of my time. The free time I get to do other stuff doesn't come at regular intervals so I am never sure when I can sit down in front of my machines again to hack away But I will check out the above!
/Dave
2x533MHz@544MHz, 2.0V
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
OK, I have been doing some reading. I even downloaded and read the manual on the controller chip from Winbond. Very interesting stuff there, but it also raises a few questions. For example, in the general description I found this:
It has been good fun reading through the information and I have learned a lot. For example, I learned that the W83782D uses PWM to control fan speed. It actually has capabilities for four such outputs although I think that the BP6 only uses three. All three fans should be speed-controllable, although only you can only monitor 2 with a tach to see if you are actually controlling your speed or not. The reason why the fan heads stop working is most probably because the transistor that drives the fan is dead. It should be easy to find it and replace it!
I have also been digging into the Linux sensors documentation and learned a lot there as well. 24Seven, to answer your question on if I can write a program to control the fans and the answer is a definite maybe I am no programmer (I usually do hacks in high level languages but I never mark them with my name because the hacks are so terribly foul). But how does this sound: I can tell you how to send signals right to the kernel to control the speed of your fans!! I don't have working fan headers so I can't really test if it works or not but I am pretty sure that it works. I have already tried other parameters that have to do with the W83782D and I have been able to have the changes appear in the "sensors" program. Let me know if you want to be my guinea pig You need to have a kernel 2.6 and working sensors and fan headers. One note though, changing info in the kernel at runtime doesn't allow for error margins so it is not for the faint of heart. But think of it, the ultimate hardware geekdom! Changing the fan speeds in your machine by passing new info to the kernel from the command line No programs to install and run, just you and your kernel...
It is possible to write something like a Python program to monitor the temps and automatically adjust fan speeds according to that, but the program would have to be run as root because only root can change info in the kernel at runtime. I am also looking into if it is possible to use libsensors in Python to get around that issue but so far I haven't found what I am looking for. Any real Python hackers in the BP6 crowd??
My sensors file needs a bit of polishing and I want to add understandable comments so that everybody understands what it all means. It is in the works though.
So much to do and so little time is my regular problem I have been looking for another BP6, even a broken one to do some work on (I need my BP6 for work) but so far I have been unsuccessful in finding one The ones I have found have been on sale with processors etc for too much money. I can't afford to put out too much at the moment at least. If anybody has a BP6 collecting dust somewhere (broken or not) that they want to get rid of then let me know!
/Dave
Notice, 2 fan tachs. In the "features" list I found this:The W83782D can simultaneously monitor 9 analog voltage inputs, 2 fan tachometer inputs, 3 remote temperature, one case-open detection signal.
If 24Seven had not given me input based on experience I would be seriously confused3 fan speed monitoring inputs
It has been good fun reading through the information and I have learned a lot. For example, I learned that the W83782D uses PWM to control fan speed. It actually has capabilities for four such outputs although I think that the BP6 only uses three. All three fans should be speed-controllable, although only you can only monitor 2 with a tach to see if you are actually controlling your speed or not. The reason why the fan heads stop working is most probably because the transistor that drives the fan is dead. It should be easy to find it and replace it!
I have also been digging into the Linux sensors documentation and learned a lot there as well. 24Seven, to answer your question on if I can write a program to control the fans and the answer is a definite maybe I am no programmer (I usually do hacks in high level languages but I never mark them with my name because the hacks are so terribly foul). But how does this sound: I can tell you how to send signals right to the kernel to control the speed of your fans!! I don't have working fan headers so I can't really test if it works or not but I am pretty sure that it works. I have already tried other parameters that have to do with the W83782D and I have been able to have the changes appear in the "sensors" program. Let me know if you want to be my guinea pig You need to have a kernel 2.6 and working sensors and fan headers. One note though, changing info in the kernel at runtime doesn't allow for error margins so it is not for the faint of heart. But think of it, the ultimate hardware geekdom! Changing the fan speeds in your machine by passing new info to the kernel from the command line No programs to install and run, just you and your kernel...
It is possible to write something like a Python program to monitor the temps and automatically adjust fan speeds according to that, but the program would have to be run as root because only root can change info in the kernel at runtime. I am also looking into if it is possible to use libsensors in Python to get around that issue but so far I haven't found what I am looking for. Any real Python hackers in the BP6 crowd??
My sensors file needs a bit of polishing and I want to add understandable comments so that everybody understands what it all means. It is in the works though.
So much to do and so little time is my regular problem I have been looking for another BP6, even a broken one to do some work on (I need my BP6 for work) but so far I have been unsuccessful in finding one The ones I have found have been on sale with processors etc for too much money. I can't afford to put out too much at the moment at least. If anybody has a BP6 collecting dust somewhere (broken or not) that they want to get rid of then let me know!
/Dave
2x533MHz@544MHz, 2.0V
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
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Wow you really have been busy!
I shall get linux reinstalled tonight
Purrkur: do you use irc at all?
I shall get linux reinstalled tonight
If thats the case, then maybe a simple script could get the readout from sensors, then change the fanspeed.Changing the fan speeds in your machine by passing new info to the kernel from the command line No programs to install and run, just you and your kernel...
Purrkur: do you use irc at all?
Yeah, been busy allright. I just wish I had more time to spend on this so I could do some programming as well. I am a hardware geek and the BP6 is a great board for messing about with.24seven wrote:Wow you really have been busy!
I shall get linux reinstalled tonight
If thats the case, then maybe a simple script could get the readout from sensors, then change the fanspeed.Changing the fan speeds in your machine by passing new info to the kernel from the command line No programs to install and run, just you and your kernel...
Purrkur: do you use irc at all?
I do IRC on occasion only. At work I am usually too busy to participate in a discussion and at home I am too busy with my two kids that need constant attention However, I use IRC whenever I need to for some reason. Any specific channel?
2x533MHz@544MHz, 2.0V
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
Allright, I will log on when the kiddos are asleep, although I am not sure how that will turn out tonight. Sweden is playing Denmark in the Eurocup so I will be busy I guess your night was yesterday, huh? I guess the Croatians were so boastful about winning that they were sort of pulling everybody in that direction. That Rooney is a wonderkid!
2x533MHz@544MHz, 2.0V
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
InactiveX: Thanks for your words of encouragement! I positively love tinkering with the BP6 and it is a great motherboard. It also helps to have such a helpful and dedicated community built around it and I definitely don't mind sharing all these new things that I find out about the BP6. When I first got my BP6 I read the info on this site, posted questions and got help. It only feels right to pass on anything else I can figure out! Now I just gotta find myself another BP6 so I can further my studies and activities!
Cheers,
Dave
Cheers,
Dave
2x533MHz@544MHz, 2.0V
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel
640MB PC100 memory
Realtek RTL-8139 NIC
Maxtor 6Y080L0 80GB hdd
Debian Linux stable with 2.4.8 kernel