Powerbook G4 noisy fan spoils mixing

[jazzbutcher]

Does anyone know how to get the fan in a G4 TiBook to stay off more often (short of cutting a wire and frying your Powerbook!)????

I am finding that as I spend more time mixing with this machine, I absolutely can *not* stand listening to tracks with this fan running.

I've tried propping it up on blocks, I've tried angling it with the back up higher than the front. I've even tried setting it on lots of stacks of quarters (as a forest of heatsinks!!)...but to no avail.

Is there a good solution to this problem? A magic product that will fix this? A giant fan? A bucket of freon?

Help! Any advice appreciated.

thanks,
-dave

[elninojesus]

I would be very afraid to mess with the fan in my TiBook. It burns my legs as it is. That G4 isnt exactly a moble processor, cutting the cooling even for a little bit would make me nervous. Mines never bothered me though, my firewire harddrive drowns it out.


Mark

[PlugHead]

FWIW,

This is the one reason I can't see getting another laptop for critical recording: they are way too loud. Sometimes I have to consider whether this is a better option than the DA-P1 I used to use, but having immediate access to editing etc., is far too tempting than going back to linear recording. Luckily, it's still chilly outside here, so on remotes I stick it outdoors (with a long USB cable attached) and long headphones and go from there. When I can't get away with that, it's live with the fan, and hope it doesn't kick in till after the take ends, which is rare...grudge

[mantovibe]

The iBook is less noisy, practically silent.

[K.C.]

I edit and mix with my 17" aluminum Powerbook all the time and the fan never comes on. They solved the noisy fan issue in the redesign after the Ti.

[jazzbutcher]

Arrrrghhhhh......I've got the 17" TiBook.... Now I wish I had the Aluminum version...

Any suggestions for how to cool this thing down safely??? Some kind of special mount to help distribute the heat or something?


thanks,

-dave

[elninojesus]

Ahh, thats why mine doesnt bother me. I've got the 1.25ghz 15" superdrive and its pretty much silent. Now's a great time to buy a new one, they just got upgraded to 1.5ghz!



Mark

[Nathanael]

I don't really have problems with my Ti800.... Here's a tip - pop the keyboard up and let it lie slanted across the top. This lets out a major amount of heat. The fan is temperature sensitive, and spins faster the hotter it is inside the machine. That and buy one of the powerbook stands for $20. A lot of heat radiates from the bottom as well. Keep the machine a little cooler, and you'll be rewarded with almost no noise.

[thickglasses]

I'm using a powerbook 12" 1.5 (the last model they made before the big intel switch) and I have the same problem with a noisy fan. I think I'm going to try a laptop cooler. However the fans in those will probably be as noisy as the one in the computer. It might extend the life the computer though. Anyone use a G5 iMac? I wouldn't mind having a 20" version of that to record. :)

[johnecon2001]

Some of the early G5 iMacs are just as noisy as most Powerbooks.