Lux Design - Rheobus v2.0 Kit Review
Date : Friday, 30 August 2002
By : Stygian
Provided By : Lux Design

Introduction

For the overclocker and case modder, fan noise is nothing new. This is the price that must be paid when one wants to obtain maximum cooling for their computer hardware. To overcome this, the fanbus/baybus was invented, to not only centralize fan wiring within the inside of a PC, but also to lower noise by allowing fans to be turned off when extra cooling was not needed. One probably doesn't need a >100CFM fan running while just listening to MP3s, and the noise from such a fan would probably detract from the musical experience. Soon, rheostats began to be used for fan control, as they were able to provide a variable resistor in the circuit that effectively was able to control fan speed, so instead of just being have on/off control, one could regulate the fan's speed with a reasonable degree of accuracy. The downside was that rheostats had a maximum wattage as the resistance generated heat, and higher-wattage rheostats could get very expensive, so the number of fans that could be controlled by each rheostat was limited. Soon, those with a thoughtful mind came up with the idea of using voltage regulators to control fan speed, as with a proper heatsink mounted to it, these could support a higher load.

But through these developments, the average user and newbie case modder were left behind. Many of these people did not have the time to put together such a device, though they may have had the need for one. Retailers that cater to the needs of overclockers/modders were quick to move in, first developing easy-to-construct kits, and then ready-made switch-baybuses and rheostat-baybuses. One such premade unit was the Rheobus, first reviewed by Wolfman here. Although it was undoubtedly a good device, there were a few minor quibbles. Today, I'll be looking at the 2nd revision of it, the Rheobus v2.0, provided by Lux Design. Let's see what has changed, and if it has changed for the better.

Specifications

The basic design of the Rheobus v2.0 is unchanged. Everything is still professionally mounted onto a PCB, with the protective adhesive already in place on the bottom of the PCB to prevent short circuits if the bottom should contact a metal or other conducting surface. This could happen if you mounted the Rheobus v2.0 in the lowest 5.25" drive bay of your case. Here's a list of the specifications:

As you can see, each circuit is still rated for 17w, which is still quite a heavy load IMO. I don't think you'll be running into any problems with exceeding this kind of wattage rating. The notable changes are the inclusion of the allen wrench needed for knob attachment (I know Wolfman would like that!), so that you don't have to search for one, (The size is pretty small, and many of you may not have one) and the addition of socketed LEDs so that one can easily swap out LEDs for a different coloured one. The LEDs included are red, a change from the original blue.

As you can see, the Rheobus v2.0 comes in a plain and simple packaging just like its predecessor. Included, besides the main unit, are a 4-pin 'Y' molex cable, 4 aluminum knobs, 4 LED clip holders, the mounting washers & nuts, the drilling template, and a manual/instruction sheet. As mentioned before, the protective adhesive is already applied to the bottom of the unit's PCB. The red LEDs are already socketed in place. Each set of parts came in its own separate plastic baggie, so the components can be easily identified and found for installation.


The kit.
Unit and drilling template.
Parts in their baggies.

The unit itself is very well made, with everything being mounted to a PCB professionally. No wires here! It is designed to fit into a 5.25" drive bay by being mounted to a 5.25" faceplate, and it fits exceptionally well into a Lian-Li aluminum drive bay cover. The same LM324N chip that was on the original Rheobus is also here, again, in the center of the unit, and its job is the same: It will detect current in the circuits, and then get the appropriate LED to light up when there's a load. But of course, the most visible part of the unit is the four large, black heatsinks that are used to cool the LM317T voltage regulators that are the workhorses of the Rheobus v2.0. There should be no problem with overheating as long as you stay within the 17w limit of each circuit, which isn't a low limit at all.


Large heatsinks on the LM317T regulators.
LM324N chip in the center of the PCB.
Front.

The included Y-adapter was already plugged into the unit, and this nice addition means you won't be losing any power connectors in your case. One thing I did find was that it was somewhat difficult to remove a power connector from the connector on the Rheobus v2.0. This isn't much of a problem though, as you can just use the Y-adapter as an attachment/detachment point instead. The socketed LEDs have already been bent towards the front, so that they can be properly mounted onto the faceplate with the included LED clips. The sockets allow you to customize what colour LED you want without making the task of installation more difficult, which is a nice little addition.


Protective bottom prevents short circuits.
Socketed LEDs are easily changed.
The LM317T voltage regulator.

As with most pre-made baybus type kits, all the connectors are at the back of the PCB. The power connector is towards one side, while the screw-down spring-loaded terminals sit in the center of the rear of the PCB. Each terminal is labelled as to which rheostat corresponds to it and the + and - terminals are also indicated. This ensures no guessing games have to be played when you're hooking up your fans to the Rheobus. The advantage of having the hookup terminals on the PCB is that the unit is kept small and compact and the cost is lowered as well. The disadvantage is that it is somewhat cumbersome to change fans/hookup new fans, as you'll have to remove the Rheobus from your case to easily get access to the terminals. A separating the hookup terminals into a box that could be placed away from the Rheobus would solve this problem, but again, the cost would be more and the unit not as compact as a whole.


Hookup terminals are clearly labelled.
Knobs, washers, nuts, LED clips and allen wrench.

All the required hardware to mount the Rheobus to a faceplate is included, so you get 4 of each of the following: washers, nuts and LED mounting clips. Wolfman pointed out in the original Rheobus review that not everyone might have the small allen wrench needed to secure the knobs to the rheostat poles, so in v2.0, the proper allen wrench is provided! The knobs that are included are also slightly different from the previous ones. Here's what Lux Design says:

"Improved Knobs! Our new anodized aluminum knobs are only 1/2 inch tall, and incorporate a knob skirt to cover the nut and washer. The Rheobus V2.0 comes with clear anodized knobs."
The knobs have a nice texture/grip on the side so they are easy to turn, but one thing I did not like was that there was no dial or mark on the front to indicate what position a knob is in. True, you could probably tell from the allen wrench inset on the side, but I would have liked an indicator line on the front.

Installation

Installation requires some basic tools. A drill, 3/8" and 1/4" bits, a small (1/8") flathead screwdriver, a wire stripper, a 7/16" wrench or socket and the included small allen wrench are needed. You'll also need a drive bay cover from your case. ;) Oh yeah... and safety glasses wouldn't be a bad idea either!


The drilling template makes things easy.
Ready to be stuck onto a PC-61 faceplate.
For Lian-Li owners, make sure the template is oriented correctly. (Arrow tells which way is up.)

The included drilling template is pretty self-explanatory. There are two pieces of double-sided tape on it, and all you need to do is peel off the cover and stick the template on your faceplate, making sure of course that it is aligned properly. The rheostats' holes require a 3/8" bit while the LED holes need a 1/4" bit. You may want to make a small mark in the center of the template holes so that you start drilling dead center and not off to the side a little. I chose to install this unit in the LL-61 Warrior (based on the PC-61) because the Lian-Li faceplates seem to work well with these kits, and because the faceplate is attached to the chassis of the case, not the removable bezel.


Ready for drilling!
Drilling done...
... and ready for installation.


The Rheobus looks for its new home...
... and finds it in a PC61 faceplate.
The knob skirts conceal the unsightly nuts and washers.

With the use of the template and a proper drill, the process shouldn't take too long; it was only about a 10-15min ordeal for me, and should be less if you're drilling a plastic faceplate. Once you're done drilling, you can put the 4 LED clips into their holes in the faceplate. (They are 1-piece clips.) Then slide the Rheobus v2.0 in from the back, making sure everything's aligned correctly. The LEDs are already bent, so you don't need to worry about breaking the terminals. Just snap the LEDs into place in their clips. Slide the washers into place, and then screw down the nuts to hold the Rheobus in place using a 7/16" socket. You can screw them down finger-tight, but I really don't like that. Just make sure you don't over-tighten anything if you're using a socket wrench. The knobs can then be installed onto the rheostat poles by putting them into place and then tightening them with the included allen wrench. Before you do this, you'll probably want to turn all the rheostats down to the position where the voltage is the lowest. To do this, simply turn all the knobs all the way counter-clockwise. (Turning the knobs all the way clockwise set the voltage to its highest value.) Now, if you install all the knobs with the same orientation you'll have an idea where each is set to in the future by looking at it. Again, a dial or mark on the front of the knobs would help with this. Also, one side of the rheostat pole is flattened, so this is where you'll want the knob's screw to tighten down on. One thing that is nice about these knobs is that they are skirted, so they cover up the washer and nut, giving the unit a better appearance from the front when installed.

Testing

For testing this unit, I hooked up the following fans:

Here is where you'll have to use the flathead screwdriver to secure the fan's wires to the spring-loaded terminals. Before you do that, you'll have to use a wire stripper to remove a little bit of insulation from the fans wires, and you may want to use a soldering gun to tin the ends of the wires especially if they're stranded. The screw-down terminals secure the wires quite well, and I have had no worries about loose connections.


Terminals hold wires securely.
Full power to the fans!
Finally in place.

I found that with the Rheobus v2.0, the voltage at the minimum setting without any fans connected was about +5v, and this minimum voltage dropped depending on how heavy a load was placed on the circuit. This was tested with a PSU that had +12v line reading of +10.5v, so keep that in mind. I had no problems with excessive heat, but it is normal for the heatsinks to get a little warm when you've set the rheostats to their minimum with a fan that has a large wattage connected to the circuit. One other thing to note is that different fans have different start up voltages. Once the fan has started to turn however, a voltage that is less than the start up voltage may only be needed to maintain revolution. So you may have to turn up the rheostat quite a bit to get the fan started, but you can then turn it down more and still have the fan maintain motion for a quieter environment. It's probably best to test this out with your fans just to get an idea. One other nice thing I noted was that the rheostat poles have a "spring" to them so that you can tell when they are exactly at the halfway mark. I found this half-way mark to be excellent for the 80mm Panaflo "H1A" (one on a terminal), as I think it made them about as effective (and as quiet) as 80mm Panaflo "L1A"'s.

Conclusion

I personally loved the Rheobus v2.0. Having gone through the effort to make several of my own baybus and fanbus devices, it was nice to see a professionally put-together kit that was easily installed and that worked well. If you have a lot of fans in your case and can't seem to bare the noise any more, I suggest you take a look at this kit, as variable-speed fan control is often desirable over switched-fan control. Minimal installation work is required, so even if you haven't done any case modding, this should be a cinch. Although I didn't go into detail about the manual, it's very easy to understand, so there's little to worry about in that department. About the only thing I didn't like about this kit was the fact that you'll have to remove it every time you want to hook up new fans or change fans, as the terminals are located right at the back of the PCB. A minor complaint, but one that could be an annoyance. The price may seem steep, at $89.99 CDN as of 2002-08-27, but from the amount of money and time I've spent on my own rheostats project, it may be well worth it. And, keep in mind that this baby can handle 17w per channel!

Pros

Cons

Lastly, I'd like to thank Lux Design, a Canadian retailer, for providing the review unit so quickly. Be sure to check out their online store if you're interesting in this, or other case modding parts, as they have a wide selection of items. Thanks!

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