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[nextpage title=”Introduction”]

Today we are testing the Aerocool F6XT fan controller, which has six channels, each one capable of controlling 12 W. Check it out!

The F6XT is a rare type of fan controller because its only purpose is to control fans. It has no thermometers, no USB or eSATA ports, and doesn’t even include a clock.

Figure 1 illustrates the simplicity of its box.

As shown in Figure 2, you will find the fan controller itself, four screws, and a manual.

Figure 2: Box contents

This fan controller will be discussed in detail in the following pages.

[nextpage title=”The Aerocool F6XT”]

The fan controller uses one 5.25" bay, and has seven buttons and 24 LEDs, as displayed in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Front panel

Figure 4 presents the rear side of the controller, which reveals the circuit board. The cables are soldered directly to the board, so you cannot disconnect the cables you aren’t using.

Figure 4: Rear side

Figure 5 exhibits the side of the controller, where four screws hold the controller in place.

Figure 5: Side view

[nextpage title=”Installation”]

Installing the F6XT is a breeze. All you have to do is place it in a 5.25" bay, attach the four screws that come with the controller, and connect the cables.

Figure 6 presents the product cables. The power cable, shown at the right side, must be connected to the power supply. The other six cables are the fan outputs, each one with a standard peripheral power connector.

Those connectors are, in our opinion, the great problem with the F6XT. Most fans available on the retail market (mainly the high-end ones) use three-pin power connectors. So, if you have some of those three-pin fans, you will have to buy either a power adapter or new fans.

It wouldn’t be a problem if Aerocool had included some power adapters with the fan controller. It would be a much more logical choice to manufacture this fan controller with three-pin connectors and include six power adapters to allow the user to use both type of fans.

Figure 6: Cables

[nextpage title=”Operation”]

The operation of the F6XT is as simple as it gets. There are seven buttons. There’s a button at the center of the front panel, where you change the LEDs status to red, blue or off. There is one button for each channel (under the number of the fan) that adjusts the fan speed to low, medium or high, which is shown by one, two, or three LEDs lit for the channel.

There is no way to completely turn off one fan. In addtion, the controller doesn’t “sense” the fan in any way; it doesn’t warn if the fan is disconnected or stops spinning.

Figure 7 shows the controller in use, with red LEDs selected and all fans at the high power.

Figure 7: Red LEDs

Figure 8 illustrates how the panel looks with blue LEDs and channel 1 set to low power.

Figure 8: Blue LEDs

[nextpage title=”Main Specifications”]

The main specifications for the Aerocool F6XT fan controller include:

• Front Panel: Plastic
• Temperature sensors: None
• Fans controlled: Six
• Display: None
• USB ports: None
• e-SATA ports: None
• Used bays: One 5.25" bay
• Maximum fan power: 12 W per channel.
• More information: https://www.aerocool.us
• Average price in the US*: USD 25.00

* Researched at Newegg.com on the day we published this review.

[nextpage title=”Conclusions”]

The Aerocool F6XT is probably the simplest fan controller we have seen in many years. It is simple to install, simple to use, but maybe it is simply too simple. We consider it to be expensive for the resources if offers.

Strong points

• Supports 12 W per channel
• Easy to install and operate

Weak points

• Incompatible with fans with three-pin connector
• Cannot turn off a fan
• Doesn’t have an alarm if a fan stops
• Doesn’t have any kind of automatic fan control
• If you have fewer than six fans controlled, you cannot remove the unused cables