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EX485 fan replacement
http://www.mediasmartserver.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=13988		 Page 2 of 3
Author:  ekrasny [ Fri Dec 05, 2014 12:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
I am actually thinking my fans have been out for a while and the high pitch noise I hear is when they are actually kicking in if bump into it or something, that's why the temp is so high.
Author:  ekrasny [ Sun Dec 07, 2014 12:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
So, as I thought, I disconnected the original case fans and the noise is still there. It has to be the power supply. This is a replacement one from KDMPower/Ebay and he actually replaced it once already for a new one for the same issue and I completely forgot about it, so now I need to look into a new power supply or into somehow fixing/oiling the old one. Has anyone oiled a KDM Power supply successfully? Is it even serviceable?
Author:  Ruben Rocha [ Sun Dec 07, 2014 3:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
Dumb question.
Are you sure it is not a drive?
Have you tried booting the server with all drives removed.
Since you don't have SMART installed it could be a bad drive motor.

It would suck if it is the psu fan.
If it is it is probably a solder job. I have never taken a psu apart.
Author:  Comp1962 [ Sun Dec 07, 2014 7:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
If the PSU from KDM is less then 1 yr old then arrange to send it back for replacement. I have never taken one of theirs apart to see how the fan is connected be it Soldered to the Motherboard or plugged into a fan header. You can also jump the PSU out to start it and see if the noise is coming from the PSU or not. There is a write up in the sites WIKI on the EX470 PSU but it applies to all the PSU's in the MSS and there you will find were to jump out the PSU to start it.

If you happen to have a drive that's making a loud noise then replace it ASAP before it bites you
Author:  ekrasny [ Sun Dec 07, 2014 7:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
It is definitely a PSU. All 4 drives are out and both fans are out and it is still making the noise, waiting on KDM to respond to me. CPU doesn't a have separate fan, does it?
Author:  Comp1962 [ Sun Dec 07, 2014 7:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
No there is no fan on the CPU. The only fans that exist on the EX485 are the two back 80mm fans and the one in the PSU which I believe is a 40mm fan. On some of the MSS Motherboard there is a fan header people have used to connect additional fans of one sort or another to their MSS either to blow air over the heatsinks or to place fan in the front grill to blow additional air over the motherboard.
Author:  ekrasny [ Fri Dec 12, 2014 7:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
Got two fans above and put them in, also replaced the power supply for the new one. No more noise. Unit;s temperature shows on 65-69C on the console and after downloading homeServer Smart Classic that shows 31C for the unit. Anyone knows why?
Author:  ekrasny [ Fri Dec 12, 2014 7:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
The numbers on the bottom of the Smart console seems to be for drive temperatures., so CPU is in upper 60s. Drives are in low 30s
Author:  Comp1962 [ Fri Dec 12, 2014 9:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
Your processor temp is on the high side. Intel has its operational range between 5c - 60.4c for the Celeron 420, 430 and 440. I had to check all 3 because I was not sure which one HP used in t he EX48x but all of them are designed to operated within the range I mentioned. As I recall the Celeron would run between 40-55c but if you search the forums you may be able to get a better feel where that typical operating range should be,

If you find your server is shutting down and your not sure why it could be very well because of the processor temp was elevated and the server will shut itself down for protection.
Author:  ekrasny [ Fri Dec 12, 2014 10:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
What bothers me is the fact that temp reading jumps between 65 and 73-75 all the time. Wonder if I am getting correct readings, my fans are spinning at 1500-1700 RPMs, but it could be due to the incorrect temperature readings as well.
Author:  Comp1962 [ Sat Dec 13, 2014 6:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
Here is an old post from other EX48x users regarding the temps. viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3965

It just occurred to me that I never inquired about the location of your server and the ambient air temp around the server. Far to often some will place the server on a shelf or in a cabinet where there is little to no airflow which can result in the servers temps becoming elevated rather quickly. These HP MSS Servers should basically have nothing around them which will restrict air flow.

Personally I was never quite happy with the running temps of the Celeron and the E5200 so I basically adjusted the BIOS to run my fans at 100% all the time. I do have an EX485 where I upgraded the CPU to an E5200 but its running WHS2011 and the temps are still a bit high for my comfort level but run between 40-45c even under intermittent loads of 97% during maintenance tasks.
Author:  ekrasny [ Sat Dec 13, 2014 6:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
It is sitting in a fairly warm upstairs room (75F or so ) on top of the open book shelf sideways (i.e. airflow is not restricted). I just took it apart again and cleaned up the CPU and applied a coat of new thermal paste. I had it sitting around for a few years and I don't know if it was still ok to use....was a little hard to spread. Also I flipped the fans around to see if I installed them wrong. Stickers were facing inside the unit and the arrow is pointing out (outside of the case), which is wrong I think. I think the arrow should be pointing in the direction of what you are trying to cool down, right? I am keeping an eye on it and it is 5-7C cooler now at 63C at idle which is still way high IMHO. Any idea how to install them correctly?

On another note, I took my 9 month old KDM power supply apart, oiled the fan and dusted it. It is now as quiet as it can be. I wish KDM guy would have told me it is serviceable instead of selling me a new one at a $6 discount :( He did offer to fix for $20, but I didn't want to wait for it.

This is what it looks like from inside the case.

Attachments:
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Author:  Comp1962 [ Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
The fans are suppose to exhaust the air from inside the enclosure pulling in cooler air across the components then exhaust the air out the back of the enclosure. The 75F ambient temperature if fine. Your right the 63c temp is too high for that processor. I am not quite certain how high the server will allow the processor to get before it shuts the server down. You mention the server is idle but can you make a Remote Desktop Connection and run the Task Manager to see what if any load is on the processor and what is causing the load to occur.

While your troubleshooting the temp issue you may want to place a small 4" table top fan in front of the server with the door open and blow air into the server to provide additional cooling. These fans are inexpensive and its always nice to have one available for times like this.
Author:  ekrasny [ Sat Dec 13, 2014 8:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
In that case my fans are mounted correctly if the airflow arrow is pointing outside of the server. The drives are running close 38-39C now from 31-32C. Also, it keeps saying on the bottom of the console that the server balanced itself 20 minutes ago, but I didn't see it rebooting. Any thoughts on that? And my console stayed connected. The CPU is now 59-60C at idle, nothing is running on the server at all. 1-2% CPU utilization.. I am thinking the thermal paste needs time to spread out better.
Author:  Comp1962 [ Sun Dec 14, 2014 12:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: EX485 fan replacement
The CPU temp is still too high for being at 1-2% it should drop down in temperature. Imagine how hot that CPU will get when placed under a heavy load.

Drive balancing is an obscure term but basically its just an indicator that DE ran to check and maintain your pool. I looked at the specs of your fan again and the air flow rate is 53.3 m³/h or 31.367 CFM which is fairly typical of an 80mm fan but some 80mm fans do have a higher CFM Rating but often the higher you go the more noise you have to deal with so its a balancing act.

You may want to see if you can lubricate the original fans to get them to quite down then put them back into your server to see what the temperature differences are. The original fans I believe could pull 42.2 CFM at 32.26 db. So if you can get the original fans back in and run quietly and provided they are fully operational you should see a drop in temperature then you can start looking for a fan with similar specs.

All I know is heat is the root cause of premature failure of components and so its in your best interest to get that CPU Temp down before you experience a failure.
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