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Product:
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Sunbeam Technology EL & CCFL Fan Grills |
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Price:
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$10-$12 (CAN) / $7-$9 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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Sunbeam Tech
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Author:
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Mantis
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Date:
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October 4th, 2003
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Rating:
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EL Fan Grills:
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Rating:
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CCFL Fan Grills:
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MODTHEBOX would like to thank Mark from Sunbeam Technology
for sending the EL & CCFL Fan Grill Kits for review.
Introduction:
As the case modification market and community continues to season and push the limits on design and
technique, the variety of modification related products does become rather limited when trying to
diversify ones own project from the ever increasing standard of premods and ordinary. The roots of
wire-based fan grills are no longer and since have transitioned into readily available laser cut
patters and illuminated styles. Sunbeam Technology, known for their unique and high quality products
have since released a new series of fan grills based upon CCFL and EL technology. Today in MTB Labs, we
will be evaluating the Sunbeam EL & CCFL Fan Grills.
Specifications:
The Sunbeam EL & CCFL Fan Grills are available in several different popular styles and colors. Based
around CCFL and EL technology, these fan grills are designed to bring an aesthetic appeal to any case
fan that is 80mm. Unfortunately; there are no other sizes currently available aside from 80mm offerings.
Here are some of the specifications taken directly from the Sunbeam Technology website:
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Sunbeam EL Fan Grill Kit - Key Specifications:
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| Sunbeam EL Fan Grill Kit: Manufactured by Sunbeam Technology |
| Clear and high quality acrylic and EL strip |
| Thickness: <0.4mm |
| Working Voltage: 50-110VAC |
| Working Frequency: 500-1000Hz |
| Power consumption: 2-5mw/cm2 |
| Input Voltage: DC12V |
| Input current: <11mA |
| Output Voltage: AC95 ± 5% |
| Output Frequency: 930Hz ± 15% |
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Sunbeam CCFL Fan Grill Kit - Key Specifications:
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| Sunbeam CCFL Fan Grill Kit: Manufactured by Sunbeam Technology |
| EL Wire: 1.2mm diameter, 500mm ± 5% length |
| Clear and high quality acrylic and EL strip |
| Input Voltage: DC12V |
| Input current of inverter: <25mA |
| Output voltage of inverter: AC90V ± 5% (at 1.5 M EL Wire loading) |
| Output frequency of inveter: 1.6KHz ± 15% |
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The Sunbeam EL & CCFL Fan Grills ship in a clear retail blister package featuring Sunbeams color scheme
and logos. The product itself is visible from the front with action shots and specifications found at
rear. Each package comes complete with mounting screws & washers along with an inverter. All the 12V
inverters are neatly housed in plastic boxes and come with outputs for the fan grill and a 2-pin to 4-pin
Molex power connector. A PCI plate based control switch comes bundled with the Dual Cold Cathode model.
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The overall construction of the Sunbeam EL & CCFL Fan Grills is quite simple and is based around a solid
acrylic design in which several popular lighting products have been implemented. The Michael Jordan style
grill combines a solid 5mm square acrylic base with a pink EL sheet from behind to provide a unique glowing
image effect. The Half-Life style grill features a two-part thick acrylic Half-Life style base and
combines Electroluminescent wire to illuminate the popular logo.
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Lastly, the Cold Cathode Fan Grill is based upon the popular first generation cold cathode fan grill
design. A second inner ring has since been added to the unit to provide twice the amount of light
produced. Both cathode rings are neatly and securely housed inside a clear plastic shell. Once powered,
the Cold Cathode fan grill provides and impressive amount of light and could easily fully illuminate a
mid-tower case. After 5 hours of usage, the unit remained cool to the touch and can be easily switched
on or off using the bundled PCI plate switch.
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Once all the necessary connections are made to a power supply, users can proceed to power the fan grills.
The Half-Life style EL wire grill produced a warm glowing effect throughout yet did not diffuse the light
throughout the acrylic which would benefit the overall appeal. The EL sheet Michael Jordan design was rather
pale in color in comparison but did produce an even glow with no dead spots noted. Overall, each fan grill
brings a unique design and effect all of which will cater to achieving their own ideal application.
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Conclusion:
The Sunbeam Technology EL & CCFL Fan Grills bring a new twist to the already available fan grills
currently available. Incorporating El and CCFL technology allows for a greater amount of illumination
and in a smaller area and more possible modification scenarios. Each unit is well constructed with
impressive illumination results to match. The hassle free price and unique designs will appeal to a
wide variety of consumers. Users should note that the designs are strictly aesthetic based and offer no
performance increased when paired with a fan. The only negative drawback to these products is the
increased amount of wires associated with the inverter along with the limited availability of only 80mm
sizes. Aside from a few minor issues, I'm rating the Sunbeam Technology CCFL Fan Grill a
8.5 out of 10 and the EL Fan Grills an
8 out of 10. I would recommend these products
to individuals seeking a new unique alternative to standard fan grills. If you have any questions
regarding this review be sure to visit the Sunbeam Technology
website for more information or discuss them in our forums.
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Pros:
- Easy installation
- Great Illumination
- Unique designs
- Housed inverter
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Cons:
- Additional wire clutter
- Light does not diffuse well on EL wire model
- Pale color on EL sheet model
- Only 80mm sizes available
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