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  1. Member
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    Hello,

    I seem to be on a bad streak of luck. My PSU fan is spinning too fast, it sounds like a jet engine.

    I´m not too tech minded but can manage - sometimes .

    It´s a mini atx power supply.

    Running kubuntu 10.04.

    Thanks for any help on this.
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  2. aBigMeanie aedipuss's Avatar
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    psu fans are internally controlled. time for a new psu.
    --
    "a lot of people are better dead" - prisoner KSC2-303
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  3. Mod Neophyte Super Moderator redwudz's Avatar
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    How much heat is coming out of the PS exhaust? If it's really hot, like a hair blow dryer, then the PS is overheating. That's bad.
    It could be clogged with dust, but so would the rest of your PC. More likely it's either overloaded or getting ready to die.
    If it does die, it could take the whole PC with it, along with your data. $$
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  4. Invest in a new power supply asap. If you are tech minded you can hook it up yourself, or if not you can have it done for you at a place like Best Buy, or any computer repair shop.
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  5. Member
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    Originally Posted by redwudz View Post
    How much heat is coming out of the PS exhaust? If it's really hot, like a hair blow dryer, then the PS is overheating. That's bad.
    It could be clogged with dust, but so would the rest of your PC. More likely it's either overloaded or getting ready to die.
    If it does die, it could take the whole PC with it, along with your data. $$
    Thanks for the tip there.I just opened the case and touched the PSU - it´s normal , even cool .

    The air coming out of vents is normal - just spinning the hell out of the PSU .

    Temperature readings are high - 100 dg and 114 dg in 10 minutes of being switched on but the PSU is cool to the touch.
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  6. Is the fan really runnng too fast or is it just making excessive noise? The maximum speed of a fan is normally determined by the oscillator circuit inside it and it would be very unusual for one to go too fast. If it is just very noisy, there *may* be a quick and free fix for it if you are willing to have a go. This is what to do:

    1. Unplug the computer completely from the wall socket and leave it 5 minutes to allow parts inside the PSU to fully discharge.
    2. Open the compuer and remove the PSU, normally there are up to 4 screws, accessible from the back panel. Also unplug all the cables to the drives and motherboard.
    3. With the PSU removed, find the screws holding it's cover in place and remove them so you can see inside the PSU. Blow/brush out any dust that has accumulated there.
    4. Look for the screws securing the fan itself, they are usually short fat ones, remove them so the fan can be lifted out of the PSU. If the fan wires are on a plug, unplug it, otherwise be careful not to tear them off the board.
    5. One side of the fan will have a manufacturers label on it, carefully peel the label off, try not to tear it if possible.
    6. In the center, under where the label was you should see the motor shaft, a thin steel pin. Sometimes there is a soft rubber bung over it, if there is remove it and keep it safe.
    7. With the shaft visible, put ONE drop of light machine oil on it and spin the fan blades by hand a few times to work it into the bearings.
    8. refit the bung if there was one, replace the label (or put a stick paper patch over the hole if the label was damaged) and reassemble in reverse order of dismantling.

    I've done it many times with 100% success. what seems to happen is the lubrication in the bearings eventually dries out and the rotor starts to vibrate on the shaft, making it very noisy and eventually making it stop turning altogether. After replenishing the oil the fan should run for several years more. It's worth cleaing any dust out of the rest of the machine while you have it open, be particularly careful with the fan on the CPU and the fins below it.

    I stress you should only add ONE drop of light oil. Someone I could name tried this and decided it would be quicker to simply pour oil in through the vent holes in the PSU. As you might expect, none went into the motor bearings at all but the rest of the computer was completely and permanently trashed!

    Brian.
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  7. Member
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    Thanks Brian , I´ll give the suggestion some thought. Never really touched the hardware though.

    The pc´s been in for repair lately - nearly 4 months if you can believe that .

    Maybe the technician forgot to plug in a wire
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