Miscelleneous by stefan @ 2012-04-09
The new fan controller from Scythe has retractable buttons which are useful in a number of cases, but also includes features like 12V start-up voltage, alarms or power feed control. The VFD display in front lets us check the current fan speeds and temperatures (in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit) for each channel.
At first I would like to thank Scythe and eTonix Media PR for sending a sample of the newly released Kaze Master II Fan Controller for reviewing.
"Scythe Co., Ltd., (Registered and incorporated in Tokyo Japan) originally started its business operation in Japan's famous "Akihabara Electric Town" located in the metropolitan Tokyo, where visitors can find a variety of products from the latest computer parts to the world's most advanced high-tech electric devices.
Sythe Co., Ltd., began its operation and business since November, 2002 as a distributor and the manufacturer of passive and low-noise PC parts. Since then, the company has established the R&D facility in Taiwan & China for production and quality control, and the USA office (in Los Angeles, California) & European office (in Hamburg, Germany) for customer care and sales support.
At Scythe, we believe that the best ideas for product come simply from knowing customers' needs and their expectations. Based on this philosophy, the PC enthusiasts working at Scythe know what to develop because that is exactly what we would like to have for ourselves too! We offer products with 100% quality assurance and total pride, and if the product has the Scythe name on it, you can rest assure that its quality will be up to the "Zero Tolerance" standards!"
Size / Retractable knobs
The Kaze Master is designed to be installed into a 5.25" bay. As sticking-out control knobs would interfere with front panels of computer cases (not being able to close them), the Kaze Master II is equipped with retractable control knobs to make the usage with such models possible.
VFD Display
The VFD-display let`s the user check both fan rotations and the temperature. It is further possible to choose between Celsius and Fahrenheit.
Spin Up Voltage
The adjustable voltage range is between 3.7 to 12 volts. But as fans tend to have problems to "get going" in the lower ranges, this function ensures a 12 volt supply right from the start before settling down to the user`s set, desired voltage.
Setting of the Heat Alarm Function
The Kaze Master offers a wide range of adjustable temperature settings for the alarm to sound. The user can choose between 55 - 90 °C (131 - 194 F) in steps of 5 °C (41 F).
Power Feed Control
In case the Kaze Master II detects no fan movement for 15 seconds, for safety reasons the power supply will be cut automatically.
Model Name:
Kaze Master II
Model-No.:
KM05-BK (Black)
Dimensions (W x H x D):
148.5 x 42.5 x 63 mm | 5.72 x 1.67 x 2.48 in
Display Measurements (W x H):
114 x 20 mm | 4.49 x 0.79 in
Length of the control knobs:
Retractable
DC Input:
5 V or 12 V (From PC Power Supply Unit)
DC Output:
3.7 V (±10%) ~ 12 V (±10%)
Number of Fan Control Channels:
4 (Max. 1 Ampere and max. 12 W per Channel)
Fan Speed Range:
0 - 9,990 rpm (Display: 30 rpm Steps)
Number of Temp Channels:
4 (0 - 100°C / 32 - 199.9°F)
Weight:
215 g | 7.58 oz.
Accessories:
6x Temperature Sensor Cables, 4x Fan Cables, 1x Power Cable, 4x Screws, Installation Manual
The new Kaze Master II fan controller from Scythe is shipped inside a small cardboard box, with a lot of information on the outside; the front side features a photo of the main product, along with the newly introduced features:
The package contents are listed on one of the box sides:
Also, the technical specifications can be found on the opposite side:
Warranty information for areas outside of Japan is listed on the back side of the box:
Inside we can find the documentation, along with the rest of the components, in a foam enclosure:
The included guide helps us during the installation process and describes in detail the configuration modes of the controller:
The contents of the box are split in two (one contains the controller itself and the other one the necessary cables and adapters):
As bundle, we will find a small transparent plastic bag with screws and adhesive, the MOLEX power cable, four fan cable extensions and six temperature sensors:
The four screws provided are used for fixing the controller onto the chassis, in a spare 5.25’’ bay:
The yellow adhesive tape helps us fix the sensors on any surface, inside the case:
Each thermal probe is carefully protected in plastic, to avoid damages prior the first use:
The probe cables are also labeled, for an easier identification when plugging them into the headers:
The probe cable ends on the other side with a small black connector:
The power cable ends up with a connector that we have also seen on the old FDDs:
As we have seen on the thermal probes, the fan extension cables are also labeled:
The fan controller is composed from two PCBs sandwiched together:
The frontal side of the controller is covered by a transparent plastic film, which should be removed before the first use:
The controller has a clean and professional look thanks to its perfectly flat and glossy finish:
One of the new interesting features that can be noticed right away is the retractable knobs; with the knobs in the new position, we can make sure that they won’t be rotated by accident, but also eliminate issues in case we have a case with a door and the knobs used to hit its interior side:
Here is a view on the back of the controllers’ PCB:
A small buzzer can be found on the left side, for the alarm function:
The dip switches will be used for adjusting the Alarm temperature settings, but also to switch from degrees Fahrenheit to Celsius and back:
In the same area, we will find the temperature probe headers, along with the power header:
The MOSFETs are cooled by a small aluminum heatsink, which gets pretty hot during operation:
When the Kaze Master II fan controller receives power, it’s display becomes very easy to read, on two lines, the first line representing the current RPM and the last the temperature on the respective channel. The display can be also configured to show degrees in Fahrenheit, by configuring the dip switches:
When we start up the computer, the fan controller will spin the fans to maximum speed for a very short while; at the last review when we took a look at some fans, we have seen that they tend to start moving at completely different voltage values, so Scythe has implemented this feature to make sure no fan remains stopped:
Another useful feature is the Power Feed Control, which cuts the power completely to the fan if no movement is detected for 15 seconds:
The Alarm setting can be also configured by using the dip switches, and when it is activated, we will hear multiple beeps from the controller, but also the fan speed will be set to maximum at the respective channel. If the temperature goes under the Alarm setting, then the fan speed will stabilize to the setting we put it at and the beeps will also stop:
The new Kaze Master II fan controller from Scythe comes with some noticeable improvements compared to the previous iterations and these are the retractable knobs, the spin-up voltage feature and the power feed control.
The new design knobs are useful because they make the display look better with them in the retracted position, it is now harder to modify the fan speed setting by mistake and we can also install the controller onto cases with a front door, without worrying that the knobs will hit the insides of the panel.
The spin-up voltage is another useful feature and assures us that no fan remains stopped when we power on our computer; we have seen this situation happening many times when the fan controller setting was set at a value lower than the fan start-up voltage for a particular channel and the fan itself only moved for a centimeter or so and then stopped completely. The new fan controller feeds the fans 12V at beginning, no matter the setting they are put on and after some seconds they will return to the preset speed values.
By implementing the Power Feed Control, the fan controller will stop powering up the respective fan, in case no movement is detected for about 15 seconds; when this happens, an alarm will also sound, so we would know to investigate the situation.
Of course, the controller also features a dip switch, from where we can adjust the alarm function, display the degrees for the temperature channels in Celsius or Fahrenheit, or disable the Alarm function completely.
For future iterations, it would be great if the fan would have more than 4 channels, considering that many tower cases today have plenty of fans; another nice feature to add would be the ability to show the voltage per channel, as we have seen on the Lamptron fan controllers.
The Kaze Master II fan controller can be found in stores for about 32 Euros, a reasonable price for what we get.
I would like to thank again to Scythe and eTonix Media PR for making this review possible!