My fan on my Mac Mini runs all the time. The ambient temp on iStat reads 60 degrees C when booted, and as high as 90 degrees C after running for a couple of hours. Other temps are all in normal ranges. Could I have a loose wire, or faulty sensor causing this? My house is currently 20 degrees C.
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Mac Mini ambient air shows 191 degrees F
- Thread starter chrilyo
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Ambient air temp sensor
Can anyone provide tips on where the ambient air temp sensor might be located? Is it on the motherboard or is it something that can be replaced? Does anyone know how it works? I assume that it is trying to capture the air tempurature of the room, but mine is not doing that.
Can anyone point me in the direction of a service guide for the mac mini? Mine is out of warranty, and I don't think it is worth taking in for repair.
Can anyone provide tips on where the ambient air temp sensor might be located? Is it on the motherboard or is it something that can be replaced? Does anyone know how it works? I assume that it is trying to capture the air tempurature of the room, but mine is not doing that.
Can anyone point me in the direction of a service guide for the mac mini? Mine is out of warranty, and I don't think it is worth taking in for repair.
The ambient air temp measures the temp inside the case. it could be getting pretty hot in there. My first step would be to pop the top and make sure your vents aren't completely clogged up, cutting off proper circulation. In April 2006 I bought a core duo mini. in August I decided to upgrade the RAM. When i opened it up, i couldn't believe the amount of dust bunnies inside the case. That was after 4 months of ownership.
edit:
you can use this website to guide you through the process of opening your mini. trust me, it is a lot less difficult than i thought it would be. I was pretty intimidated before i tried it, but it is actually pretty easy.
edit:
you can use this website to guide you through the process of opening your mini. trust me, it is a lot less difficult than i thought it would be. I was pretty intimidated before i tried it, but it is actually pretty easy.
Mac mini Ambient sensor shows over 100 C
I happy owner of an Mac mini core duo 2Ghz.
I think its from 2007.
A month ago the fan speed was going up from 1000 to 5500.
Constant - always.
I open the mini in the classic way and checked it for dust or something.
to my surprise - it looks clean.
I checked all the connections of the tiny plugs - but they also looks fine.
So i decide to start the mac mini open to see again the problem.
But now everything is fine.
So i closed my little buddy and its quiet again.
I guess the one of the connections was not tight - or the sensor was squeezed by something.
Its working fine 46 C ambient temperature.
I happy owner of an Mac mini core duo 2Ghz.
I think its from 2007.
A month ago the fan speed was going up from 1000 to 5500.
Constant - always.
I open the mini in the classic way and checked it for dust or something.
to my surprise - it looks clean.
I checked all the connections of the tiny plugs - but they also looks fine.
So i decide to start the mac mini open to see again the problem.
But now everything is fine.
So i closed my little buddy and its quiet again.
I guess the one of the connections was not tight - or the sensor was squeezed by something.
Its working fine 46 C ambient temperature.
hope you got this sorted already. it's been 2 years 
but in case someone else comes across this forum like i did while trying to fix their own ambient temp problem:
I found I hadn't reconnected the temperature cable found on this page:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+Mac+mini+Model+A1176+Core+2+Duo+Processor/1178/2
once that was plugged in it would accurately measure that it wasn't 150 celcius, and lowered the fans accordingly.
but in case someone else comes across this forum like i did while trying to fix their own ambient temp problem:
I found I hadn't reconnected the temperature cable found on this page:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+Mac+mini+Model+A1176+Core+2+Duo+Processor/1178/2
once that was plugged in it would accurately measure that it wasn't 150 celcius, and lowered the fans accordingly.
hope you got this sorted already. it's been 2 years
but in case someone else comes across this forum like i did while trying to fix their own ambient temp problem:
I found I hadn't reconnected the temperature cable found on this page:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+Mac+mini+Model+A1176+Core+2+Duo+Processor/1178/2
once that was plugged in it would accurately measure that it wasn't 150 celcius, and lowered the fans accordingly.
That little plug on that model has launched at least 1000 posts. Kind of like what Helen did with her face.