Vantec Nexus Death / Destruction Thread

Hello.

Well, we've had numerous reports of the Vantec nexus (fan controller) causing problems or otherwise behaving as it shouldn't. Examples:
+units producing smoke
+units not working well with tornado fans
+units shutting down all fans and computer when fan speeds were adjusted
+units behave erratically.

If you have an experience like this, please post your error report here to see if we can determine any problems. Include:

1) Where you ordered from (to see if it's a bad batch or shipping at just one place)
2) If you noticed any problems with any capacitors (e.g., bulging, oozing, popped, etc.)
3) What fans you were running on each channel. Please include the fans' rated current or wattage, as well as the name and size. (e.g., vantec tornado 80mm, .75A)
4) Just what the behavior was. (e.g., I turned a vantec tornado to a lower speed, and I could smell something burning)

Also, if you have a multimeter, try to hook up the highest-rated fan (by current or power) and measure its current draw at a lower speed with the vantec unit. (If it's possible.) If any others can think of other factors that should be reported, please post.

Once again, let's see if we can find a pattern and an explanation. Current theories include bad caps and overload on the channels when the fans are turned lower. Thanks! -- Paul

EDIT: If you get a Nexus and it works just fine for you, please also consider posting here, along with what fans you're using. Let's try to determine if there's a certain load level that they don't like and such. Thanks! -- Paul

1. I ordered from svcompucycle.com

2. I didn't notice any problems with the capacitors, but I will take a closer look at them tomorrow.

3.
Channel 1, 2 Panaflo L1A's rated at .8 watts each.
Channel 2, 1 VGA fan, probably 1 or 2 watts.
Channel 3, 3 Panaflo L1A's rated at .8 watts each.
Channel 4, 2 Panaflo L1A's rated at .8 watts each.

4. If I adjusted the speed of channel 2, (all the other fans were turned all the way up before hand and channel 2 was all the way down) then all the fans would stop running. I could fiddle with it all I wanted, but the fans wouldn't start back up. I would shut down and then restarted and everything was working again. Then I tried turning fans down and the same thing happened again. Again, I couldn't get the fans to start back up. I shut down, restarted, and the fans still wouldn't start. Powered off, fiddled with stuff a lot. No matter what I did, I never got the thing to work again.

I'm going to return this unit to svcompucycle and get their other unit, some no-name brand unit that fits in a 3 1/2" bay, but does the same thing as the Vantec. The only difference I could see, was that it fits in a 3 1/2" bay, instead of 5 1/4". It costs a little less, and it only support up to 8 watts per channel, as opposed to 15-18 watts, as Vantec claims. Also, it's LED's get dimmer when you turn the fans down, Vantec's LED's don't do that.

Thanks for the post. I'll be very interested to see what turns up, as this is very, very strange.

Do you have a multimeter? Could you check the voltage output of the channels? Did eliminating one channel or another have an effect? Thanks! -- Paul

No problems for me so far. I ordered from SVC.

I have a 50cfm sunon on channel 2 and a 39cfm sunon on channel 3. I dont know what the rated amps are for them. On of the capacitors on mine was bent slightly over but like I said, no probs yet.

i just ordered mine from direction

i havn't gotten it yet but as soon as i do im breaking in this mofo

Good luck! Gingo, thanks for the post. Your sound like mid-value fans, as far as current (or wattage). Another piece in the puzzle, maybe .... -- Paul

@cmquisition: I looked up those L1A's, and I found a rating of 1.2W, or 100 mA. (24CMF, 21 dBA, 1900 RPM). Total load 9-10W. Is this what you meant? Thanks!

Got mine from Bullet PC

1st & 2nd channel s- one Panaflo 80mm L1A each
3rd channel - two Panaflo 80mm L1A's
4th channel - Sunon 120mm x 38mm 108 cfm fan

Haven't had any problems yet, I usually keep the panaflo's on high but I'm adjusting the sunon constantly from min to max & everywhere in-between I have played around with the other channels once or twice just for the hell of it, never had any isues with any of them.

thanks for posting your experiences. Hope it all works well for you! -- Paul

I lovve this thing. Have had no problems at all.

Here's the info:
1. Got it from SVC
2. No Problems
3. Channel 1- (1) 32.5 cfm, 80X25 SVC fan, 2.0 watts, .17 amps. - Side panel Intake
Channel 2 - Same Fan as #1 - HDD Intake
Channel 3 - Same Fan as #1 - Bottom Front intake
Channel 4 - (2) 32.5 cfm, 80X25 SVC fan, 2.0 watts, .17 amps - Rear exhausts
4. As I said I have had no problems. I have ran the fans at every combination possible. It usually runs with Channels 1, 2, &3 at the halfway point and channel 4 at full blast. Computer runs 24/7.

Depending on what this thread uncovers I am going to upgrade the side and two rear fans to Tornados.

No Multimeter right now. Need to get one so this might be a good excuse

Thanks for your post.

You'd be amazed at how useful a multimeter is. I use mine all the time, not only for real work, but, for example, "Hmmm, I wonder if this battery is dead? Well, it reads 1.35VDC, so that's pretty good." -- Paul

@cmquisition: I looked up those L1A's, and I found a rating of 1.2W, or 100 mA. (24CMF, 21 dBA, 1900 RPM). Total load 9-10W. Is this what you meant? Thanks!

Click to expand...

Here's the stats on that fan, according to SVC, where I got them:

Airflow: 24.0 CFM
Noise: 21.0 dBA
Static Pressure: 1.57 mm-H20
Rotation Speed: 1900 RPM
Connector: 3-pin (no RPM signal)
Bearing Type: Hydro Wave
Power Consumption: 0.82 W
Current Draw: 0.068 A
Rated Voltage: 12 VDC Operating Voltage: 7 ~ 13.8 VDC

First time I used it I had this setup:
-80mm vantec tornado hooked up to channel 1(9.1 watt)
-2 sunon high output 80x80x25 fans on channel 2 (4.3 watts per)

After powering on my machine I didn't wait very long (just verified fan was running) before I decided to fiddle with the controls. I started smelling a burning smell. I tried to localize where the smell came from but grew worried and shut my machine down.

On attempt #2 I disconnected 1 of the 2 sunon fans and left the tornado on. I still smell the smell and powered down again. I have not been using the tornado since then and I have not smelled the burning since then.

Its hard to say if turning down the fan caused the issue or not because I had turned it down so soon after first using it that I couldn't tell when the smell started.

I did keep sniffing around my case and can say for certain that the nexus was where the smell originated. Also I did not fiddle with the knobs for channel 3 and 4 (since I had no fans on them) but for some reason I did decide to turn them after this incident. channel 4's knob gave some resistance and it almost seemed like there was some sticky liquid gumming it up. I wasn't sure if something had begun to melt there or not but visually I could detect nothing wrong.

DK, thanks for posting! So, you had about 9W on channel 1 and 8.6W on channel 2? It sure seems that it should be within the power limits. I guess part of the question is how much current flows at, say, their equivalent 7V setting. Thanks! -- Paul

BTW, new rheostats (the knob portions of the circuit) can tend to be sticky, so I wouldn't worry about that. -- Paul

i have the multiport w/ the 2x usb and 1xfirewire and the lcd screen... i have mine hooked up to a 50cfm sunon 80mm and it works fine

thanks for the post! If possible, please edit to include amp rating or wattage. Thanks! -- Paul

I also have a nexus multi with a tornado running on it. It runs fine. Though I did notice the fan only ran at 5100 rpm at max setting instead of 5800 as ratted. I also have a nexus fan controller though I havent hooked it up yet.

Thanks for the update! -- Paul

No prob. I should have the fan controller going soon I hope. I've been too busy to play with my new toys.

I have a Nexus-Multifunction Panel and a Vantec Tornado, in order to get them to work you would have to modify the power cable to make an 4-3 pin female connector to make it to work.

Basically you need a 4 pin molex connector and a 3 pin connector with a female end. The Tornado only needs 2 of the 4 wires on the 4 pin molex to work, which obviously are the 12V ones (yellow and the black one next to it), so take out the other two wires (red and black). On the 3 pin connector take the yellow wire out of the female end. Now cut both the 3 and 4 pin wires and strip them then tire them together, yellow to red and black to black, and put some electrical tape over it.

From here on you just basically plug the 4 pin molex to the Tornado and plug the 3 pin female connector to the Nexus unit. The one last thing you have to do is to take the Tornado's yellow RPM monitoring wire out of the jack and put it in the remaining slot of the modded cable's 3 pin female end. Now you have it, a 4-3 pin female connector. Follow the instructions on everything else and the Nexus would work like magic, I have no problems at all.

One thing you have to remember is the fact I kept on stressing the fact that you need a 3 pin female connector. You will see the male ones everywhere but I have yet seen the female ones.

Indeed, those 4->3 pin adapters are hard to come by.

You can also leave the split RPM cable as it is and route it to your mobo for RPM monitoring. (We've had some evidence that the Vantec PWM is still compatible with the RPM monitoring, due to its smoothed output.)

Thanks for your post! -- Paul