[anitract]

I recently set up my sunbeam fan controller and can completely confirm what almost every review says about its leds being too bright. Seriously, they are KILLER.

I remember seeing a link about some sort of mod that you could do on it to make the leds appear dimmer. I think all it required was pulling them out half-way. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

Otherwise, good fan bus overall. Only let-down is that I was hoping to take my panaflo high-speeds down to lower RPMs than they are apparantly able to go (i.e. you turn the speed down, and just a little under 7v - when the bus led goes from blue to red - they turn off completely).

[archilochus]

Operating voltage on the 12 volt FBA, Panaflo's is 7 to 13.8 volts.

SOURCE LINK

I modded mine. I had the silver one, but it didn't quite match the silver of my lian-li case so I took it apart and drilled some holes into an empty lian-li faceplate and re-mounted it. Looks nice. The knobs will come right off if you just pull them. The leds are held into the faceplate by led holders which can be removed very easily with a small flat screwdriver or some tweasers. The legs of the leds are just pushed into sockets on the pcb , not soldered, so they can be easily removed. They take bi-color tri-leg leds, so I don't think it's really possible to make them blue all of the time because when the fan goes below 7v, it sends a lower voltage to one leg of the led and it illuminates red. So, if you were to replace them with blue-leds, they'd simply turn off once you went below 7v.

SOURCE LINK

[anitract]

Thanks archilochus, this helps. I might just try pulling the leds out a bit tonight to see if that is the "mod" i was thinkin' of. Too bad on the panaflos...as they are still what I consider loud in my case. Would have been nice if they operated a little lower.

[archilochus]

I suspect that you've already removed the fan grids! Dang, there(H1A's) only 35 dBA at full tilt, you must have cat ears like me.. I just keep in mind, I've never heard a quiet race car unless it was not running..

[a c i d.f l y]

I've never heard a quiet race car unless it was not running.

I'm putting that in my sig if it would let me modify it!! :mad

Anyone know why it says my sig can not be longer than 0 characters?

-Frank

[archilochus]

I've never heard a quiet race car unless it was not running.

I'm putting that in my sig if it would let me modify it!! :mad

Well you can add it now...The sig problem is fixed..Here's another one to put in there..
Idle doesn't win races either. Not an indicator of cooling/ potential..

[Tat]

Hehe..
Well I just exchange Sunbeam with TT controler. First of all, it is like anitract said the led is dam bright lol. I think you can use it in the club too or as a flashlight. Well, the main reason I exchanged it because I just cant get max RPM of my Smartfan though the controler. I lost like 3000 RPM eventhoough I turned it to the max. However, the new TT does the samething. But the light way better though .
So anyone here can show me how to mod this thing so I use it with my Smartfan and be able run at full speed though it.
Thanks.

[archilochus]

Tat, How is the TT SF wired up now..Do you have the blue jumper on the red wires of the fan? Then the 3 wire power lead from the fan, going to the controller.

[dukat]

wheres the difference between the sunbeam I and II?

[a c i d.f l y]

Sunbeam I - you have to strip the wires of your fans; the connections are screw-points. The faceplate is bare, straight black or silver.
Sunbeam II - has four 3-pin connections. And a little bit of text on the faceplate. I think it looks better with the text -- goes a little better with the other drives and my case design.

-Frank

[Shuzzy]

i take it the ones that are being sold in most places now are the 2nd version correctr? i have never seen one without text on the faceplate.

[a c i d.f l y]

You have to be looking to find version one...

-Frank

[Tat]

Originally Posted by archilochus

Tat, How is the TT SF wired up now..Do you have the blue jumper on the red wires of the fan? Then the 3 wire power lead from the fan, going to the controller.

No, I took the jumper out.And yes when i use power from the controler. I just cant never get to the max RPM..

[archilochus]

Tat,Try it with it in...It will run the fan at full speed if the voltage going to the fan power wire is 12 volts thru your fan controller...Another way to do it is plug in the adjuster(take the blue jumper off) and set it to high, then power the fan from your fan controller..Either way should work..
Don't use the thermal bulb..

[Tat]

Originally Posted by archilochus

Tat,Try it with it in...It will run the fan at full speed if the voltage going to the fan power wire is 12 volts thru your fan controller...Another way to do it is plug in the adjuster(take the blue jumper off) and set it to high, then power the fan from your fan controller..Either way should work..
Don't use the thermal bulb..

Nope, i'm not using thermal bulb....
It runs at full speed when i use the controler came with the fan but not the TT controler that i just got, iether with Sunbeam. .
Well i have measure the voltage on both of them. When i turn all the way, both of them still only pushs out about 11.5 V and i have solid 12 V rail here always 12.04 ( of course from DMM) => only 11.73 on MBM5 or watever .
Did you make it run full speed on yer controler? same as speed without it?
Thanks

[Roark]

One way to get the LEDs less bright, is to cover them in white paint made especially for glass. They sell the stuff in hobby shops.

[anitract]

Originally Posted by Roark

One way to get the LEDs less bright, is to cover them in white paint made especially for glass. They sell the stuff in hobby shops.

I hadn't thought of that. I think I might check that out if a new mod I'm gonna try doesn't help me enough w/ the brightness (note: just pushing them in as suggested didn't help me much from the straight-on perspective...though from the side it's a lot better).

Aside from going blind in a year from looking at these things, my main concern is that when I get my LCD screen (Matrix Orbital), they will drown them out, or prove to be too distracting. Or, I could get a VFD screen instead.

[hawkeye_wx]

Originally Posted by Tat

Well i have measure the voltage on both of them. When i turn all the way, both of them still only pushs out about 11.5 V and i have solid 12 V rail here always 12.04 ( of course from DMM) => only 11.73 on MBM5 or watever .
Thanks

I believe the SilentPCReview review of the Sunbeam fan controller also says 11.5v is the max voltage it would send to the fans.

[jlin453]

Originally Posted by archilochus

I suspect that you've already removed the fan grids! Dang, there(H1A's) only 35 dBA at full tilt, you must have cat ears like me.. I just keep in mind, I've never heard a quiet race car unless it was not running..

Cars aren't watercooled Well ...I meant... anyways, you know where I'm going with this

[Silversinksam]

I took some White Out and painted the Sunbeams LED's and they are easier to live with now (I can still easily see if they are Red or Blue)