-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Hello,

On Dec 8, 2006, at 00:26, Matthew Wala wrote:

> I have been experiencing heat issues with my Mac Mini while running
> Xfree86.  What happens is that when I run X the bottom plastic part of
> the Mini becomes hot to the touch, and whenever I launch an
> application like Firefox, the fan goes on for a brief period of time.
>
> FreeBSD/powerpc has problems with the Mac Mini as well; simply running
> it will make the fan work nonstop.
>
> Is this behavior common or expected?  Can the hardware be damaged if I 
> run X?

I've seen something similar on my iBook, more or less coinciding with 
the switch to gcc4 in -current.
What you can do is:
- - check sysctl machdep.powersaving, should be set to 1, then the CPU 
will be put into power saving mode when idle and thus cool down
- - have a look at your OpenFirmware device tree - is there a node like 
/uni_n/i2c/fan ? Or is there a fan node anywhere? If so, what does the 
'compatible' property say? In -current we have support for some fan 
controllers which allow changing the temperature threshold. One problem 
is that - at least on the fan controllers I've seen so far - the 
default thresholds are pretty high, like 85C for the CPU. Lowering it 
will make the fan spin more often but also keep the unit cooler.
- - see if you can improve airflow under and around the case.
- - it might be worth having a look in the case and check if anything 
blocks air flow, like dust or whatever. If you have cats - their fur 
has an uncanny ability to get pretty much anywhere.

The hardware shouldn't get damaged merely by running X. Full CPU load 
for an extended time period might cause trouble though.

have fun
Michael
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (Darwin)

iQEVAwUBRXkDu8pnzkX8Yg2nAQJciwf/emgS0hS9FoPQt7m5xFlInCX1eIe2nh5T
JNeRtmksy+/s0BggHVYYkIO8vDf6grDvYvKcoBYG8Gsm4vBQWON0YuiN1IwELnN+
mv7iTs2KR+UMRGtUBms59qIo3C0jBBLaOsk+opx2pWP+so7PsflR1yB5h7LOYBA8
hzEmbvCzj2kkM7wpOV+vWGV5I3h8Ae00aMyh/vIrWd3zr1TXKIYXLqM0Omws5Eov
3bcX9ilDAKw0qMRKadfnjr6fgSzNXCLfMRpwiw+QWOYXM6UMssrMI2Db7FJgItyY
tZGm/0OPnef9u6xglNs+iUjVQarF5EYjohsRi2RfVClh9JUhRqCEbg==
=ysfN
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----