Sunbeamtech Light Bus:

Sunbeamtech has been busy working on new product launch lately. A few weeks ago we looked at two of their latest gaming cases Transformer and Samurai together with some of their latest CCFL lightings. Today, we are looking into another two new products from Sunbeamtech: Light-Bus and Laser LED.

First the Light-Bus



Despite the busy look panel, there are namely 7 functional buttons:

1. The four big knobs – tuning the knobs from left to right increases the voltage input.
   
2. The smaller knob on the lower right is to adjust the sound input sensitivity.
   
3. Alt1 and Alt2 serve as “Mode Change”.
   
4. HDD – activate the particular channel to flashing mode according to Hard Drive activity.
   
5. Sound button – turn on the particular channel in accepting sound activation.
   
6. ST is for fading in/out.
   
7. On is for FAN control.

Here is a better picture to get to know them buttons.



The Connections:



From the far left:

4-pin molex power connector from Power Supply to Light Bus.

Sound input jack.

Two-pin Hard Drive light from motherboard header.

Four sets of 3-pin connection from either Fans or Lights.


Included in the package:



As indicated above, here you find the sound plug, the 4-pin Molex Power input, four sets of device inputs and the HDD 2-pin connector. Notice the four sets of device inputs are equipped with 4-pin, 3-pin and 2-pin connectors. The last one is for CCFL converter. A single sheet of manual printed on one side with hard to read diagram will be the only direction you are getting.

Okay, play time is next ->

Let there be light :

This is the easy part. I connected the Light Bus on the bench (more likely on the floor) with three 80 mm fans with which two are LED lighted, and a CCFL from Sunbeamtech.

Take a look:







Now comes the difficult part. It is unfair to show light effect with words. I'm afraid that is what I could offer you.

ST Mode - the fading in and out both on the front panel blue LEDs and the device connected (light of course and don't do it with fans) is pretty cool.

Alt1 and Alt2 will rotate the lightings on and off.

HDD and Sound will be tested in a minute.

Well, you would have to take my words for it. It is pretty neat.

Let's have the front panel here again just in case you forget the "buttons" or "controls".



Following action would be the result on my lack of knowledge in the operation of the Light Bus.

I rotated the knob counter clockwise expecting the fan would slow down and the LED light to dim. No such luck, they did not response to my command after several tries. I read the manual once again, which is nothing to brag about because it doesn’t say much and the diagram is almost unreadable. So, I said to myself “tough luck, the unit is defective”.

I wrote to Sunbeam and they responded within hours. The answer did not solve the problem. After playing with the "controls" again later on the day, I found out the unit was in good working order. In order to control the fan, the "ON" button must be pushed one more time, otherwise the ST and Alt1/Alt2 modes override the rheostat functionality.

With this minor issue resolved, I took out my trusted Sears Digital Meter to measure the voltage.



While other fan controllers have a minimum ~6/7 to 12 volt range, this Light-Bus has a voltage of 0 to 12 volt range; meaning each control knob can be used as on/off switch. Exception to this would be LED lights which takes very little current to light up.

Next onto installation, the fun part ->

Light Bus Installation :

What could be better than using a Sunbeamtech case I said to myself to ensure fitness? Before I begin, I "dressed up" the wirings and marked the connectors (there is no identification marking on the connector, which does not make your connection hook-up later on any easier.)




With this done, I proceeded to the next "minor" problem.




The Transformer case has a non- removable tray and it uses screw less rails. Therefore, there are no screw holes provisions to mount the Light Bus. The CD Rom rails do not fit the half size frame. The solution is to relocate one of the CD Rom rail pin from the back to the front as photo shown.

And here is the finished product installed:



Connecting to the CCFL converter, fan (you must use 4-pin Molex as the 3-pin connectors provided do not have the speed sensor wire) and HDD light was a breeze. Until, yes until you come to the Y-cord male/female mini sound jack you will find there is no PCI slot through hole provision. For testing this function, I left the side panel open. The installation is quite easy. I connect the mini jack male to the sound output on the back panel, and connect one of the speaker jacks to the female side.

Here is the trick, push the "Sound" button and adjust the "Volume control knob on the panel" after you turn on to some good music until you see the light flashing. You may have to turn the sound volume of your speaker higher to get the feel. But, remember to push the "ON' button on the channel that is hooked up to Fan, otherwise the fan will be "flashing" with the music. Flashing means high/low voltage feed. Hooking up to the Mic is the second option. This may sound complicated, you will get use to it after a few minutes or tries.

Okay, the sound thingy works but to get the effect it requires high sound volume; a bit higher than I like.

As for HDD light function, I can't say it is to my liking as the flashing panel LED is very subdue. Instead, I connected another CCFL to make a big and bright flashing "sign" corresponding to HDD activity.

Installation is the fun part I always say... it is the process that counts, right??

Let's go on to the Laser LED ->

Laser LEDs:

Three 5mm LED running in 12 Volt. The sample I received is a Red/Blue/Green combo. You can choose Blue; Green; Red and UV besides the three-color combo.



Connection is 4-pin Molex with screws and Velcro mounting. Installation is a no brainer: plug in the connection and enjoy the lights.



The base of the Laser LEDs measures 1 5/8" or 43 mm; small in size. I like to see a narrower angle on the side LEDs; as it stands the left and right LEDs are aiming too far apart. May be this could explain better.



A narrower angle for the left (blue) and right (red) LEDs would light up the air bubbles as the center green LED shows.

Conclusion & Thoughts:

Light Bus

With MSRP at US$39.99 it is a bit higher than some Fan Controllers on the market. As a Light Bus; Fade in/out, Sound wave Pulse activation, HDD signal sensor, Rotation of light effect from 4 channels prove to be giving out quite a color light show in clear acrylic and large side window panel cases. My set up at the end of the testing consists of using two channels for fan control and the remaining two are hooked up to two CCFLs. It is offered in Black and Aluminium; a better manual would definitely help in making the installation process a more pleasant one. The half frame design has been proved to be problematic in certain cases (literally). If you intend to use one of the channels as Fan Speed Control on your CPU fan, make sure you are familiar with the setting (pushing the ON button each time after using Atl1/Alt2 and ST mode).

PRO
Useful gadget to brighten or dimming your lighted cases
Can be used as Fan Controller to lower sound level when desired
A must if you own a clear acrylic or window panel case

CON
High price
Better manual

Laser Light LEDs

With MSRP at US$5.99, it is an easy add-on to brighten a dull case. It will add colorful light effect to your water cooling (hoses) rig using the UV version. For now, it adds colorful air bubbles in my Lian-Li aquarium panel.

PRO
Easy installation
A price that won’t hurt anyone
Low heat output

CON
The left and right LEDs angles are set too wide
Lead could be a bit short for some applications

Sunbeam provides us the following on-line resellers that are or will be carrying shortly afterward their products-
Newegg, Frozencpu, Crazypc, Sidewinder, Computergeeks, casecooler and Jab-tech.

We like to thank Keven from Sunbeamtech for his assistance and samples to make this review possible.



Questions/comments: forum thread