Replacing the Fan in Quicksilver PSU

bedouin · 12-22-2004, 10:31 PM

It looks like the fan in my QS 2002 is going south. Instead of wasting $150+ on an entirely new PSU from Apple, I'm going to attempt replacing the fan. Can anyone suggest which would be the best to buy? Has anyone else had to do this, and have some pointers? I'll probably attempt the swap this weekend.

trevor · 12-22-2004, 10:44 PM

I tend to like the Panaflo fans. This page *might* be interesting to you although its not specific to the Quicksilver... http://home.centurytel.net/chunhsu/mac/noise/solutions/

Trevor

warragul · 12-23-2004, 05:41 PM

If you can't get the same make/model as the original you should try for as close an equivalent as you can get. Knowing the anal-retentive design style at Apple it'll be a certain number of blades with a certain pitch running at a certain RPM at a certain current draw...

Ball or roller bearing fans last longer and run quieter than their sleeve bearing equivalents.

DeltaMac · 12-23-2004, 09:10 PM

Are you sure which fan is going bad? There are 3 in most QuickSilvers. the PSU, of course, and the larger case fan, and the processor fan. I have changed several very noisy processor fans, but NO PSU fans (other than with failed PSUs)

bedouin · 12-23-2004, 10:21 PM

Yeah, it was the PSU fan (since it wasn't spinning). I bought a fan with identical specifications as the original fan and installed it. It had a different connector however, and I had to solder the connection right to the board.

Now there's a new, very frustrating problem. Whenever I plug the AC cord into the machine, the internal fans (with the exception of the PSU's fan) begin to run; the light on the motherboard also turns red. I have no idea why this is happening. I've tried resetting the PMU, the PRAM, and the NVRAM. The fans will not go off, even in sleep mode. Can anybody tell me what I screwed up, and if can be fixed?

Apple wants $125 for the PSU, and $145 for installation. The clincher is they won't sell you the part unless they install it (even though it's listed on their web site as a user installable part!) Some on-line stores are selling new ones for $220. I seriously don't want to shell out that much money over a $5 fan.

DeltaMac · 12-23-2004, 11:32 PM

The power for the fans comes from the power supply (well, duh!) If the system boots and performs OK, with the exception of the fans running all the time (Do the fans continue to run if you do a normal system shutdown?)
Then the problem remains inside the power supply. Take it back out and check your solder connections. You may have disturbed some connection other than the fan, or maybe reversed a connection (the PS fan should blow out, not suck - worth checking! There might even be an extra wire in the original fan connection (I haven't had one of these open, but some PS have a temp sensor wire connected to the fan.)
Or, you've accidentally ruined the PS, and now you have to 'bite the bullet' and replace the PSU... good luck!

bedouin · 12-24-2004, 12:03 AM

The fan is indeed blowing outward, though I did have it connected backwards at one point and had to fix it. When connected backwards the fan simply refuses to spin though (I tested this with a 9v battery).

The replacement fan did have an extra wire to control the speed of the fan based on the temperature, though the original fan did not have this. I didn't remove this wire, but I didn't attach it to anything either. I'm assuming the daughterboard that I soldered the power to controls the fan speed.

I'll take another look at it this weekend. While it's true I may have to buy an entirely new unit, at least I have something that functions until then. I'm hoping that nothing I did will lead to any additional problems in the future. The machine has been running or a few hours now and seems okay though.

bedouin · 12-24-2004, 11:33 AM

Well, I found a local dealer willing to sell me the PSU for a reasonable price. However if anyone has more ideas about this one, feel free to post them.

bedouin · 12-27-2004, 09:14 PM

The PSU arrived today. I replaced the old one and all is well. Still not sure what I did to hose the old one.

12-22-2004, 10:31 PM	#1
bedouin All Star Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 759	Replacing the Fan in Quicksilver PSU It looks like the fan in my QS 2002 is going south. Instead of wasting $150+ on an entirely new PSU from Apple, I'm going to attempt replacing the fan. Can anyone suggest which would be the best to buy? Has anyone else had to do this, and have some pointers? I'll probably attempt the swap this weekend.

12-22-2004, 10:44 PM	#2
trevor Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Boulder, CO USA Posts: 19,854	I tend to like the Panaflo fans. This page might be interesting to you although its not specific to the Quicksilver... http://home.centurytel.net/chunhsu/mac/noise/solutions/ Trevor __________________ How to ask questions the smart way \| Pssst. Wanna play some FuMafia?

12-23-2004, 05:41 PM	#3
warragul All Star Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 869	If you can't get the same make/model as the original you should try for as close an equivalent as you can get. Knowing the anal-retentive design style at Apple it'll be a certain number of blades with a certain pitch running at a certain RPM at a certain current draw... Ball or roller bearing fans last longer and run quieter than their sleeve bearing equivalents. __________________ warragul - The Real World is a Special Case.

12-23-2004, 10:21 PM	#5
bedouin All Star Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 759	Installed New Fan, Now Have a New Problem! Yeah, it was the PSU fan (since it wasn't spinning). I bought a fan with identical specifications as the original fan and installed it. It had a different connector however, and I had to solder the connection right to the board. Now there's a new, very frustrating problem. Whenever I plug the AC cord into the machine, the internal fans (with the exception of the PSU's fan) begin to run; the light on the motherboard also turns red. I have no idea why this is happening. I've tried resetting the PMU, the PRAM, and the NVRAM. The fans will not go off, even in sleep mode. Can anybody tell me what I screwed up, and if can be fixed? Apple wants $125 for the PSU, and $145 for installation. The clincher is they won't sell you the part unless they install it (even though it's listed on their web site as a user installable part!) Some on-line stores are selling new ones for $220. I seriously don't want to shell out that much money over a $5 fan.

12-23-2004, 09:10 PM	#4
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 8,531	Are you sure which fan is going bad? There are 3 in most QuickSilvers. the PSU, of course, and the larger case fan, and the processor fan. I have changed several very noisy processor fans, but NO PSU fans (other than with failed PSUs)

12-23-2004, 11:32 PM	#6
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 8,531	The power for the fans comes from the power supply (well, duh!) If the system boots and performs OK, with the exception of the fans running all the time (Do the fans continue to run if you do a normal system shutdown?) Then the problem remains inside the power supply. Take it back out and check your solder connections. You may have disturbed some connection other than the fan, or maybe reversed a connection (the PS fan should blow out, not suck - worth checking! There might even be an extra wire in the original fan connection (I haven't had one of these open, but some PS have a temp sensor wire connected to the fan.) Or, you've accidentally ruined the PS, and now you have to 'bite the bullet' and replace the PSU... good luck!

12-24-2004, 12:03 AM	#7
bedouin All Star Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 759	The fan is indeed blowing outward, though I did have it connected backwards at one point and had to fix it. When connected backwards the fan simply refuses to spin though (I tested this with a 9v battery). The replacement fan did have an extra wire to control the speed of the fan based on the temperature, though the original fan did not have this. I didn't remove this wire, but I didn't attach it to anything either. I'm assuming the daughterboard that I soldered the power to controls the fan speed. I'll take another look at it this weekend. While it's true I may have to buy an entirely new unit, at least I have something that functions until then. I'm hoping that nothing I did will lead to any additional problems in the future. The machine has been running or a few hours now and seems okay though.

12-24-2004, 11:33 AM	#8
bedouin All Star Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 759	Well, I found a local dealer willing to sell me the PSU for a reasonable price. However if anyone has more ideas about this one, feel free to post them.

12-27-2004, 09:14 PM	#9
bedouin All Star Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 759	The PSU arrived today. I replaced the old one and all is well. Still not sure what I did to hose the old one.