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Does the fan in the 12" 1.5GHz PowerBook rarely turn on?

gavinstubbs09

gavinstubbs09

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 17, 2013
1,386
256
NorCal boonies ~~~by Reno sorta
So I just got done doing a logic board swap from a parts 1.5 machine into my 1GHz machine, however I have yet to see the fan turn on (running without the top case to make sure everything is working) but the fan is still off. I checked connectors and everything.

I ask because the fan was on 24/7 with the 1GHz logic board, so I'm lost!
 
Mine comes and goes periodically, and really gets cranking when tethered to my camera and running EOSUtilities(although, ironically, not as badly as my Intel based Macs do).

I'd double check to make sure the fan works and is hooked up correctly, as it's not hard for me to get it going even with Webkit/TFF.
 
I *think* that the fan should run all the time, just at a low (near-silent) speed when not under load. If it's not spinning at all then that's probably cause for concern.

Edit: I'm wrong :)
 
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Got it to spin! Just required opening up every app on the dock.

Stupid thing, the picture uploaded upside down.
 

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gavinstubbs09 said:
Got it to spin! Just required opening up every app on the dock.

Stupid thing, the picture uploaded upside down.
Click to expand...

Yup, as you can see the fan only turns on when it needs to. I don't understand why Intel Macs don't do this. Intel Macs have a base speed and are always running. I made a thread about it but never got a real answer.
 
poiihy said:
Yup, as you can see the fan only turns on when it needs to. I don't understand why Intel Macs don't do this. Intel Macs have a base speed and are always running. I made a thread about it but never got a real answer.
Click to expand...

It's been so long since I had a PPC that I thought that they did the same thing! My earlier post is now discredited :)
 
gavinstubbs09 said:
Got it to spin! Just required opening up every app on the dock.
Click to expand...

One YouTube video is all it takes on my 12" 1.5 GHz PowerBook G4. In fact, during normal use and after it warms up the fan is almost always noticeable.

poiihy said:
Yup, as you can see the fan only turns on when it needs to. I don't understand why Intel Macs don't do this. Intel Macs have a base speed and are always running. I made a thread about it but never got a real answer.
Click to expand...

I'm sure it's a measure taken to prevent the CPU from heating up in light usage and requiring the fan to be turned on at a higher speed. The RPM can also increase gradually if an increase in heat is detected. I can say for sure in the case of my 13" rMBP the fan is not audible while on idle. The iMac's is, but barely.
 
Altemose said:
You could crank the CPU by using a Terminal command and verify that the fan is operating to its full potential using iStat. So yes, there is something it could be used for.
Click to expand...

As I said, iStat was not required and at the moment of running the PowerBook without a top case and no AirPort card was installed to use the internet to download iStat off my own website.

Why download something when you can make something happen with what you have.
 
Usually running the Arabesque screen saver will get the fan(s) going on my iBook G4, PowerBook G4, iMac G5, and PowerMac G5. :p That's only available on Leopard, but I'd imagine Flurry might get the fan running.

Of course, my post is a little late, but it might work for those looking to test the fan (and it's spin up temperature and/or functionality) easily in the future.

Good job getting her going, those 12" machines can be a bit of a hassle to get apart and work on.
 
gavinstubbs09 said:
As I said, iStat was not required and at the moment of running the PowerBook without a top case and no AirPort card was installed to use the internet to download iStat off my own website.

Why download something when you can make something happen with what you have.
Click to expand...

Also, the version on your website is not compatible with Tiger. You really should put an older version for Tiger on there.
 
poiihy said:
Yup, as you can see the fan only turns on when it needs to. I don't understand why Intel Macs don't do this. Intel Macs have a base speed and are always running. I made a thread about it but never got a real answer.
Click to expand...

It's a virtually inaudible 1000rpm, the hard drive motor was more noticeable than the base fan speed on any of my three HDD equipped MacBook Pros.

Badly coded crap like Flash would spin them up pretty rapidly at which point they were audible, but that's not been an issue since 10.6/HTML5 etc.

Spinning them constantly, plus gradually ramped speeds reduces temperature spikes. It's also far less distracting than the on/off/on of the TiBook for example.
 
I can almost never hear the fan in mine, unless I've been using it for an hour or two with a couple apps running. Even then, it's barely noticeable.

I will say however, the other night I was watching an .mp4 of somewhat higher quality than I normally play on it, and unknowingly partially blocked the exhaust vent under the screen - after the file was finished playing, I was initially shocked at just how hot and loud it was!:eek: Fan must have been running full speed, just wish I had thought to turn Temperature Monitor on before I started the video so I might have known before it got that bad. :eek:
 
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