[Getting OT: hardware sensors] Re: sensors, alarms, crashes!
On 5/3/06, Mike McCarty <Mike.McCarty@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
Matt Price wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> as discussedi nan earlier thread (sorry don'th ave it handy!) I'm
> having trouble with hard freezes on my system. I've installed sensord
> and lm-sensors and find that, even when my system appears to be
> working fine, I getthe following messages in syslog:
Good progress so far.
> May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: VCore 1: +1.78 V (min = +1.42 V, max = +1.57 V) [ALARM]
> May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: VCore 2: +1.25 V (min = +2.40 V, max = +2.61 V) [ALARM]
> May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: +3.3V: +3.10 V (min = +3.14 V, max = +3.47 V) [ALARM]
> May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: +5V: +4.57 V (min = +4.76 V, max = +5.24 V) [ALARM]
> May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: +12V: +13.06 V (min = +11.39 V, max = +12.61 V) [ALARM]
> May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: -12V: -9.93 V (min = -12.63 V, max = -11.41 V) [ALARM]
> May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: -5V: -4.63 V (min = -5.26 V, max = -4.77 V) [ALARM]
> May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: fan2: 0 RPM (min = 3013 RPM, div = 8) [ALARM]
>
> so those of course don't look so good. Can anyone interpret this for
> me? I'm afraid I know very little about hardware at this level.
One obvious possibility stands out: Your power supply fan is not
running, and the heat is causing all your voltages to sag.
OK, ruled that out at least. the fan is running smoothly.
As a temporary work around, tap the fan blades with a pencil and
see whether it'll take off. If it does, you may be ok for the
immediate future, like the next couple of days. If you turn off
the computer, expect to have to restart the fan again. Use your
ears while using the computer. If the fan gets really quiet,
have another look.
If the supply fan is running, then several possibilities come to mind.
(1) Your sensors are out of calibration.
(2) Your software is not reading them correctly.
(3) Your voltages are out of line.
The best way to check this is with a voltmeter.
ok, just to quickly ask: does this mean I guy a voltmeter, unplug the
MB from the power source & check each of the outbound voltages in turn
directly off the power source? Or can I somehow actually check the mb
voltages directly?
I disagree with some of the values stated for voltages. For example,
your +5V line should be 5.05V +/- 0.25V. But the voltage ranges
given are wider, so you are *way* out of spec. on that one. All
your voltages appear to be sagging.
If (3) is the case, then there are three likely possibilities:
(1) Your power supply is overloaded by too many extra stuff
added on by you
(2) Your power supply is overloaded by something in your system
drawing more power than it should (failing)
(3) Your power supply is failing.
(1) can be detected by looking in the mirror.
(2) can be checked by the "burnt finger" test.
(3) can be checked by substituting another power supply of
approximately equal wattage rating.
Apropos of (2), check the fan on the processor. If it isn't running,
it may cause the processor to overheat, causing crashes, also possibly
causing it to draw too much current. That's the first place I'd check
for a "burnt finger". That may be the fan being reported above.
is a burnt finger test putting your finger carefully on various parts
& checking for excess heat? I can try that...
So I did a little investigating:
- to rule out software issues, I checked the BIOS values, and they are
consonant with the values given here. The voltages in particular are
all "slumped" in the very same manner. I also kept the system running
in BIOS mode for 45 minutes or so, and found the CPU temp quickly
moved up to 61 C, at which point it stabilized, whilethe MB temp
stabilized at 47C.
- I opened up the case and found that the CPU fan is indeed running.
I also found that the second fan on the MB was unplugged! must have
gotten jiggled. HOwever, plugging it back in didn't give me a
non-zero reading in the "fan 2" sensor, so I'm not sure what's up with
that. Also,I'm still getting the same rapid temp increases & voltage
problems after replugging the fan. This is a fanthat sits on
something I imagine might be the coprocessor or something -- a sizable
chip next to the CPU slot. I don't know if this is whatthe BIOS calls
"the system fan".
- I do have 3 drives plugged in to this system, and 768 Megs of RAM,
but on the other hand it's a 400W power source. Unfortunately the
"mirror test" doesn't work that well for me since I don't know what to
look for! -- but I'd be surprisedi f this is the problem. I suppose
I could unplug one or 2 drives & see ifthat makes a difference?
Seems to me the next step is to change out the power source -- osund
right to everyone?
thanks again,
matt
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