[ThinkPad E540] Thinkfan change the levels, but not the actual speed

[Drommer]

I think the problem is more with the driver than with thinkfan itself. However, maybe someone has encountered the same problem and can help.

I have set up getting the temperature from the sensors and changing the level in /proc/acpi/ibm/fan, but it has no effect on the actual speed, at any level I have speed: 0.

/etc/thinkfan.conf:

sensors:
  - hwmon: /sys/class/hwmon
    name: coretemp
    indices: [1]

  - hwmon: /sys/class/hwmon
    name: acpitz
    indices: [1]

  - nvml: 01:00.0
    optional: true

fans:
  - tpacpi: /proc/acpi/ibm/fan

levels:
  - speed: 0
    upper_limit: [50, 50, 50]

  - speed: 3
    lower_limit: [45, 45, 45]
    upper_limit: [65, 65, 65]

  - speed: 7
    lower_limit: [55, 55, 55]
    upper_limit: [75, 75, 75]

  - speed: "level full-speed"
    lower_limit: [65, 65, 65]
    upper_limit: [90, 90, 90]

systemctl status thinkfan:

thinkfan[465]: Temperatures(bias): 66(0), 67(0), 0(0) -> Fans: level 7
thinkfan[465]: Temperatures(bias): 52(0), 54(0), 0(0) -> Fans: level 3

/proc/acpi/ibm/fan

status: enabled
speed: 0
level: 3
commands: level <level> (<level> is 0-7, auto, disengaged, full-speed)

I also create the file /etc/modprobe.d/thinkpad_acpi.conf with line

options thinkpad_acpi experimental=1 fan_control=1

I use Arch Linux, thinkfan compiled from master branch. What am I doing wrong?

[Lillecarl]

as root try running this command:

echo "level 7" > /proc/acpi/ibm/fan

If your fan doesn't start going like crazy it's the kernel, if it does it's thinkfan.

[dfischer02]

What needs to be done if it is the kernel?

[Lillecarl]

@dfischer02 Make sure you're on the latest EC firmware. If that doesn't work then a bug must be filed against the kernel, and Lenovo people must bring attention to it.

You're essentially on your own 😢

[alemoh1234]

I have come across a similar problem but with an X380Y. I searched a lot for a way to control this fan in windows, but apparently there was none (only an abandoned attempt to reverse engineer the EC registers).

I then found this project for linux, but my fan does not seem to support manual control, can you corroborate that for me?
/proc/acpi/ibm/fan output:

status:         enabled
speed:          0
level:          auto

edit: well, found the answer