Checking syslog in connection with an unrelated issue, I notice today stuff like this:
Nov 15 13:01:41 bodhisattva sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip via686a-isa-6000: 2.0V: +1.69 V (min = +2.00 V, max = +2.50 V) [ALARM]
Nov 15 13:01:41 bodhisattva sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip via686a-isa-6000: 3.3V: +3.31 V (min = +4.13 V, max = +2.56 V) [ALARM]
Nov 15 13:01:41 bodhisattva sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip via686a-isa-6000: 5.0V: +5.08 V (min = +2.85 V, max = +1.76 V) [ALARM]
Nov 15 13:01:41 bodhisattva sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip via686a-isa-6000: 12V: +12.24 V (min = +15.36 V, max = +11.59 V) [ALARM]
Nov 15 13:02:41 bodhisattva sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip via686a-isa-6000: 2.0V: +1.69 V (min = +2.00 V, max = +2.50 V) [ALARM]
Nov 15 13:02:41 bodhisattva sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip via686a-isa-6000: 3.3V: +3.31 V (min = +4.13 V, max = +2.56 V) [ALARM]
Nov 15 13:02:41 bodhisattva sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip via686a-isa-6000: 5.0V: +5.13 V (min = +2.85 V, max = +1.76 V) [ALARM]
Nov 15 13:02:41 bodhisattva sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip via686a-isa-6000: 12V: +12.06 V (min = +15.36 V, max = +11.59 V) [ALARM]

Seemingly these are false alarms, and I don't understand why the max values are smaller than the min values in the first place. I just got lm_sensors working last week, under Mandrake 10.1

Does anybody have ideas for disabling just the voltage reading (or alarm) mechanism in lm_sensors? I tried commenting out all the lines under "via686a" section in the configuration file, and it made no difference.

Anybody have ideas on this? I found out since (by experimenting) that lm_sensors is IGNORING the sensors.conf file. I replaced it with a blank (0 bytes) file and got the same output from sensors.

I filed a trouble ticket on the lm_sensors site, but have not even had an acknowledgment of it so far.

Meanwhile I just disabled sensors, since I don't want all these alarms constantly flooding my log (and hard drive).