[apologies in advance for crappy pics]
The past few weeks I have spent hours trawling the internet to find a fan controller.
whilst the prospect of spending £100+ on a smart controller such as the fantastic Aquaero or Tbalancer was quite appealing, the fact that neither of them look particularly great or match anything in my current build is a bit offputting.
whilst the lure of a usb interface and smart cooling options would suit my new '6 fans only' setup, it is not ideal from an aesthetics point of view.
i went back to the idea of an analoge fan controller as it was the simplest idea.
i used to have the old plain ZALMAN ZM MFC1 Plus controller and it worked well but i noticed Ace Modder managed to get some of the Lamptron models in at work
Lamptron Fan Controllers
these are regarded as a great brand specific to fan controllers so i thought i would try one.
everyone who knows me or has read one of my build logs knows that i hate flash lights and that subtle is the key.
i went for the Lamptron FC2 - this is the cheapest in our range but only by a few pounds. the reason it is close to the next model up [the FC5] is because the FC2 sacrifices led screens and all that rubbish for raw power
the FC2 is a rheobus controller that is capable of 45w per channel
this means you can run Delta fans on it. not that i will, but the capability is there. the controller is well made and whilst it is supposed to cause some fans to hum when they are at really low speeds [from what i have read in reviews], i have only used decent fans with it so far and had no issues whatsoever.
the cool addition to this controller is that every channel can be switched off which my previous controller [ZALMAN ZM MFC1 Plus] was incapable of.
this means that i can switch off my 240 radiators fans and run my system off a 480 radiator on low speed if i want. the flexability is there which is what i wanted.
however. whilst the controller itself is a very well made piece of kit, the reason i went for this controller was for its features. i wanted to make the controller fit into my build and heres how i did it...
first i took the controller apart, this was fairly easy as i had to remove 4 screws and pull the knobs off the controller.
after removing the face plate from the controller, i prepared the bezel that i would be using for the mod. in this case, a vented bezel from lian li. the entire front of my TJ07 will soon be filled with these bezels so it will make the controller blend in really well.
i used the dremel to cut off the tabs on the side to be left with a front plate that resembled the stock one that lamptron fitted. i used the lamptron plate to create small drill holes in the bezel for each knob on the controller. i then used a larger drill bit to widen the holes. i wanted to keep the original face plate in good condition as this mod is totally reversable which means you can customise the controller then put it back to stock if you ever sell the controller on.
the lamptron controller has a row of LEDs that light up the area around each knob on the controller. LEDs are not required for me as subtle is the key, if you do this with a blank face plate then they will be covered anyway.
i found some foam that comes in the bezels of the antec 902 at work which i thought would do the trick. but i guess you could cut your own. the foam helped to bulk out the bezel to the same depth as the solid stock face plate on the controller so it is fairly required. [i can get these foam strips easily so message my trust if you need one] i poked holed through with scissors to match the bezel.
the bezels i am using have a mesh dust filter behind them so i put this inbetween the foam so that you couldnt see it through the little holes. it makes it look a little more stealth and it blends in with the other bezels that way.
after putting all three layers together then it is ready to go straight on to the controller and have the dials replaced. the pressure of the controller dials keeps the new face plate in shape.
I think it is a case of 'Mission Accomplished'
this mod took me 15 minutes, cost £25 and is fully reversable. give it a go, if you are looking for a new fan controller but are looking for something to match your case, this may be it.
[before you mention that i scratched the top left corner of the bezel, i know i did, i dropped it because i am clumsy. a new bezel has been made and it has been replaced already
]
The past few weeks I have spent hours trawling the internet to find a fan controller.
whilst the prospect of spending £100+ on a smart controller such as the fantastic Aquaero or Tbalancer was quite appealing, the fact that neither of them look particularly great or match anything in my current build is a bit offputting.
whilst the lure of a usb interface and smart cooling options would suit my new '6 fans only' setup, it is not ideal from an aesthetics point of view.
i went back to the idea of an analoge fan controller as it was the simplest idea.
i used to have the old plain ZALMAN ZM MFC1 Plus controller and it worked well but i noticed Ace Modder managed to get some of the Lamptron models in at work
Lamptron Fan Controllers
these are regarded as a great brand specific to fan controllers so i thought i would try one.
everyone who knows me or has read one of my build logs knows that i hate flash lights and that subtle is the key.
i went for the Lamptron FC2 - this is the cheapest in our range but only by a few pounds. the reason it is close to the next model up [the FC5] is because the FC2 sacrifices led screens and all that rubbish for raw power
the FC2 is a rheobus controller that is capable of 45w per channel
this means you can run Delta fans on it. not that i will, but the capability is there. the controller is well made and whilst it is supposed to cause some fans to hum when they are at really low speeds [from what i have read in reviews], i have only used decent fans with it so far and had no issues whatsoever.
the cool addition to this controller is that every channel can be switched off which my previous controller [ZALMAN ZM MFC1 Plus] was incapable of.
this means that i can switch off my 240 radiators fans and run my system off a 480 radiator on low speed if i want. the flexability is there which is what i wanted.
however. whilst the controller itself is a very well made piece of kit, the reason i went for this controller was for its features. i wanted to make the controller fit into my build and heres how i did it...
first i took the controller apart, this was fairly easy as i had to remove 4 screws and pull the knobs off the controller.
after removing the face plate from the controller, i prepared the bezel that i would be using for the mod. in this case, a vented bezel from lian li. the entire front of my TJ07 will soon be filled with these bezels so it will make the controller blend in really well.
i used the dremel to cut off the tabs on the side to be left with a front plate that resembled the stock one that lamptron fitted. i used the lamptron plate to create small drill holes in the bezel for each knob on the controller. i then used a larger drill bit to widen the holes. i wanted to keep the original face plate in good condition as this mod is totally reversable which means you can customise the controller then put it back to stock if you ever sell the controller on.
the lamptron controller has a row of LEDs that light up the area around each knob on the controller. LEDs are not required for me as subtle is the key, if you do this with a blank face plate then they will be covered anyway.
i found some foam that comes in the bezels of the antec 902 at work which i thought would do the trick. but i guess you could cut your own. the foam helped to bulk out the bezel to the same depth as the solid stock face plate on the controller so it is fairly required. [i can get these foam strips easily so message my trust if you need one] i poked holed through with scissors to match the bezel.
the bezels i am using have a mesh dust filter behind them so i put this inbetween the foam so that you couldnt see it through the little holes. it makes it look a little more stealth and it blends in with the other bezels that way.
after putting all three layers together then it is ready to go straight on to the controller and have the dials replaced. the pressure of the controller dials keeps the new face plate in shape.
I think it is a case of 'Mission Accomplished'
this mod took me 15 minutes, cost £25 and is fully reversable. give it a go, if you are looking for a new fan controller but are looking for something to match your case, this may be it.
[before you mention that i scratched the top left corner of the bezel, i know i did, i dropped it because i am clumsy. a new bezel has been made and it has been replaced already
]
