This time around we’ll be checking out the new 4-fan Sunbeam Rheobus sent to us by our friends at Lux-Design. For those of you not familiar with fan-speed controllers, a rheobus is a device that you fit into a 5.25″ drive bay which has knobs and some way to connect your fans to it. You then can adjust the speed (and thus the volume) of the fans just by turning the knobs. This particular model is pretty sweet. Here are some of the specs:
- Power: 20 watts
- Anodized aluminum knobs
- High quality rheostats
- Extra large heatsinks
- Printed circuit board reduce wiring mess
- Drilling template ensures proper installation
- Comprehensive instruction
- Socketed Superbright LEDs; Bi-color: Blue & Red
- Change color at 7 volts
- Turn off LED
- Drilled aluminum 5.25″ bay
The one I received was the black aluminum drive bay cover with the black buttons. There is also a brushed aluminum model available. Of course you could always mount the unit in your own 5.25″ drive bay, which is what I would recommend doing if you have a plain old beige case, or something that might not look so good with black or silver. Lets take a look at the box:
The box is adequate for the item. Everything is marked out well, and it has some flash to it to help it stand out from the crowd, so to speak.
As you can see, it also comes with full color directions so you don’t get all confused. The following is a list of the contents of the box:
- The unit itself
- Small bag of screws
- Instruction guide
- Molex extension cable
The Molex extension cable is provided so that if you have a large case or if you wish to mount the unit somewhere besides the front drive bay. It also helps if you want to add more fans without disconnecting everything, as you can just pull the unit out the front of the case to work with it. The instructions are pretty short, but since this product is so simple there really isn’t any need for more in-depth directions. Here are some pictures of the unit itself, as you can see it looks really nice. The faceplate is made of anodized black aluminum, as are the knobs:
Installation for the rheobus was really easy. All you really do is plug your fans into the unit, plug the Molex connector in, and screw it into a free drive bay. Now this unit uses only fans with bare wire leads, so if you wanna use it with most case fans you’re going to have to cut some wires. This seems to be the best way to really do it though, at least compared with other rheobuses which use 3-pin fan headers and the like, since this is most compatible and, since the wires don’t need connectors, you can lengthen them to your hearts content. Here we can see the fan connectors:
As you can see my computer case uses drive rails instead of screwing the drives directly into the case. This actually worked out really well for this rheobus, since I could just pull it out whenever I needed to add an additional fan. Also, as a side note, this unit has 20 watts of power, which should allow you to control more than one fan with each knob.
All in all, installation was a snap. The only problem that I had with the unit in the installation process was the screw-down terminals. I would have liked to see the spring type wire connecting terminals, since the screws required you to have a really small, flathead screwdriver available, and you gotta get in there and get it just right. With spring terminals I think the work could be minimized, since you could just pop the wires in and be good to go.
One of the neat features with this unit is that it has dual-colored LEDs. When each knob is turned off, the light is off. When the power being fed to the fan is ~7 volts and below, the light is bright red. Above 7V the light exudes a bright blue, which matches really well with any case, and is a lot nicer looking than some of the red/green units available out there. Let me warn you that these LEDs are really bright, so don’t try to sleep in the same room while this thing is on (unless light doesn’t bother you ^_^). You can see just what I mean in these pictures:
As you can see, the colors are really nice. As to its performance? Well, since we can’t really benchmark the unit, I really have to go with my personal take on the subject. I hooked up 4 80mm case fans to the unit, one on each channel. When turned all the way up they were as loud as you would expect, which is good since it means we aren’t losing any power to the fans (ie they are running close to their standard 12v).
At around 7v, or where the light changed from blue to red, there was a definite reduction in noise from the computer, which is really nice to have. The only problem I could find with the unit is that as I began to get lower on the voltage scale the fans would just stop completely, even when the unit was still on. Now I highly doubt that this is the fault of the unit, as it is more likely that the fans just don’t have enough juice to get up and move at the lower voltage settings.
The need for a rheobus is a personal one, although I think that it is a very good investment. It allows you to turn up the cooling power when doing cpu/hard drive/video intensive tasks, such as playing video games or stress testing components, and also allows you to turn down the volume for times when you really don’t need massive cooling (ie sitting at the computer typing a review or reading the forums).
I really like to have this ability handy, and its really nice that it’s also such an attractive piece of equipment. For me, the ability to turn my fans off when I go to bed is a lifesaver, since I can download files all night and not be irritated by the noise of the higher output fans.
I also need to mention how slick this looks with my black case. It matches the color really well. They also have a regular brushed aluminum unit for those of you with Lian-Lis and the like. Like I said before, you can always mount the knobs in your own 5.25″ faceplate so the unit will look more stock and match your style better, so it’s completely up to you. This is easy to do as well, since you are provided with the template to help you drill the necessary holes so that it will look more professional.
All in all I really like this unit. The combination of looks, ease of use, and functionality blend into an indispensable piece of equipment that everyone who is serious about computers should have (or at least desire ^_^).
Although it is a little pricey ($70 Canadian, which is about $45 US), I feel it is well worth the money if this is something that would be useful to you. I never really thought that something like this would be all that great, but now that I have it I don’t know how I would go about doing daily business without the capability to turn off my fans at will (or turn them on).
Instead of a jet engine in my room I can now just have peace and quiet. The product is high quality construction, using printed circuit boards so there’s really no wire mess. Just plug in the fans, plug in the Molex connector, and jam it in a free drive bay, and you’re ready to go.
The only problem I had with this is the fact that you do have to cut the connectors off your fans to use the unit, and also I probably would have preferred spring terminals instead of the screw-down terminals which this unit implements. I am giving this product a 9.5/10 and awarding it with the OCmodshop Seal of Approval.
I would like to take a chance to thank Lux-Design for sending this product into the ‘Shop to be tested.
Pros
- Cool superbrite LEDs
- Relatively easy to install
- Bare wire connectors
- Does everything as advertised
- Quality design
Cons
- Fans won’t spin at lower voltages
- Screw-down connectors are a hassle
- A bit pricey ($70 CDN, $45 US)