Tech Reaction

I picked the  Scythe Kama Thermo Wireless temperature monitor up for $10 this past week. I figured why not! It was only $10 and I could see just how close the software temperature monitors were to the real thing. With this being extremely portable you can take it anywhere and measure almost anything. Also, this is a really good tool for measuring NB, SB, RAM and other parts of the motherboard that most software programs do not monitor.

• Temperature Units: Celsius / Fahrenheit
• Temperature Range: 0~100C / 32~212F
• Usage Ambient Temperature: -10~50C / 14~122F
• Response Time: 1 Second
• Measurement Accuracy: +- 2C
• Measurement of Vision Range: 10/10mm (D : S=1 : 1)
• Emittance:  0.95
• Power: Button Lithium Battery CR2032 x1 or USB
• Storage Temperature: -20~+65C
• Dimensions: HxWxD = 80×29.5×16mm
• Weight: 35g (including battery)

The packaging comes written in 5 different languages and Kama Thermo features jammed all around the outside. When we unpack everything you can see everything that is included with purchasing this thermometer. Everything was packed nice and neat, which you would expect anyways when you buy something new.

The picture of the back shows how easily accessible the battery for this unit is. All you need is a standard flat head screw driver plus half a turn and you are at the battery and able to replace it if necessary. The front of the Scythe has a simple setup. It has the readout display and the button you push to take readings. Nothing fancy about it, but very efficient.

From these pictures you can see both ends of the Kama Thermo. The left picture shows off the wireless thermometer at the top of the unit, while the picture on the right shows off the connection for the computer USB hookup. Once again, nothing super fancy about it, but very efficient.

A quick shot of the 2 readouts you get with the Kama Thermo showing off the Celsius and Fahrenheit readings. The blue background is a real nice touch because you can read it wherever it is inside your case and there is no need for 3rd party lighting to read it. At this time, it was reading ambient temperatures just so you can get an idea of what it looks like in action.  The nice thing about the display is that it will keep the temperature posted on the screen for about 10 seconds before it shuts off. This allows you plenty of time take a look at the temperature instead of trying to figure out a way to read it while taking temperatures, if it shut off right away.

For the true test, and the reason I bought this, I have Core Temp software running to report my temperatures. Core Temp is reporting between 38~40C temperature readings. I took several readings with the Kama Thermo in different parts of the CPU block area. The Kama Thermo was reporting temperatures ranging from 33~37C. Now, there is a little ‘not so scientific’ factor coming into play, as some of the parts it was a tough angle to make sure it was actually pointing to where it needed to go.

Overall, I would say it was in the right spots but a couple of them my hands were just too big to get a super solid reading. With the measurement accuracy of +-2C with this device, I would have to say that Core Temp is a decent software to use and measure your temperatures. As no software will ever be as accurate as a temperature probe or thermometer, Core Temp seems to hold up their end of the bargain with solid software readings. Although, this was not a perfect testing setup, I was happy with the results I gathered and I also am pretty certain in a perfect setup the temperature readings would not have been too much different. The solid plastic construction of the device keeps it nice and light, but it does not feel like cheap plastic. The button seems sturdy enough to withstand a long life of measuring, which is always a concern for people who would use it a lot.