Tech Reaction

Today we will be taking a look at the new Lamptron [FC5] Fan Controller.

Specifications:

• Dimension: 148.5mm * 42.5mm * 77mm (5 1/4 Bay)
• Power Output: Up to 30W per channel
• DC Input: + 12V (standard 4 – Pin Connector)
• DC Output: 0V – 12VDC
• Control Channels: 4 pcs
• Changeable Display Colors: Red, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Purple, White
• Temperature Sensors x4
• Fan Connectors: 4 (3 pin) connections
• Manual x1
• Power Connectiong (4pin) x1
• Colors Available:  Black Anodized / Silver (must choose color when purchasing, does not come with interchangeable displays)
• Alarm Setup Function
• RPM Display: RPMs are displayed in units of 10 for each channel
• Celsius and Fahrenheit modes

Overview

From the pictures above, you can see exactly what you get from ordering the Lamptron. It comes in a nice compact box with a window cut out of the top to give it the ’stylish’ factor which is a nice touch if the product is on store shelves as it is very eye catching. With the outside appearance of the box, they also have labeled the specifications and some important features. With this information printed on the box, it takes a lot of the guessing game out of buying it and you have a really good idea of what you are going to get.

Once you dive into the Lamptron package, you can see just how well it is packed. It is very nice and secure with nothing moving or bouncing around. This attention to detail decreases the chances of anything being broken upon arrival. I would even go so far as to say the packaging could withstand a couple of the infamous soccer matches at the UPS facilities. Once you take everything out of the box, you can see the level of quality you will receive when you pick up the Lamptron.

The construction of the fan controller is solid aluminum, which will give it higher durability. The Lamptron will be able to take the normal bumps and bruises that it will undergo throughout its life. You can see all the connectors that come with the Lamptron. The 4 temperature sensors are 32 inches from end to end. This should provide enough length to place the sensors anywhere you would like in a mid-size case, and you should have a good chance with fans in the monstrous full tower cases that are available today. The 3 pin fan connectors are 20.5 inches from end to end. Adding the 20.5 extra inches to the fan connectors which are already present will give you enough length to connect to most fans in your case.

Setup and Installation:

I installed one power connection, temperature monitor, and fan control wire just so you can see how nice and neat it looks. Each different item has its own section on the back to help eliminate the clutter of wires. The temperature monitor wires are tucked into the middle side section with the power connection just under them. The fan control wires are spread out across the bottom, which is also nice since this keeps them from creating more of a mess. With the way they are installed, it should reduce most of the congestion of wires. Everything snaps into place as you would expect and it is extremely easy and quick to install the connections you want.

Here is a look at one of the wires installed on a hard drive. A quick side note: the Lamptron FC5 does not come with tape so you will need to use your own. The temperature probe installs just as easily as any other probe you will use and takes very little time. Temperature probes are always nice to have around your system, especially if you are overclocking. You can install them on your RAM, North Bridge, CPU, inside your water cooling setup to know how hot your water is, and outside the case to gauge ambient temperatures. There are a lot of uses that can be very helpful to the average computer user or the most extreme overclocker.

Front Panel Display:

You can choose from a couple different readouts on the front panel display. It all depends on what you really want to look at.

• Alarm Status Display: The alarm is indicated in the upper top left section of the display. When the alarm jumper is activated in temperature mode, if the temperature gets up to 70 Celsius, it will start buzzing. In voltage mode, if the fans are not running when the voltage is over 6.5v, it will begin buzzing.
• Bottom Line Readout Mode Displays: Temperature Mode (Celsius and Fahrenheit) or Voltage Mode (indicated in units of 0.1)
• Fan Channels: Adjust the fan RPMs with the corresponding switch (knob)
• RPM Display: RPM is displayed in units of 10 RPM for each channel, fans need sensor wires for this function to operate

The 7 color displays and 3 optional bottom row settings:

The colors, for the most part, are nice, clean and crisp. The purple color seemed blurry to look at, which was interesting, to say the least, because in the picture, it came out very clear. I thought I was going cross-eyed for a minute. A few of the colors, for example white, seem to be a little too bright and ended up illuminating the back panel which causes you to see the backdrop of ‘8’s’ like in the picture. The yellow seems to be more of a greenish yellow than anything, but the other colors more than make up for it with their quality.

If you look at the red picture, you can see that the Celsius option is set ‘on’ under fans 3 and 4. Fan 3 was placed on the CPU and fan 4 was placed outside the case for ambient temperature readings. The temperature probes do a very nice job reading temperatures and the update interval is extremely fast. You will know instantly if something is overheating, which is always good for overclockers. The green picture shows off the Fahrenheit option under fans 3 and 4. They have the same setup as the red picture with fan 3 on the CPU and fan 4 outside the case for ambient temperatures. The voltage readings seem to be on target with the manufacturer’s fan specs when working at 100%. As you can see, there are 3 fans plugged in and running at 3 different speeds and volts. From the RPM readings, fan 1 was maxed out at 100% and with 5200rpms, and WOW that thing screams! It was also popping up over 12v every now and then to about 12.3v. Fan 2 and 3 were set at mixed settings to show the variations of readings that the Lamptron can dish out.

Conclusion:

The Lamptron FC5 was very impressive. With all of the options and features you can choose from this did not come as a surprise. The 7 colors is a nice touch giving everyone a color they can like or could use to match the scheme of their case. The sleek looking black aluminum version that got reviewed here would be a great visual addition to anyone’s case whether it is modded or not.

The fan controller is an invaluable addition to any system nowadays.  The Lamptron allowed me to run my fans at maximum speed when I needed the cooling, for example, when trying to reach a particular overclock.  After the fun is over, I have the ability to turn down the fans for quiet operation and power savings. This fan controller gives you a great deal of customization in finding the right balance of fan speeds, in regards to noise and cooling, that makes your system work for you.

On a side note, my 4th 3 pin fan connector came without a 3 pin connection and just bare wires on one end, so i did not get to test the 4th spot. Another thing, not a big deal at all, but it did not come with tape for the temperature probes. I was expecting some tape to make the install go faster, but I just had to dig around to find my own tape. Either way, the tape was not a big deal as it was an easy fix so I can not hold that against them. The one feature that I think needs more attention on the Lamptron FC5 is that all the customization options and jumpers are located on the back. You know what that means! Every time you want to change the color or change between Celsius and Fahrenheit you have to pull the side panels off and unscrew it from the bay to be able to pull it out and fix the jumpers to the settings you would like. However, on a positive swing, it does keep the front fascia very sleek and clean looking without distracting from the sheer beauty of the Lamptron FC5.

Overall, this is a very, very solid product. It fulfills its claims and sometimes more. It was nice to see all the extra goodies that were added to this edition of a fan controller and the colors were crisp and clean. One thing I did notice was that the installation manual could use a revision, because I found several errors in spelling and grammar. For a product that will be used around the  world, more attention needs to be given to the details like that so it does not reflect negatively upon the company. But, that is just me nitpicking, because it was very hard to find anything wrong with this extremely, well assembled and well thought-out product.

Performance-PCs has the Lamptron FC5 for $54.95 which makes it competitive with other high-end fan controllers while truly trouncing most other drive-bay LCD displays.

The Lamptron FC5 has earned the TechREACTION Gold Silicon Award!

Thanks to Lamptron for the review sample.