Back in December, when I was preparing to write an article on case modifications, I decided I didn’t want to deal with three-million power connectors cluttering up my case, and when I ordered my beautiful stainless-steel Panaflow fan, I was glad that I didn’t have to deal with any rewiring. How did I circumvent these two annoyances? Well, I picked me up a FanBus, and by golly, it’s one sweet accessory.
What exactly is a FanBus, you ask? It’s a simple square-shaped thingamajig with a power lead running to it in order to power up fans, peltiers, or any other 12-volt electronic widget you may want to throw into your case. With one FanBus (using one of your power connectors), you can power up four or eight fans. Without it, you’d have to deal with power-connector splitters, and, for those fans without standard connections, rewiring. Yea, I hear you: “Ewww” is exactly what I said.
Review: First off, the FanBus isn’t a product made by an emotionless company that’s only interested in making a quick buck. Rather, the FanBus enterprise (if you wanna call it that) is headed by FanBus designer Cliff Anderson. If there’s one thing that makes my experience with the FanBus memorable, it’s dealing with Cliff. Not only is he professional about his work, but he’s a nice guy to talk to, and since he’s both the contact person and the one who makes the FanBus, you won’t get a moronic customer support/sales person e-mailing you back with answers to your questions.
My purchasing decision began with a run-through of the information at the FanBus website. With a handful of questions, I e-mailed Cliff and exchanged a couple of e-mails. The beauty of Cliff’s operation is that nothing is truly set in stone, allowing you to discuss customizations to your FanBus, albeit to a limited degree. Of course, most people will be looking at one of the three main FanBus models: the spring clip design, the spring terminal design, or the new BayBus.
When I was talking to Cliff, the BayBus design was still in its infancy, so my decision revolved around the earlier two designs. While the BayBus is very similar to the spring-terminal design, albeit designed to sit in one of your open 5.25″ bays, with switches to turn on individual fans, the original FanBus design allows you to power on all fans connected to your system at once. The main two differences between the spring clip and screw terminal configurations are size (the latter is smaller) and the manner in which fans are connected. In the screw terminal configuration, you have to wind the stripped fan wire around a screw and fasten it, while in the spring clip design, you simply press open a clip, slide the stripped wire in, and release to fasten the wire. Obviously, the spring clip is easier to deal with, especially in tight areas, but it is a bit larger. You can compare the sizes from the image below. The inner-most piece of paper is the same size as an eight-port screw terminal, the middle paper the same size as a four-port spring clip design, and the outer-most paper is the same size as an eight-port spring clip design.
I decided that my cooling obsession might very well reach new levels in the upcoming months, and just to be in the clear, I opted to get the largest of the three designs, and ordered an eight-port spring clip FanBus. I told Cliff that I wanted a lighted switch for the FanBus, so that I could turn off the fans at night, and then gave him length estimations for the power lead and switch lead, so I could adequately route the cabling through my system without wire buildup.
Cliff started working on the FanBus as soon as I gave him the above information, and told me he’d wait to send it out until he received my check. That worked out pretty well, as the unit was ready to be shipped in a couple days. The FanBus arrived in a manilla envelope with instructions on its use, and the unit stored in bubble-wrap. All I needed to do now was mount the FanBus, find a place to put the switch, and attach it to the switch-lead. Everything seemed pretty simple.
And no, you’re not gonna get a, “but it really wasn’t” conclusion. In fact, the hardest part I had installing the FanBus was removing the switch from the switch-lead when I was playing around with it. I almost thought I was gonna break off one of the switch-lead connectors, but the thing was sturdy. I ended up drilling a small hole into the front of my case with my trusty dremel tool, and another behind the case exterior (through the metal part), to route the switch through. The installation looked pretty good, and my only real gripe was that the power switch is a little large, sticking a bit too far out. Of course, that’s a matter of opinion, and either way, when the switch is in the on position, it gets quite a look from people scoping out my computer. So, with that set, I prepared to mount the FanBus itself.
Originally, I underestimated the size of the FanBus that I ordered. Had it been just a little thinner, it would have fit perfectly where I intended it to sit, but that wasn’t too big of a deal. I finally settled on mounting the FanBus to the side of my computer’s power supply, which brough the wires attached to it awfully close to the side of my computer case. Just to be extra-precautious, I put black electrical tape on the inside of the computer case that was close to the FanBus. The placement of my unit made it easier to take the computer case off (since I have a blowhole on one side), and still kept wires and such from blocking any of my airflow.
To power my case fans off of the FanBus, I simply snipped off the ends of the fan power connectors, stripped them, and plugged them into their respective spots on the FanBus. With my lighted switch all set, I turned on my computer, flipped the lighted switch, and listened to my fans spin up. It’s never been easier, folks.
Verdict: 9/10 Price of Tested Unit: $18 (shipping included) Pluses: There’s no better way to manage multiple case fans. Minuses: The lighted switch is a bit large, and the BayBus fan-selection-feature would be nice for us without free drive bays. Final Words: If you’ve got a case full o’ fans, get the FanBus, as you really won’t regret it. But make sure you get one with a switch, so you can turn those loud fans off at night. If you only need to power a couple fans, and have a drive bay open, you might want to give the newer BayBus a shot.
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