Akasa Fan Controller Pro

A question and a warning.

As I'm sure you know Akasa have a newish fan controller out. It's got four channels and a nice LCD display to monitor temperatures and fan speeds. You can also adjust the temperatures and fan speeds that the built in alarm goes of at. It's actually quite well put together and looks the part.

The reason I bought one was my belief that it would dynamically adjust fan speed with temperature. I believed this mainly because the overclockers.co.uk web site described it thus:

"The Akasa fan controller allows you to control the speed of up to four fans, monitors temperatures within your system with the supplied four thermal probes. You can set your fans on AUTO thermal adjustment so they adjust in speed according to their surrounding environment."

This is also backed up by the Akasa web site that lists the features as:

• 
  Speed control for 4 fans
  Thermal monitoring and auto thermal adjustment (highlighting added by me)
  Multi function LED display
  7 colour LED display option
  Audio alarm for fan failure and temperature rise
  Auto memory
  5 colour fascia panels
  Fits Standard 5 1/4" Drive Bay

So I buy one of these (but not from overclockers.co.uk because I could get it for about £8 less elsewhere), have a play with it, and can find no fan control facilities beyond the four obvious speed control knobs.

Somewhat perturbed I sent an email to Akasa in the UK and got this reply:

Hi Alan
Thanks for your mail
There is a mis-understanding of the wording.
"Auto thermal adjustment" means you can set the Temp. alarm
to automatically activate if the component reaches the set temp.
You cannot vary the speed of the fans automatically, this
is not possible with this type of equipment because there are several
variables including different types of fan specs.
Sorry for any confusion.

Regards
Adrian Young
Product Manager.

I felt that this basically acused me of been too stupid to read english, so I sent an immediate reponse and have yet to recieve any reply. I also forwarded the email to overclockers.co.uk so they could correct their web site (which they haven't 6 days later).

Has anyone else got one of these controllers? Does it automatically control fan speed? Why are overclockers.co.uk still labouring under the impression it does? Am I too stupid to read english?

Answers on a postcard.

Hrm I am getting the same thing you are from reading that. Sounds to me like it supposed to work like the TT smartfan.

Well that's what I thought, but apparently I'm suffering a "mis-understanding of the wording".

If I hadn't shopped around and had bought from overclockers.co.uk where I originally saw it I could have returned it under our sales of goods act. Unfortunately the site I got mine from had nothing listed except the part number As I've opened the packaging I can't even return it under our distance selling regulations.

That's definately worded in a mis-leading way. They say AUTO THERMAL ADJUSTMENT. That leads me to believe something is automatically adjusted.

If it's not the fans, then what exactly are they adjusting?

And if by this they were referring to the alarm, then why mention the alarm again a few lines down?

Nice to see that it's not just me that's 'stupid'. For completeness here is the email I sent to Akasa as my reply to their response:

Adrian,

I'm not sure about me suffering a "mis-understanding of the wording". Looking at the list of features on your web site, the alarm functionality you mention in your reply is completely covered by "Audio alarm for fan failure and temperature rise".

There is nothing on this device that seems to be covered by "auto thermal adjustment". The only thing this phrase can sensibly mean is that something is automatically adjusted due to temperature. In the feature list this 'functionality' is mentioned straight after fan speed control, and in combination with thermal monitoring. Any mention of alarms is a further three lines down.

I bought this device based on the description found on the overclockers.co.uk web site, where they are also under the impression that automatic adjustment of fan speed is possible. Following your earlier reply I have informed them of their error via email.

Unfortunately I bought mine from another supplier who was just listing the part number and not making any claims as to its capabilities. Since I didn't discover my 'mis-understanding' until after I had opened the packaging and I'd had a play with it I have no reasonable grounds to return it to them for a refund.

Regards

Alan Bailey


I'm yet to receive any reply.