Mark Studebaker wrote: > > > Mark M. Hoffman wrote: > >> * Xuan Baldauf <xuan--sensors--2003.12.20 at baldauf.org> [2003-12-21 >> 00:29:00 +0100]: >> >>> Hello Alex and Mark, >>> >>> I'm referring to your discussions at >>> http://archives.andrew.net.au/lm-sensors/msg01299.html >>> >>> I have got a new notebook "Mitac 8640m". (The same as in >>> http://archives.andrew.net.au/lm-sensors/msg03881.html ) It is based on >> >> >> >> I re-read that thread and laughed: is your machine really labelled >> "Packard Bell"? I can't remember the last time I saw that name on >> a computer in the US - at least not since 1995. They had an *awful* >> reputation. >> >> > > Looks like NEC owns Packard Bell and has been investing in them since > 1995. > > http://www.businessweek.com/1998/02/b3560256.htm > Just in case somebody is interested, I want to mention: I now can read out the temperatures (actually, there are two sensors in this notebook), not by SMBus, but by using the ACPI embedded controller. However, by reading the ACPI DSDT table, I found out that there is also a way to access the ACPI embedded controller address space using the SIS0016 controller. I did not investigate further into it, because I did not need (because reading by ACPI EC was sufficient). I then changed the ACPI DSDT table to define three new thermal zones, one for the CPU temperature, one for the chipset ("mainboard") temperature and one for the maximum CPU temperature since the last real poweroff (which is also reported in the ACPI address space). I discovered that the CPU temperature oscillated between 44 ?C and 54 ?C, which is pretty cool. Additionally, I can (under Linux) read these temperatures. Under Windows, I'm missing such a tool (hint to Alexander van Kaam ;-)). Then I hacked the firmware of the ACPI embedded controller (which actually is software for the Hitachi H8/300, which is the core of the microcontroller which provides the ACPI EC functionality) so that the fan speed is only 15% of the former value. The fan at this low speed blows the heat nearly as equal as the fan at high speed. Even with full CPU usage, the temperature will not rise above 56 ?C. But now, the fan is *much more* quiet, there is just some regular ticking. I do not know wether these ticks are due to snapping in of the motor or wether they are due to microcontroller which may set the fan speed by providing duty-cycles, i.e. on-off-alternations where the "on" time is higher when the fan should run faster. Nevertheless, it served the purpose of calming down the 8640 notebook. Unfortunately, the notebook has a too high thermal resistance to the environment if the fan is completely off. That means, that the temperature will be too high (63 ?C) if the fan is shut off for longer time. If the temperature is kept too high, the heat will flow to other parts of the notebook (i.e. the chipset), which will make a secondary fan start. Because this fan is normally off, I consider the safety limit for slowing down the CPU fan to be that low speed of the CPU fan. where the secondary fan would start due to heat flow. So, that's the story. If someone needs somebody for hacking ACPI tables or ACPI embedded controller firmware in order to read temperatures and control fans, maybe I can help. Xu?n Baldauf.
