• Pi-FAN for RPi4 with 4 (instead of 3) cables?

    From s|b@21:1/5 to All on Mon Dec 2 21:45:53 2024
    So I bought a case called 'Unity V2' and it's supposed to be for a RPi4. There's assembly instructions on their site showing the fan should have
    3 cables (red, black and blue), but the fan has a fourth (green) cable?

    <https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/trengo/media/hc_m_W8ndrq2X1BqWddxsYFFP9hMjDnL4cj.png>

    The sticker on the fan says 'Pi-Fan model: ODS-232-3007' which should
    have 3 cables.

    My question: can I still use this fan for my RPi4? Cut the green wire or
    simply not use it?

    This is what I have: <https://i.postimg.cc/PTBW30WC/signal-2024-12-02-213434-002.jpg>

    (I contacted the shop, but they haven't replied yet. Guess they are busy
    with Black Friday and all that.)

    --
    s|b

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Theo@21:1/5 to me@privacy.invalid on Tue Dec 3 10:13:01 2024
    s|b <me@privacy.invalid> wrote:
    So I bought a case called 'Unity V2' and it's supposed to be for a RPi4. There's assembly instructions on their site showing the fan should have
    3 cables (red, black and blue), but the fan has a fourth (green) cable?

    <https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/trengo/media/hc_m_W8ndrq2X1BqWddxsYFFP9hMjDnL4cj.png>

    The sticker on the fan says 'Pi-Fan model: ODS-232-3007' which should
    have 3 cables.

    My question: can I still use this fan for my RPi4? Cut the green wire or simply not use it?

    Usually 4-wire computer fans use the 4th wire as a speed control input, to
    be driven by a PWM signal. If you don't connect the wire it'll run at full speed, which is probably what you want here. The 3rd wire is a tachometer output so the computer can sense if the fan is spinning at the correct
    speed.

    Normal PC wiring colours are:
    1. GND: black
    2. 12V: yellow
    3. Tach (sense): green
    4. PWM (control): blue

    but this is a 5V fan so it looks like they've swapped yellow (12V) for red (5V).

    I'm guessing that the blue pin is actually the speed control PWM, and the
    green is to report spin speed back to the Pi. If you don't care about that
    you don't need it.

    If you're unsure, you can just wire red and black and ignore the other two wires - the fan should spin at full speed and you won't be able to sense the spin speed, but maybe that's ok.

    Theo

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From s|b@21:1/5 to Theo on Wed Dec 4 18:46:04 2024
    On 03 Dec 2024 10:13:01 +0000 (GMT), Theo wrote:

    I'm guessing that the blue pin is actually the speed control PWM, and the green is to report spin speed back to the Pi. If you don't care about that you don't need it.

    If you're unsure, you can just wire red and black and ignore the other two wires - the fan should spin at full speed and you won't be able to sense the spin speed, but maybe that's ok.

    Tnx for the follow-up. According to the shop I could just snip the green
    wire, so I've done that. I've set it to run at 60░C and the fan's not
    turning (CPU temperature is 48░C).

    --
    s|b

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to All on Thu Dec 5 07:48:59 2024
    On 04/12/2024 17:46, s|b wrote:
    On 03 Dec 2024 10:13:01 +0000 (GMT), Theo wrote:

    I'm guessing that the blue pin is actually the speed control PWM, and the
    green is to report spin speed back to the Pi. If you don't care about that >> you don't need it.

    If you're unsure, you can just wire red and black and ignore the other two >> wires - the fan should spin at full speed and you won't be able to sense the >> spin speed, but maybe that's ok.

    Tnx for the follow-up. According to the shop I could just snip the green wire, so I've done that. I've set it to run at 60°C and the fan's not turning (CPU temperature is 48°C).


    My Pi 4B runs about that with no fan
    --
    “But what a weak barrier is truth when it stands in the way of an hypothesis!”

    Mary Wollstonecraft

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From s|b@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Fri Dec 6 15:53:19 2024
    On Thu, 5 Dec 2024 07:48:59 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    Tnx for the follow-up. According to the shop I could just snip the green wire, so I've done that. I've set it to run at 60░C and the fan's not turning (CPU temperature is 48░C).

    My Pi 4B runs about that with no fan

    That's what I'm saying: it's 48░C when the fan is not running. Software
    only allows to set a minimum temperature of 60░C before the fan starts
    running, so I unchecked the setting and now the fan is turning all the
    time. A fan with only 2 cables (red & black) should have been enough. I
    don't know if there's a way to set that minimum temperature to 40░C...

    But yes, it's not really necessary and I shouldn't have bought it. But
    it was fun setting it up. I use RPi4 for Pi-Hole and PiVPN. I've played
    a little with RetroPie, so maybe I'll give that another go, because I
    have two RPi4 now.

    I used a Pimoroni Heatsink Case for the first one I bought: <https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/aluminium-heatsink-case-for-raspberry-pi-4?variant=29430673178707>

    Temperature is around 40░C.

    The Unity V2 comes with a fan: <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/en/unity-v2-case-for-rpi-4-20096?search=unity>

    Temperature is between 30░ and 35░C. (There's a real peak when I open
    Fx.)

    --
    s|b

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to All on Sat Dec 7 11:54:48 2024
    On 06/12/2024 14:53, s|b wrote:
    On Thu, 5 Dec 2024 07:48:59 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    Tnx for the follow-up. According to the shop I could just snip the green >>> wire, so I've done that. I've set it to run at 60°C and the fan's not
    turning (CPU temperature is 48°C).

    My Pi 4B runs about that with no fan

    That's what I'm saying: it's 48°C when the fan is not running. Software
    only allows to set a minimum temperature of 60°C before the fan starts running, so I unchecked the setting and now the fan is turning all the
    time. A fan with only 2 cables (red & black) should have been enough. I
    don't know if there's a way to set that minimum temperature to 40°C...

    But yes, it's not really necessary and I shouldn't have bought it. But
    it was fun setting it up. I use RPi4 for Pi-Hole and PiVPN. I've played
    a little with RetroPie, so maybe I'll give that another go, because I
    have two RPi4 now.

    I used a Pimoroni Heatsink Case for the first one I bought: <https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/aluminium-heatsink-case-for-raspberry-pi-4?variant=29430673178707>

    Temperature is around 40°C.

    The Unity V2 comes with a fan: <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/en/unity-v2-case-for-rpi-4-20096?search=unity>

    Temperature is between 30° and 35°C. (There's a real peak when I open
    Fx.)


    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If its
    such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an
    Intel based machine is indicated.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    --
    Of what good are dead warriors? … Warriors are those who desire battle
    more than peace. Those who seek battle despite peace. Those who thump
    their spears on the ground and talk of honor. Those who leap high the
    battle dance and dream of glory … The good of dead warriors, Mother, is
    that they are dead.
    Sheri S Tepper: The Awakeners.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Pancho@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Sat Dec 7 12:31:59 2024
    On 12/7/24 11:54, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 06/12/2024 14:53, s|b wrote:
    On Thu, 5 Dec 2024 07:48:59 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    Tnx for the follow-up. According to the shop I could just snip the
    green
    wire, so I've done that. I've set it to run at 60°C and the fan's not >>>> turning (CPU temperature is 48°C).
    My Pi 4B runs about that with no fan

    That's what I'm saying: it's 48°C when the fan is not running. Software
    only allows to set a minimum temperature of 60°C before the fan starts
    running, so I unchecked the setting and now the fan is turning all the
    time. A fan with only 2 cables (red & black) should have been enough. I
    don't know if there's a way to set that minimum temperature to 40°C...

    But yes, it's not really necessary and  I shouldn't have bought it. But
    it was fun setting it up. I use RPi4 for Pi-Hole and PiVPN. I've played
    a little with RetroPie, so maybe I'll give that another go, because I
    have two RPi4 now.

    I used a Pimoroni Heatsink Case for the first one I bought:
    <https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/aluminium-heatsink-case-for-
    raspberry-pi-4?variant=29430673178707>

    Temperature is around 40°C.

    The Unity V2 comes with a fan:
    <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/en/unity-v2-case-for-rpi-4-20096?
    search=unity>

    Temperature is between 30° and 35°C. (There's a real peak when I open
    Fx.)


    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If its
    such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an
    Intel based machine is indicated.


    Heat is often about continuous utilisation, like CCTV. On my Pi4 I have
    a heavy aluminium case that serves as a heat sink, it is fine without a fan.

    On my Pi5, I use the official active cooler heat sink, which has a fan.
    But a good fan, in that it only comes on during the hottest days of summer.

    In a moment of stupidity I also bought a metal case for the Pi5 which
    messes up my USB keyboard/mouse dongle (reflection?), I haven't checked
    to see what it does to Bluetooth and WiFi.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    They do, but they normally last for years.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to Pancho on Sat Dec 7 14:50:54 2024
    On 07/12/2024 12:31, Pancho wrote:
    On 12/7/24 11:54, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 06/12/2024 14:53, s|b wrote:
    On Thu, 5 Dec 2024 07:48:59 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    Tnx for the follow-up. According to the shop I could just snip the
    green
    wire, so I've done that. I've set it to run at 60°C and the fan's not >>>>> turning (CPU temperature is 48°C).
    My Pi 4B runs about that with no fan

    That's what I'm saying: it's 48°C when the fan is not running. Software >>> only allows to set a minimum temperature of 60°C before the fan starts
    running, so I unchecked the setting and now the fan is turning all the
    time. A fan with only 2 cables (red & black) should have been enough. I
    don't know if there's a way to set that minimum temperature to 40°C...

    But yes, it's not really necessary and  I shouldn't have bought it. But >>> it was fun setting it up. I use RPi4 for Pi-Hole and PiVPN. I've played
    a little with RetroPie, so maybe I'll give that another go, because I
    have two RPi4 now.

    I used a Pimoroni Heatsink Case for the first one I bought:
    <https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/aluminium-heatsink-case-for-
    raspberry-pi-4?variant=29430673178707>

    Temperature is around 40°C.

    The Unity V2 comes with a fan:
    <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/en/unity-v2-case-for-rpi-4-20096?
    search=unity>

    Temperature is between 30° and 35°C. (There's a real peak when I open
    Fx.)


    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If
    its such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or
    an Intel based machine is indicated.


    Heat is often about continuous utilisation, like CCTV. On my Pi4 I have
    a heavy aluminium case that serves as a heat sink, it is fine without a
    fan.

    On my Pi5, I use the official active cooler heat sink, which has a fan.
    But a good fan, in that it only comes on during the hottest days of summer.

    In a moment of stupidity I also bought a metal case for the Pi5 which
    messes up my USB keyboard/mouse dongle (reflection?), I haven't checked
    to see what it does to Bluetooth and WiFi.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    They do, but they normally last for years.


    Not IME

    Repaired several computers with failed fans. If you were lucky the fan
    itself just needed replacing, If you were unlucky it took the processor
    with it.

    The trouble is the environment in which they run. In a clean machine
    room, OK. In an office full of people some of whom must have had pets
    and some of whom smoked, it could be a very common failure...


    --
    There’s a mighty big difference between good, sound reasons and reasons
    that sound good.

    Burton Hillis (William Vaughn, American columnist)

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From s|b@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Sat Dec 7 17:06:56 2024
    On Sat, 7 Dec 2024 11:54:48 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If its
    such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an
    Intel based machine is indicated.

    I know I don't really need it, but some people claim it's better to have
    the CPU at (for instance) 35░C than 48░C. It can't hurt, can it?

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    Well, if this one fails I won't be in trouble, because it does fine
    without it. ;-)

    --
    s|b

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to All on Sat Dec 7 16:43:17 2024
    On 07/12/2024 16:06, s|b wrote:
    On Sat, 7 Dec 2024 11:54:48 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If its
    such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an
    Intel based machine is indicated.

    I know I don't really need it, but some people claim it's better to have
    the CPU at (for instance) 35°C than 48°C. It can't hurt, can it?


    I think it will probably extend the chip lifetime from about 150 years
    to a couple of thousand.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    Well, if this one fails I won't be in trouble, because it does fine
    without it. ;-)

    Well that's true!
    --
    "The great thing about Glasgow is that if there's a nuclear attack it'll
    look exactly the same afterwards."

    Billy Connolly

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From s|b@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Sat Dec 7 19:02:24 2024
    On Sat, 7 Dec 2024 16:43:17 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    I know I don't really need it, but some people claim it's better to have the CPU at (for instance) 35░C than 48░C. It can't hurt, can it?

    I think it will probably extend the chip lifetime from about 150 years
    to a couple of thousand.

    hσhσ

    Point well taken.

    --
    s|b

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Pancho@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Sun Dec 8 10:15:09 2024
    On 12/7/24 14:50, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 07/12/2024 12:31, Pancho wrote:
    On 12/7/24 11:54, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 06/12/2024 14:53, s|b wrote:
    On Thu, 5 Dec 2024 07:48:59 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

    Tnx for the follow-up. According to the shop I could just snip the >>>>>> green
    wire, so I've done that. I've set it to run at 60°C and the fan's not >>>>>> turning (CPU temperature is 48°C).
    My Pi 4B runs about that with no fan

    That's what I'm saying: it's 48°C when the fan is not running. Software >>>> only allows to set a minimum temperature of 60°C before the fan starts >>>> running, so I unchecked the setting and now the fan is turning all the >>>> time. A fan with only 2 cables (red & black) should have been enough. I >>>> don't know if there's a way to set that minimum temperature to 40°C... >>>>
    But yes, it's not really necessary and  I shouldn't have bought it. But >>>> it was fun setting it up. I use RPi4 for Pi-Hole and PiVPN. I've played >>>> a little with RetroPie, so maybe I'll give that another go, because I
    have two RPi4 now.

    I used a Pimoroni Heatsink Case for the first one I bought:
    <https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/aluminium-heatsink-case-for-
    raspberry-pi-4?variant=29430673178707>

    Temperature is around 40°C.

    The Unity V2 comes with a fan:
    <https://www.kiwi-electronics.com/en/unity-v2-case-for-rpi-4-20096?
    search=unity>

    Temperature is between 30° and 35°C. (There's a real peak when I open >>>> Fx.)


    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If
    its such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or
    an Intel based machine is indicated.


    Heat is often about continuous utilisation, like CCTV. On my Pi4 I have
    a heavy aluminium case that serves as a heat sink, it is fine without
    a fan.

    On my Pi5, I use the official active cooler heat sink, which has a
    fan. But a good fan, in that it only comes on during the hottest days
    of summer.

    In a moment of stupidity I also bought a metal case for the Pi5 which
    messes up my USB keyboard/mouse dongle (reflection?), I haven't
    checked to see what it does to Bluetooth and WiFi.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    They do, but they normally last for years.


    Not IME

    Repaired several computers with failed fans. If you were lucky the fan
    itself just needed replacing, If you were unlucky it took the processor
    with it.

    The trouble is the environment in which they run. In a clean machine
    room, OK. In an office full of people some of whom must have had pets
    and some of whom smoked, it could be  a very common failure...


    Does your experience come from this millennium?

    I remember that type of thing happening, but it was a long time ago.
    Modern fans are good, I have CPU fans still running after 10 + years.
    Stunning reliability.

    Plus, CPUs shut down without a running fan, and have thermal shutdown too.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to Pancho on Sun Dec 8 12:06:23 2024
    On 08/12/2024 10:15, Pancho wrote:
    On 12/7/24 14:50, The Natural Philosopher wrote:


    The trouble is the environment in which they run. In a clean machine
    room, OK. In an office full of people some of whom must have had pets
    and some of whom smoked, it could be  a very common failure...


    Does your experience come from this millennium?

    Admittedly no, 1990s

    I remember that type of thing happening, but it was a long time ago.
    Modern fans are good, I have CPU fans still running after 10 + years. Stunning reliability.

    Plus, CPUs shut down without a running fan, and have thermal shutdown too.


    They didnt use to!


    --
    Labour - a bunch of rich people convincing poor people to vote for rich
    people by telling poor people that "other" rich people are the reason
    they are poor.

    Peter Thompson

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From David Higton@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Sun Dec 8 19:50:40 2024
    In message <vj1d28$31v9g$12@dont-email.me>
    The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If its
    such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an
    Intel based machine is indicated.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    PC fans run pretty much all the time. A fan on a RasPi is likely to
    run less of the time, and could well last longer overall.

    Fans fail. Disc drives fail. SSDs fail. Batteries fail. Reservoir capacitors fail. But before they do, they are very useful.

    David

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From druck@21:1/5 to David Higton on Mon Dec 9 00:09:01 2024
    On 08/12/2024 19:50, David Higton wrote:
    In message <vj1d28$31v9g$12@dont-email.me>
    The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If its
    such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an
    Intel based machine is indicated.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    PC fans run pretty much all the time. A fan on a RasPi is likely to
    run less of the time, and could well last longer overall.

    Fans which are spun up and down frequently tend not to last as long as
    one which are on all the time.

    However, quality has a much bigger impact, and a well made PWM fan
    designed for variable speed will last far longer than a normal cheap fan
    which is being switched on and off.

    ---druck

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to David Higton on Mon Dec 9 10:50:29 2024
    On 08/12/2024 19:50, David Higton wrote:
    In message <vj1d28$31v9g$12@dont-email.me>
    The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If its
    such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an
    Intel based machine is indicated.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    PC fans run pretty much all the time. A fan on a RasPi is likely to
    run less of the time, and could well last longer overall.

    Fans fail. Disc drives fail. SSDs fail. Batteries fail. Reservoir capacitors fail. But before they do, they are very useful.


    Such an ArtStudent™ view of life.

    Do you know what MTBF means?


    David

    --
    Microsoft : the best reason to go to Linux that ever existed.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Pancho@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Mon Dec 9 12:28:41 2024
    On 12/9/24 10:50, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 08/12/2024 19:50, David Higton wrote:
    In message <vj1d28$31v9g$12@dont-email.me>
               The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If its >>> such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an
    Intel based machine is indicated.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    PC fans run pretty much all the time.  A fan on a RasPi is likely to
    run less of the time, and could well last longer overall.

    Fans fail.  Disc drives fail.  SSDs fail.  Batteries fail.  Reservoir
    capacitors fail.  But before they do, they are very useful.


    Such an ArtStudent™ view of life.

    Do you know what MTBF means?


    I was surprised you'd use MTBF for a component which is expected to
    steadily deteriorate due to wear and tear.

    I though MTBF was more a random failure thing.

    For some relatively reliable components, such as people, you initially
    see a relatively low failure rate, but come 80 or 90 years they start
    dropping like flies, due to wear and tear.

    For some things like atomic an atomic nucleus, the failure does seem
    random, so MTBF seems applicable.

    I don't know which it is for PC fans, but would assume it is more wear
    and tear than random.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to Pancho on Mon Dec 9 13:11:34 2024
    On 09/12/2024 12:28, Pancho wrote:
    On 12/9/24 10:50, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 08/12/2024 19:50, David Higton wrote:
    In message <vj1d28$31v9g$12@dont-email.me>
               The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote: >>>
    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If
    its
    such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an
    Intel based machine is indicated.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    PC fans run pretty much all the time.  A fan on a RasPi is likely to
    run less of the time, and could well last longer overall.

    Fans fail.  Disc drives fail.  SSDs fail.  Batteries fail.  Reservoir >>> capacitors fail.  But before they do, they are very useful.


    Such an ArtStudent™ view of life.

    Do you know what MTBF means?


    I was surprised you'd use MTBF for a component which is expected to
    steadily deteriorate due to wear and tear.

    I though MTBF was more a random failure thing.

    No it isnt that at all.


    For some relatively reliable components, such as people, you initially
    see a relatively low failure rate, but come 80 or 90 years they start dropping like flies, due to wear and tear.

    Yup. MTBF of peole is about 70 years.


    For some things like atomic an atomic nucleus, the failure does seem
    random, so MTBF seems applicable.

    Never used.

    I don't know which it is for PC fans, but would assume it is more wear
    and tear than random.

    In general fans fail for one reason only. Bearing failure. The cheapos
    use phosphor bronze plain bushes and these dry out and seize up, wear
    out and get noisy and start slowing down or get clogged with people's
    cruft.

    You can go for sealed ball races if you like, as in hard drives, but
    the price goes up.

    In terms of drying out, its time elapsed, not time spent running. Same
    for cruft. Only bearing wear is time dependent.

    None of these are random., All if them are however dependent on
    conditions and maintenance

    MTBF is an attempt to get a handle on how long a collection of parts
    should stay operational given the spreads of failures in a spread of
    conditions of the individual parts

    There will always be variations in conditions and manufacturing quality

    My experience of cheap fans is that 5 years was about the MTBF.


    --
    For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and
    wrong.

    H.L.Mencken

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Michael Schwingen@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Mon Dec 9 13:47:52 2024
    On 2024-12-09, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
    I was surprised you'd use MTBF for a component which is expected to
    steadily deteriorate due to wear and tear.

    I though MTBF was more a random failure thing.

    No it isnt that at all.

    MTBF is a measure for the rate of failures *during normal lifetime* - ie.

    1 / failure rate

    It is *not* the lifetime of a component. MTBF is a measure for failures
    during the flat part of the bathtub curve. Failures due to end of lifetime (like normal, not-premature wearout on a fan) are not part of MTBF.

    https://www.vitecpower.com/technische-daten/the-difference-between-mtbf-and-lifetime/
    https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/why-l10-life-expectancy-is-key-for-fan-durability-over-mtbf-ratings
    https://www.digi.com/support/knowledge-base/understanding-mtbf-mean-time-between-failures

    cu
    Michael
    --
    Some people have no respect of age unless it is bottled.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to Michael Schwingen on Mon Dec 9 15:51:51 2024
    On 09/12/2024 13:47, Michael Schwingen wrote:
    On 2024-12-09, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
    I was surprised you'd use MTBF for a component which is expected to
    steadily deteriorate due to wear and tear.

    I though MTBF was more a random failure thing.

    No it isnt that at all.

    MTBF is a measure for the rate of failures *during normal lifetime* - ie.

    1 / failure rate

    It is *not* the lifetime of a component. MTBF is a measure for failures during the flat part of the bathtub curve. Failures due to end of lifetime (like normal, not-premature wearout on a fan) are not part of MTBF.

    Well yes and no. There is no guarantee that the failures will be
    (economically) repairable.
    MTBF is a stochastic emergent property of a bunch of items all of which
    have a lifetime.

    A fan has items inside it, like its bearings.


    https://www.vitecpower.com/technische-daten/the-difference-between-mtbf-and-lifetime/

    "According to the information provided earlier, the primary distinction
    lies in one encompassing the failure rate of all components, while the
    other exclusively focuses on the lifespan of electrolytic capacitors."


    https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/why-l10-life-expectancy-is-key-for-fan-durability-over-mtbf-ratings

    This is full of bullshit

    "MTBF estimates the lifespan of a fan’s electronic components, expressed
    in millions of hours. In contrast, L10 Service Life, measured in
    thousands of hours, is based on the durability of the bearings and
    lubrication grease."

    So a fan with no electronic components has no MTBF?



    https://www.digi.com/support/knowledge-base/understanding-mtbf-mean-time-between-failures



    "Furthermore, MTBF specifically excludes wear-out factors"


    Total crap.

    "Mean time between failures (MTBF) describes the expected time between
    two failures for a repairable system. For example, three identical
    systems starting to function properly at time 0 are working until all of
    them fail. The first system fails after 100 hours, the second after 120
    hours and the third after 130 hours. The MTBF of the systems is the
    average of the three failure times, which is 116.667 hours. If the
    systems were non-repairable, then their MTTF would be 116.667 hours."

    "In general, MTBF is the "up-time" between two failure states of a
    repairable system during operation "

    It is an academic nicety to make a distinction between repairable and irreparable subsystems.

    In a Triggers broom sort of way a replacement is simply a repair of all components

    I could for example clean the cruft out of a seized fan Or oil its
    bearings. Or completely replace it.

    What matters is how long the repair or the new fan will last. Not
    splitting hairs over MTTF versus MTBF


    --
    Gun Control: The law that ensures that only criminals have guns.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From The Natural Philosopher@21:1/5 to David Higton on Mon Dec 9 17:37:34 2024
    On 09/12/2024 17:27, David Higton wrote:
    In message <vj6i1l$c6u2$4@dont-email.me>
    The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    On 08/12/2024 19:50, David Higton wrote:
    In message <vj1d28$31v9g$12@dont-email.me>
    The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If
    its such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an >>>> Intel based machine is indicated.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    PC fans run pretty much all the time. A fan on a RasPi is likely to run >>> less of the time, and could well last longer overall.

    Fans fail. Disc drives fail. SSDs fail. Batteries fail. Reservoir
    capacitors fail. But before they do, they are very useful.


    Such an ArtStudent™ view of life.

    Do you know what MTBF means?

    Yes. Something I don't understand, though, is why so many people use
    the term MTBF when the appropriate one would be MTTF, since so few of
    the things referred to are repaired.

    That phrase was not used when I studied electronics.

    Mind you, then everything was repairable.

    I think its pretty academic when you are talking about consumer shit

    It has to be expensive to be worth repairing.

    I messed up a pi Pico I thought about spending hours fixing it and
    spent a minute ordering a new one and threw the old one in the bin

    When I was managing servers no one cared what went wrong, only that it
    had. Whether it was something we could fix - like putting in a new hard
    drive, Ram SIMM or a fan - or something we wouldn't bother with - like a
    new motherboard

    IN operational terms the lifetime of the fan IS the mean tine between
    failures of the computer if its the thing that goes the most often.
    And in many cases it was - fans, hard drives and RAM chips.

    All were a bit likely to develop issues in under 5 year timescales

    These definitions are academic.

    The MTBF <= the shortest MTTF in the component list...


    --
    “It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established
    authorities are wrong.”

    ― Voltaire, The Age of Louis XIV

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From David Higton@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Mon Dec 9 17:27:19 2024
    In message <vj6i1l$c6u2$4@dont-email.me>
    The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    On 08/12/2024 19:50, David Higton wrote:
    In message <vj1d28$31v9g$12@dont-email.me>
    The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all. If
    its such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an Intel based machine is indicated.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    PC fans run pretty much all the time. A fan on a RasPi is likely to run less of the time, and could well last longer overall.

    Fans fail. Disc drives fail. SSDs fail. Batteries fail. Reservoir capacitors fail. But before they do, they are very useful.


    Such an ArtStudent™ view of life.

    Do you know what MTBF means?

    Yes. Something I don't understand, though, is why so many people use
    the term MTBF when the appropriate one would be MTTF, since so few of
    the things referred to are repaired.

    David

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Michael Schwingen@21:1/5 to David Higton on Tue Dec 10 19:35:06 2024
    On 2024-12-09, David Higton <dave@davehigton.me.uk> wrote:
    Do you know what MTBF means?

    Yes. Something I don't understand, though, is why so many people use
    the term MTBF when the appropriate one would be MTTF, since so few of
    the things referred to are repaired.

    It does not really matter if you repair or replace - what is important is
    that a technician needs to drive to the installed equipment to get it going again, and MTBF helps calculating how often that will be necessary during normal operation.

    That assumes that properly repaired equipment is as reliable as comparable, non-failed equipment of the same age, otherwise, the numbers will be skewed.

    cu
    Michael
    --
    Some people have no respect of age unless it is bottled.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Michael Schwingen@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Tue Dec 10 19:30:23 2024
    On 2024-12-09, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
    https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/why-l10-life-expectancy-is-key-for-fan-durability-over-mtbf-ratings

    This is full of bullshit

    "MTBF estimates the lifespan of a fan’s electronic components, expressed
    in millions of hours. In contrast, L10 Service Life, measured in
    thousands of hours, is based on the durability of the bearings and lubrication grease."

    So a fan with no electronic components has no MTBF?

    remove "electronic" and it makes sense.

    https://www.digi.com/support/knowledge-base/understanding-mtbf-mean-time-between-failures



    "Furthermore, MTBF specifically excludes wear-out factors"


    Total crap.

    No. Again, MTBF characterizes failures during normal service life.

    Take a fan which usually fails after 5 years of operation due to wearout,
    which happens on all of those fans after about the same amount of time -
    those 5 years are *not* parts of the MTBF. MTBF characterizes the
    statistical mean time between failures *during* those 5 years due to *other* reasons.

    So you can have a MTBF of 50 years, and a lifetime of 5 years. If you take
    100 of those fans, you can expect 2 failures per year - but after 5 years,
    the failure rate will rise rapidly to reach 100%.

    What matters is how long the repair or the new fan will last. Not
    splitting hairs over MTTF versus MTBF

    The important thing is to keep MTBF and lifetime separate - both will lead
    to failures, but are separate mechanisms.

    cu
    Michael
    --
    Some people have no respect of age unless it is bottled.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Pancho@21:1/5 to Michael Schwingen on Tue Dec 10 22:14:42 2024
    On 12/9/24 13:47, Michael Schwingen wrote:
    On 2024-12-09, The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:
    I was surprised you'd use MTBF for a component which is expected to
    steadily deteriorate due to wear and tear.

    I though MTBF was more a random failure thing.

    No it isnt that at all.

    MTBF is a measure for the rate of failures *during normal lifetime* - ie.

    1 / failure rate

    It is *not* the lifetime of a component. MTBF is a measure for failures during the flat part of the bathtub curve. Failures due to end of lifetime (like normal, not-premature wearout on a fan) are not part of MTBF.


    Thanks Michael, very instructive. That clears up my misunderstanding. So
    MTBF is a random type, rather than a wear type thing. You just have to
    assume bits are replaced before they get old.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Pancho@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Tue Dec 10 22:36:16 2024
    On 12/9/24 13:11, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 09/12/2024 12:28, Pancho wrote:
    On 12/9/24 10:50, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 08/12/2024 19:50, David Higton wrote:
    In message <vj1d28$31v9g$12@dont-email.me>
               The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote: >>>>
    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all.
    If its
    such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an
    Intel based machine is indicated.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    PC fans run pretty much all the time.  A fan on a RasPi is likely to
    run less of the time, and could well last longer overall.

    Fans fail.  Disc drives fail.  SSDs fail.  Batteries fail.  Reservoir >>>> capacitors fail.  But before they do, they are very useful.


    Such an ArtStudent™ view of life.

    Do you know what MTBF means?


    I was surprised you'd use MTBF for a component which is expected to
    steadily deteriorate due to wear and tear.

    I though MTBF was more a random failure thing.

    No it isnt that at all.



    For some relatively reliable components, such as people, you initially
    see a relatively low failure rate, but come 80 or 90 years they start
    dropping like flies, due to wear and tear.

    Yup. MTBF of peole is about 70 years.


    I read MTBF for people is about 700 years.



    For some things like atomic an atomic nucleus, the failure does seem
    random, so MTBF seems applicable.

    Never used.


    Well yes and no,


    Given f = failure rate (e.g probability of nuclear decay)

    half life = ln(2)/f.
    MTBF = 1/f.

    Therefore:

    half life = ln(2) * MTBF = ~0.69 * MTBF

    essentially they are the same, apart from the 0.69 conversion factor.

    I don't know which it is for PC fans, but would assume it is more wear
    and tear than random.

    In general fans fail for one reason only. Bearing failure.  The cheapos
    use phosphor bronze plain bushes and these dry out and seize up, wear
    out and get noisy and start slowing down  or get clogged with people's cruft.

    You can go for sealed ball races if you like, as in hard drives,  but
    the price goes up.

    In terms of drying out, its time elapsed, not time spent running. Same
    for cruft. Only bearing wear is time dependent.

    None of these are random., All if them are however dependent on
    conditions and maintenance


    For a stingy old man like me, yes. I wait till things break. So MTBF is
    not particularly useful. I want long average life, not reliability until
    they get old.

    MTBF is an attempt to get a handle on how long a collection of parts
    should stay operational given the spreads of failures in a spread of conditions  of the individual parts

    There will always be variations in conditions and manufacturing quality


    MTBF is the type of metric used by someone who will replace bits before
    they get old.

    If I were managing a data centre and I knew human intervention was very
    costly (I suspect it is), I might have a policy of replacing parts
    before the failure rate became high due to old age.

    I know the companies I worked for hated investigating failure, or fixing
    stuff. They much preferred replacement. Essentially components were
    cheap, human intervention was not.

    Obviously if the equipment is expensive, or you have cheap slave labour,
    the equation may change.


    My experience of cheap fans is that 5 years was about the MTBF.



    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Pancho@21:1/5 to The Natural Philosopher on Tue Dec 10 22:37:31 2024
    On 12/9/24 13:11, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 09/12/2024 12:28, Pancho wrote:
    On 12/9/24 10:50, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
    On 08/12/2024 19:50, David Higton wrote:
    In message <vj1d28$31v9g$12@dont-email.me>
               The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote: >>>>
    It's an interesting thought as to why one would use a fan at all.
    If its
    such a high compute task that you need one, maybe a bigger Pi or an
    Intel based machine is indicated.

    I dislike fans. They fail.

    PC fans run pretty much all the time.  A fan on a RasPi is likely to
    run less of the time, and could well last longer overall.

    Fans fail.  Disc drives fail.  SSDs fail.  Batteries fail.  Reservoir >>>> capacitors fail.  But before they do, they are very useful.


    Such an ArtStudent™ view of life.

    Do you know what MTBF means?


    I was surprised you'd use MTBF for a component which is expected to
    steadily deteriorate due to wear and tear.

    I though MTBF was more a random failure thing.

    No it isnt that at all.



    For some relatively reliable components, such as people, you initially
    see a relatively low failure rate, but come 80 or 90 years they start
    dropping like flies, due to wear and tear.

    Yup. MTBF of peole is about 70 years.


    I read MTBF for people is about 700 years.



    For some things like atomic an atomic nucleus, the failure does seem
    random, so MTBF seems applicable.

    Never used.


    Well yes and no,


    Given f = failure rate (e.g probability of nuclear decay)

    half life = ln(2)/f.
    MTBF = 1/f.

    Therefore:

    half life = ln(2) * MTBF = ~0.69 * MTBF

    essentially they are the same, apart from the 0.69 conversion factor.

    I don't know which it is for PC fans, but would assume it is more wear
    and tear than random.

    In general fans fail for one reason only. Bearing failure.  The cheapos
    use phosphor bronze plain bushes and these dry out and seize up, wear
    out and get noisy and start slowing down  or get clogged with people's cruft.

    You can go for sealed ball races if you like, as in hard drives,  but
    the price goes up.

    In terms of drying out, its time elapsed, not time spent running. Same
    for cruft. Only bearing wear is time dependent.

    None of these are random., All if them are however dependent on
    conditions and maintenance


    For a stingy old man like me, yes. I wait till things break. So MTBF is
    not particularly useful. I want long average life, not reliability until
    they get old.

    MTBF is an attempt to get a handle on how long a collection of parts
    should stay operational given the spreads of failures in a spread of conditions  of the individual parts

    There will always be variations in conditions and manufacturing quality


    MTBF is the type of metric used by someone who will replace bits before
    they get old.

    If I were managing a data centre and I knew human intervention was very
    costly (I suspect it is), I might have a policy of replacing parts
    before the failure rate became high due to old age.

    I know the companies I worked for hated investigating failure, or fixing
    stuff. They much preferred replacement. Essentially components were
    cheap, human intervention was not.

    Obviously if the equipment is expensive, or you have cheap slave labour,
    the equation may change.


    My experience of cheap fans is that 5 years was about the MTBF.



    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)