Zalman Multi Fan Speed Controller

Reviews: Cases

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Kurtis Kronk
Brian
1CoolPC
Apr. 21, 2003

Open Sesame!

I tried saying "open sesame" several times but that didn't do anything so I just ripped open the box with brute force. When I opened the box I found the fan controller sitting in the box in its package with no bubble wrap or anything around it. Luckily for me, UPS had not played soccer with my box and everything was left unharmed. There probably is no need for bubble wrap with this product, but it is nice to see it anyway just as a sign that the store cares that it ships safely. Anyway, box has been opened, lets continue.

Product Packaging

The package that the fan controller is shipped in was very well thought out. The package lists all product features / specifications on the back as well as a list of included components and installation instructions. When you open the package you will pull out a fan controller with cables alread connected to it, all you need to do is mount it and plug everything in. On the inside of the package you may also notice that there is a scale drawing of the fan controller (top view). This not only looks cool but it would help when modding the controller if you wanted to. On to the installation...

Installation

As I said before, installing this controller is very simple. One of the first things I noticed when installing was that no molex extension was included. This means that you will need one of your PSUs connectors to reach. This should not be a problem, but you may have to rearrange your cables to reach the controller. Worst case scenario, you will need to run to a local tech store and get a 4pin Y extension cable. To begin installation I screwed on the drive mounts for my Chieftech Dragon on the controller. Smooth mount installation, no problems there. Next thing I did was plug in the fans. I opted not to plug control my processor fan or graphics card fan, just my case fans. I wired 1 & 3 to the front intake fans and 2 & 4 to the rear exhaust fans. To install the fans to the knobs, just plug the 3pin female connector from the fan into the 3pin males from the controller. If you want to use the switches to control fans, you will need to strip the wires. After you strip the wires, put the black and red wires in the corresponding connectors and screw the connection tight to close the circuit. Now that you have all your fans plugged in, just plug in the female molex into the 4pin male connection on the back of the controller. Fan controller setup is now complete, time to test...

Style

When it comes to looks, this controller has it all. The LEDs are blue and red and they are brighter than your average LEDs. The face plate is a blue plastic that lets you see the circuit board behind it, which looks pretty cool I think. The knobs are silver with beveled edges and ridges cut into them for grip. The switches make it feel like you are in the cockpit of a jet, and they too are silver. The faceplate also has markings on it to let you know which way to turn the knobs for high, and displaying the 3 switch settings as well. All in all this is a very nice looking product for any sort of case.

Putting the Zalman Controller to the Test

Once I had all 4 of my case fans plugged in (via knobs) I decided to test the switches with some old fans of mine. I was pleasantly surprised at the low wattage on low settings. On other fan controllers I have used, low setting = 7 volts and high = 12. With this controller you can go as low as 5 volts, making your fans completely quiet. With my LED fans on the lowest setting, the LEDs don't even light up and the only fans I can hear are on the PSU (I will have to fix those soon hehe). When you turn the knobs on the controller, the LEDs also get brighter and dimmer depending on the setting. Something that would be nice is if the knobs were etched to show what setting they were on, but they aren't. As for the switches, they do not have a range like the knobs. Using the switches you can either turn fans off, or put them on low (5v) or put them on high (12v). I tried to short out the knobs and switches by flipping them back and forth really fast but they held up like champs.

Conclusion

Overall I was quite impressed with this product. The fact that it didn't come with a molex extension was sort of annoying but I needed to rearrange my wires anyways. This fan controller did everything I expected it to and more. The fact that I was able to turn all my fans down to 5v was great. This product looks great and works great, I very highly recommend it.

Pros

Low setting = 5v
Can control 6+ fans
Dimming LEDs
Looks great
Fan monitoring on knobs 1 & 2

Cons

Could be a little cheaper
No molex extension included

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