Specifications
- Power: 20 watt per channel
- Input voltage: DC 12V
- Output voltage: 0 ~ 12 V
- Output current: up to 1.67 A
- Dimensions: 148.5x 105x 42 mm
Yes, that’s right. That’s no typo, you get a whopping 20w per
channel! Usually, 80mm fans only require about 1.5w. The Vantec Tornado
requires about 9.1w. So, you can plug in at least two fans per channel.
Another interesting thing I found out is that the rheobus unit can
also control CCFL’s. So if your CCFL’s ever get to loud (hehe), plug
them right into the rheobus and “quiet” them down!
Some features of this rheobus include:
- Anodized Aluminum Knobs
- Large heatsinks to keep it from overheating
- Printed circuit board to reduce the need of wires
Now that we’re done with all the technical stuff, lets take a look at
what came with our Sunbeam Rheobus kit. |
| Getting a closer look
First things first, read the instructions! I rarely ever read the
instructions until its all setup and something goes wrong =P. What real
computer geek reads the instructions first? Well, for the sake of the
review, I took a glimpse at the instructions. After skimming through all
the intriguing images of the instructions, I noticed that it tells you
how to put the rheobus together. Since the rheobus I received was
pre-built, I believe they sell this kit barebone also, allowing you to
put it together yourself. Good thing the one I received was put
together, because I’m not the best at connecting things ;)
After finishing the harsh, 2 page reading *wink* *wink* I started
examining the rheobus unit itself.
The first thing that caught my eye was the large, black heatsinks. If
you’re going to be controlling up to 20w per channel, 80w all together,
then you need to keep the rheobus cool. A rheobus can overheat just like
a computer. It can stop working at anytime and possibly burn out the
whole unit. I had tested out another rheobus a few months back, it was a
cheap $10 one that did not come with heatsinks. I plugged in 2 fans and
within a few hours, the thing stopped working on me. So a thumbs up goes
to Sunbeam for providing a solution to this aggravating issue.
Those black things look funny...
Located behind the heatsinks are the four, 3-pin connectors and the
4-pin molex connector that connects directly to the PSU. As you can see,
the rheobus only takes 3-pin fans. Although companies are trying to
develop more 3-pin fans now, there are still a lot of 4-pin fans out
there for the average PC users that can just plug it in and go. Sunbeam
recognized this problem and supplied two, 3 to 4-pin connectors with this
kit.
"Ahh its looking at me!"
Next, we take a look at the front. Like stated earlier in the
specifications, these are anodized aluminum knobs. In other words,
pretty high quality knobs. Just touching them to adjust your fans will
make you go “Ahh…” Ok sorry about that, got a little carried away.
Anyways, after reading the instructions I found out that you can remove
the knobs. After removing them, you will notice splines or, as I would
like to call it, bumpy, line things. These splines allow the knob to
stay intact while the knob is being turned. Above the knobs to the
right, you will see the LED’s. These LED’s are Bi-color meaning they
change to two different colors. Blue meaning the fan is currently
running at 7-12v and red meaning 1-7v. And of course no color meaning
the fan is completely off at 0v.
"Ahh its naked!"
Now it’s time to plug it in and go!
|
