CoolJag Programmable LED Fan

CoolJag Mini LED Programmable Fan
by Graeme Clark

Ever since we first got stock of Thermaltake iFlash fans, we've been asked 'Can you change the message?' The answer was 'no', until now - CoolJag have released a new case fan in 80, 92 and 120mm formats which includes a USB controller and software that allows you to edit the message displayed on the fans. By using a rotating LED bar mounted on the hub of the fan and switching the LEDs through a pattern quickly it tricks the eye into seeing a near-static image. Clever stuff.

First up, connect the USB interface to the central hub of the fan. At this point, you should not have the fan connected to the 3 or 4pin power connectors. Two blue LEDs illuminate on the fan to confirm it's connected to the controller.

Next, pop in the mini-sized driver CD and install the software. Although the installation software looks a bit 'old' it seems to work fine in both XP and Vista.

Next, run the software and you are greeted with a series of empty message boxes. Each message allows up to 16 characters, and up to 32 messages can be stored but there's a total stored character limit of 128 characters. Both alphanumeric and a series of symbols are offered, and a series of different display modes can be selected - Fixed, Flashing, Wipe Left to Right, Wipe Right to Left. The software also includes an on-screen preview, and ultimately the important 'Burn' button to save the settings to the fan. You can also save and load different message profiles, which is quite handy.

And now you're ready to roll. Close the software, switch off your PC, remove the USB plug and then connect the fan to a 3pin header (or a 4pin molex using the included adapter) and admire your creation.

In between each message, the fan will display the temperature (read from the hub of the fan) although it only seems possible to display this in fahrenheit. Another neat feature on the fan is that if the fan speed is slowed, the controller will still adjust the messages to display correctly - I lowered the fan speed using the Asus 'QFan' control enabled and set to 'Silent' and while the fan speed noticably lowered the text was still readable although it appeared to flicker a little.

As for the fan itself - it's a reasonable enough unit, not completely silent, but when the speed is lowered it's certainly not far off. I tried the 120mm fan, but I suspect the 80 and 92mm models will be similar, offering a reasonable compromise between airflow and noise levels.

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Want to buy a CoolJag LED Fan? We stock them in120mm,92mm and80mm sizes.

And here's a little video clip showing the fan in action. The camera makes it appear to flicker more than it really does - when viewed normally the image appears more stable. (URL  = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtfdR1jRRPY)

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