tonemapped
Member
The Problem
I've been happy with the J50C up until it woke from sleep with the fan sounding like a hedge trimmer.
Attempt(s) to Fix
- I removed all cables, used anti-static gloves, and took the machine apart in case a cable had moved and got in the way (blocking the blades), or in case there was an obvious, visible fix. There was not.
- I put the machine back together and tried turning it on - the same noise. The noise is hard to exactly describe, but it's loud enough that I can hear it over a hairdryer.
- No rattling appeared to be coming from the device and everything looked seated and secured correctly (including the tape holding the CPU fan wire).
- Upon my third attempt, the fan seemed to calm down - BUT the BIOS had reset. I removed power before taking the device apart, but the battery should have saved any settings. That's the primary purpose of the battery! This is odd.
- The fan noise calmed down after changing the angle the device sits at (it was previously on a flat surface, and now it's slightly tilted - this should not be a fix) and the RPM reduced due to the BIOS resetting - therefore using the default curve/values.
- I decided to plug all the cables back in (power, ethernet, HDMI, Logitech USB receiver, USB Lightpack) and boot into Windows.
In Windows
- Upon entering Windows, I checked reported temperatures and Event Viewer to see if any problems had occurred. I found another WHEA fatal hardware error (not using extra RAM - the entire device is stock).
- I have now run a stress test (pi calculations) for [edit] 02:28:31 (over two hours)30 minutes and the fan has ramped up to 4800rpm with temperatures of 81°C - perfectly reasonable for sustained heavy load during a hot summer in the UK (no air conditioning).
Observations
I have to say, I'm really disappointed as this device has only been in-use for 51 days - less than two months, with average daily use of two hours. I have recommended it to various friends due to the reputation Minix has.
This is meant to be a product that is capable for semi-industrial use. One example Minix uses is powering digital signs, and I believe this is due to the robust, quality builds that Minix is known for - where a device can be left with minimal maintenance and in less than desirable conditions. It's a selling point of Minix devices. I expect better quality control.
And considering the fan uses ADDA's Hypro bearings (according to this specification sheet), I'm surprised the fan has an issues at all. It's bizarre. The only change I made to the fan curve/values was adjusting the BIOS default to be ~10% more, on average, than stock - well within the specs.
Conclusion
Since this was purchased from Minix directly through Amazon, are there any options for a replacement fan? If not, what are the options? I won't email support or contact Amazon just yet - hopefully a staff member will reply here in case anyone else has the same problem.
Additionally, it seems Minix is no longer selling this device (any many others) anywhere. Is this due to stock problems with more stock on the way, or is Minix closing down? It's never good when a company doesn't restock, with nearly every device being out of stock with no availability date, in major markets such as the UK, EU (Germany), and US.
I've been happy with the J50C up until it woke from sleep with the fan sounding like a hedge trimmer.
Attempt(s) to Fix
- I removed all cables, used anti-static gloves, and took the machine apart in case a cable had moved and got in the way (blocking the blades), or in case there was an obvious, visible fix. There was not.
- I put the machine back together and tried turning it on - the same noise. The noise is hard to exactly describe, but it's loud enough that I can hear it over a hairdryer.
- No rattling appeared to be coming from the device and everything looked seated and secured correctly (including the tape holding the CPU fan wire).
- Upon my third attempt, the fan seemed to calm down - BUT the BIOS had reset. I removed power before taking the device apart, but the battery should have saved any settings. That's the primary purpose of the battery! This is odd.
- The fan noise calmed down after changing the angle the device sits at (it was previously on a flat surface, and now it's slightly tilted - this should not be a fix) and the RPM reduced due to the BIOS resetting - therefore using the default curve/values.
- I decided to plug all the cables back in (power, ethernet, HDMI, Logitech USB receiver, USB Lightpack) and boot into Windows.
In Windows
- Upon entering Windows, I checked reported temperatures and Event Viewer to see if any problems had occurred. I found another WHEA fatal hardware error (not using extra RAM - the entire device is stock).
- I have now run a stress test (pi calculations) for [edit] 02:28:31 (over two hours)
Observations
I have to say, I'm really disappointed as this device has only been in-use for 51 days - less than two months, with average daily use of two hours. I have recommended it to various friends due to the reputation Minix has.
This is meant to be a product that is capable for semi-industrial use. One example Minix uses is powering digital signs, and I believe this is due to the robust, quality builds that Minix is known for - where a device can be left with minimal maintenance and in less than desirable conditions. It's a selling point of Minix devices. I expect better quality control.
And considering the fan uses ADDA's Hypro bearings (according to this specification sheet), I'm surprised the fan has an issues at all. It's bizarre. The only change I made to the fan curve/values was adjusting the BIOS default to be ~10% more, on average, than stock - well within the specs.
Conclusion
Since this was purchased from Minix directly through Amazon, are there any options for a replacement fan? If not, what are the options? I won't email support or contact Amazon just yet - hopefully a staff member will reply here in case anyone else has the same problem.
Additionally, it seems Minix is no longer selling this device (any many others) anywhere. Is this due to stock problems with more stock on the way, or is Minix closing down? It's never good when a company doesn't restock, with nearly every device being out of stock with no availability date, in major markets such as the UK, EU (Germany), and US.
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