BitFenix Recon fan controller or......

Abereda

Abereda

Abereda

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Hi guys Im about to order parts for my first PC build and was planning to get the BitFenix Recon fan controller but after doing some reasearch & reading a few reviews ive bin put off the product. I planned to get it puerly for the ability to glance over at the PC and & the temps, (I would probably have left it on Auto all the time, so having the control part wasnt a big deal for me, and the internet/phone control didnt intrest me in the slightest) setting it up also looked fustrating. I simply wanted something that would look good on the case and allow me to see the temps, is there anything someone would reccomend for this instead of the BitFenix Recon fan controller?

(I plan to order today)

Thx4YourTime
 
Depending on where you place your PC (Is it under the desk?) then some chair gymnastics maybe required. If you don't want to go through that then there is an alternative, albeit more expensive (currently out of stock but expected within 7days) in the form of the NZXT LXE External fan controller

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BB-000-NX&tool=3

I too was looking at the Recon but too many niggles were reported that would bug the hell out of me despite it being a cheap controller.

Review for the NZXT LXE:

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/nzxt_sentry_2_lxe_fan_controller_review/1
 
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I currently use the RECON and I would not change it for anything else, it was a snitch to install and I leave it on Auto.

I placed the sensors around my case and connected the fans up, only 1 issue is that the controller slows one of the fans a little too much and sets of the alarm, the controller soon ramps the fan up and seems to self educate it's self.
 
RJC said:
I placed the sensors around my case.
Click to expand...

Ive never had a fan controller before, Ive seen the sensors in pictures, how do they fit in the case (do they stick to something or just lie around anywhere) Any information on the Sensors would be appreciated.
 
Abereda said:
Ive never had a fan controller before, Ive seen the sensors in pictures, how do they fit in the case (do they stick to something or just lie around anywhere) Any information on the Sensors would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

You can either attach them to certain area using some sticky pads supplied (not the greatest) or I just cable tied them in certain positions around the case.

You also get a couple of spares.

Forum member user review:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18428643&highlight=RECON
 
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ye i saw his videos on youtube & read his review (reading the comments were part of what put me off the Recon :P I did actualy post a Question similar to this topic in there but unfortunatly didnt get a reply :(

thanks again for posting :)
 
Recon is mostly fine and it depends a great deal on what your expectations are. For me I was perhaps expecting something a little more refined. Maybe I was expecting too much. I'm still using mine so it can't be that bad I suppose.

You can't fine adjust beyond the 100 RPM, but then maybe you can't on other touchies, I've no idea. You can't throw loads of fans on a channel, but then maybe you can't on other touchies. You can't adjust the fan response curve, but then maybe you can't on other touchies, or other controllers for that matter.

I've got very limited knowledge of other fan controllers and that's why I didn't answer your question
 
Tealc said:
I've got very limited knowledge of other fan controllers and that's why I didn't answer your question
Click to expand...

hehe I hope u dont think I was having a go or anything (that defanetly wasnt my intention) but I do really appreciate you posting. Ive bin doing allot of looking around since I made this topic & I think I will probably just stick with the Recon & leave it on auto (that or use the built in controller on the Corsair 600T Case (just ashame it doesnt have a display to show the temp :( )

Thx4Posting
 
Yeah the temperature display is a big win for me. I have one sticking out the front of my case to get an idea of ambient and my delta temps. I often load up the browser when I'm gaming on my ipod and check rather than crane my neck to check the display.
 
Tealc said:
..........You can't adjust the fan response curve, but then maybe you can't on other touchies, or other controllers for that matter.
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Not yet. http://sourceforge.net/projects/phoebetria/

The binaries on the sourceforge are quite a lot behind the source code (yes, in just a week) but a new release is due shortly. "Software controlled" auto with adjustable curve/line is planned not in the next binary release but the release after that...

cheers
 
Just adding to my previous reply. Things to remember: (a) Phoebetria is BETA, meaning that bugs probably are present -- we (myself and one other guy who is on the opposite side of the world from me) have limited resources and computers for testing; (b) There is *most likely* going to be another binary release this weekend; and (c) the Windows zip file does not need to be "installed" -- it just needs to be unzipped somewhere and the .exe run

Cheers,
Craig
 
Tealc said:
Ooh interesting stuff n3mss. Will be wathcing that one.
Click to expand...

;)

I've also done some testing with RPMs that are not multiples of 100. I need to look at this more. The Recon, as you know, only allows RPM settings that are multiples of 100 but I am not sure that that's the end of the story. I can send a request to the device that is _not_ a multiple of 100 and get an ACK response (i.e. it's "accepted"). The recon will not, however, display this RPM; it'll oscillate between the 100RPM/multiple below and above the RPM attempt. I need to do more experiments with the multimeter. See: https://sourceforge.net/p/phoebetria/discussion/general/thread/26a11933/03d9/

Edit: worst case scenario the phoebetria controlled "software" curve will have to issue RPMs in multiples of 100. I am not convinced that it has to be that way, though ;) Turn off the display (of the recon) (or just ignore what it displays) and ***maybe*** more precise RPMs are possible. I still need to do a lot more testing, but *shrug* it's definitely within the realm of possibility.
 
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I have a feeling that the Recon has this 100 RPM thing built in and cannot settle on a value as much as 50 RPM away from these figures, hence the oscillation. I normally see it settle within 20 RPM of the 100 RPM I set. At the moment it's settled within 2 RPM of 900 RPM. So if a 50 RPM sensitivity is desired it might be beyond Recon's firmware to actually settle at this figure, even forgetting that it can't display it.
 
The firmware in the Recon is set to multiples of 100. When you set an RPM if it's NOT a multiple of 100 it will increase/decrease the PWM output until it _is_ a multiple of 100 (by reading the RPM from the fan and adjusting the PWM up/down depending on what the firmware reads from the fan) which of course will never happen if you set, say, 1250 because the firmware wants a multiple of 100. So you're right in a way. On the other hand I can set 1250 RPM... it just never stabilises (as evidenced by my multimeter experiments thus far).
 
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