Archive for the ‘macbook’ Category.

Fan control on Macbook

September 5, 2010, 4:35 pm

One thing that is not working very well on Macbooks is the fan control. On top of the machine running warmer than under OS-X, the fans don’t kick in until it’s very hot.

To remedy this, you can write a program to do this. I got a source code of existing package called cmp-daemon (http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=21391) and tailored it to my machine (The fan RPM is a linear function of CPU temperature, but you might want to change it to step function, for example).

The set-up is pretty simple. There is the source code cmp-daemon.c, and a bash script to start|stop|restart the daemon: cmp-daemon.sh (see attachments). Just follow these steps:

  1. Edit cmp-daemon.c to your liking
  2. Compile: 
    $ gcc -Wall cmp-daemon.c -o cmp-daemon
  3. Copy the compiled program: 
    # cp cmp-daemon /usr/sbin/
  4. Copy the daemon script (make sure it is executable): 
    # cp cmp-daemon.sh /etc/rc.d/cmp-daemon
  5. Start daemon: 
    # /etc/rc.d/cmp-daemon start

    or edit /etc/rc.conf:

    DAEMONS=(.. cmp-daemon ..)

Attachments:
cmp-daemon.c (Download):
cmp-daemon.sh (Download):

Category: Hardware, macbook  |  4 Comments

Arch on Macbook

September 3, 2010, 9:43 pm

I installed Arch linux on my macbook (dual boot with Snow Leopard, I dedicated 45GB to Arch with 5GB Swap).

A small hiccup so far, but things are working out so far. I still need to set up a few more things, but basic things are set up now. I think I will write up a wiki page once I am happy with everything.

Also, I found out that my macbook’s generation is Macbook4,2 (Late 2008 model) through wikipedia.

Category: macbook  |  Comment

My Current Arch Systems

August 19, 2010, 10:58 am

Here are the systems I have Arch Linux installed and running. In this blog I will be posting things that I learnt from these systems, so it would be good to introduce them.

Desktop:

HP Pavilion 505n

This is the computer that I got when I got into my university in 2003 (so seven years old now). It still runs great, and aside from graphics card and ram upgrades, nothing has been changed. I only have Arch Linux installed on it (single boot).

  • Intel Celeron 2.20 GHz
  • 512MB RAM
  • 60GB Hard Drive
  • Intel 82801DB-ICH4 Sound Card
  • NVIDIA GeForce FX5500 Graphics Card
  • Samsung 713N Monitor. 1280×1024 @ 60Hz
  • Realtek RTL 8139 Ethernet

Continue reading ‘My Current Arch Systems’ »

Category: 505n, macbook, ze5600  |  Comment