Sunbeam Rheobus - LED Resistor Mod

ty1er · 09-30-07, 08:55 PM

I just received my Sunbeam Rheobus the other day. So far it seems like a well built solid fan 4 channel fan controller. You cant go wrong as they sell for around 12$ + shipping. The one major draw back is that the LEDs are super brite. If your in a dark room and turn this unit on it will cast blue/red circles on the opposite wall of the room. I guessing that this is what most people would like to change about this unit.

First off I want to give credit to Jason Padrick for his idea for this mod.

I simple want to better illustrate the comparison between the stock and modified brightness the best I could.

In Jasons tutorial he used 5K and 10K resisors.

Quote:

A 5K ohm resistor would yield brightness about ½ the original, or around 4x a standard case LED. We finally settled on a 10K resistor, which is about 2x the brightness of a standard LED and puts out much less light into the room. The power input dropped to the single digit milliamp range as well.

Since my PC sits adjacent to my desk facing towards me I wanted the LEDs as dim as could be. I wanted the least amount of light thrown off by them.

I decided to use a 22k omh resistor. Radioshack sells these in packs of 5 for 99cents. You might want to pick up a few different ones rated of differnt omhs to get the leds to the dimness you are looking for. I took a quick amps reading with my multimeter without the led in place. 31mA, was the stock, and with a 22k ohms resistor in the curuit the reading dropped to .5mA. So that 60 times less amps.

I tried to get a accurate to life brightness with the photos below.

This Photo shows the 2 of the stock LEDs on in the +7v mode. Yeah, there that bright.

To remove the LEDs all you have to do is reach around the back and move the black little clips out of the way that are surrounding the led. Then push the led threw. Once is out of the black plastic retainer, I used needle nose pliyers to pull it out of the board.

Here is what the led looks like after removing it from the unit.

Here is the LED shown with the ground leg cut so that I can solder on the resistor

Soldering complete.

Excess wire has been cut, now the led is ready to be reinstalled.

This is a pretty accuate photo of how less bright the moded led looks. You can compare the difference from the first photo in this thread.

Showing the difference between the two, the stock led and the led with the 22k resistor on it.

Now here is the red. As you can see the red LED is very dim. Alot dimmer then the blue one.
Since I'm going to be running all my fans above 7volts this did not matter to me.

Here is a shot showing the modified led installed.

If anything doesn't read right it is due to the fact that I have put few back at the Taste of RI this afternoon. So I'm apologizing in advance

I'll be back tomorrow to edit things, if needed.

-ty1er

MooMasster716 · 09-30-07, 10:10 PM

You list different resistors in your mod.A 2k and a 22k. Which did you use?

inkfx · 09-30-07, 10:15 PM

Ooo, very nice. Thanks for the picture log and everything.

The soldering doesn't look so tough on this so perhaps I'll try it when I've got the time/supplies.

bryan_d · 09-30-07, 10:44 PM

Very informative,

The pictures you included were helpful. I will be modifying the LED's on my Sunbeam as soon as I have the time to buy the resistors and perform the soldering.

Bryan D

ty1er · 10-01-07, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MooMasster716

You list different resistors in your mod.A 2k and a 22k. Which did you use?

That was mis typed. The resistors that I used were 22k.

ty1er · 10-01-07, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inkfx

Ooo, very nice. Thanks for the picture log and everything.

The soldering doesn't look so tough on this so perhaps I'll try it when I've got the time/supplies.

Yeah, since you can remove the LED from the unit. Soldering is pretty simple.

Dark Marauder · 10-01-07, 07:57 PM

Many thanks. Looks like I've just found a project for next weekend

Elluzion · 10-01-07, 09:06 PM

those are bright! geez crazy! GOOD JOB!!!

Navig · 10-02-07, 01:27 AM

Nice write-ups. Been doing the same mod with 10K Ohm resistors. 10K Ohm balances the LEDs to most other types of computer lighting.

10K Ohm here.

Red lighting here, again 10K Ohm.

You can just make out the resistors.

d4m0n · 10-03-07, 06:39 PM

Radio Shack has 10K Ohm resistors in 1/2 watt and 1/4 watt flavors. Which do I need?

ty1er · 10-03-07, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d4m0n

Radio Shack has 10K Ohm resistors in 1/2 watt and 1/4 watt flavors. Which do I need?

I used the 1/4watt ones. If my memory serves me correctly, I think that there less the an eighth watt in that circuit.

d4m0n · 10-08-07, 08:59 PM

Went to radio shack & picked up a cheap 25w soldering iron, a "helping hand" and a pack of 10K Ohm resistors. Did the mod yesterday after about 30-45 minutes of practicing with the wires on an extra 80mm case fan - since it was my first time soldering and all. My joints were clean and the results were great. The LEDs no longer light up the entire room and they don't blind you if you look directly at them. They're a little brighter than the standard LEDs on my case, or about the same as on my external HDD. Damon approved!

jason4207 · 10-09-07, 10:56 AM

I will be trying this mod sometime soon. I have already pressed the LEDs into the case a bit which helps, but if you look directly into the lights you'll be seeing a blue blob for a while. I may go w/ the 10k resistor, though, but I'm still not sure.

M Diddy · 02-16-08, 08:28 PM

Back from the dead....

I just performed this mod today (first time soldering) and it went pretty well. Two things though...

1. I used 10K Ohm 1/2 Watt resistors. Is it going to impact anything if I did use the 1/4 Watt ones?

2. The LED's are definitly dimmer, but the weird thing is that 3 out of the 4 LEDs are now more of a teal color and one of the is just a dimmer blue. Why is that one LED now a different color then the rest. I have have no clue.

Thanks for any help in advance!

JamesXP · 02-16-08, 10:43 PM

Another tip is to sand the LEDs to make them rough, it diffuses the light

M Diddy · 02-18-08, 08:54 PM

Guys, any idea why the one LED is more blue while the other three are a lighter teal color??? I redid the resistors today with 1/4 watt ones and I still have that one odd-ball LED.

Jolly-Swagman · 02-18-08, 08:58 PM

They look allot better not as bright, can be a right in the ass to the eyes when PC is fairly close to view

09-30-07, 10:10 PM	#2
MooMasster716 Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Fontana, CA	You list different resistors in your mod.A 2k and a 22k. Which did you use? __________________ Intel E8500 @3.99ghz ### Xigmatech HDT-1283 4GB G.Skill F2 6400CL5-2GBPQ @840mhz Asus P5b Deluxe ### CFC 8800GS XXX 1TB Western Digital Green 1000Watt Cooler Master Real Power PS 10 case fans of pure silence on 2 Sunbeam Fan Controlers CoolerMaster 690 My Heatware

09-30-07, 10:15 PM	#3
inkfx Benching Team Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: San Antonio, Texas	Ooo, very nice. Thanks for the picture log and everything. The soldering doesn't look so tough on this so perhaps I'll try it when I've got the time/supplies. __________________ \| Dell Studio17 Laptop \| \| T9300 @ 2.5Ghz - ATI 3850 - 3GB RAM - 250GB HDD - 17" (1920x1200) Glossy widescreen \| Windows 7 64-bit \|

10-01-07, 09:06 PM	#8
Elluzion Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: [NorCal]	those are bright! geez crazy! GOOD JOB!!! __________________ My First Rig Below Up And Running [Currently Working On Fixing My Temps and Cleaning My Computer / Loop ] case: LIAN LI PC-A70B Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower mobo: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R + vDrop Mod cpu: Q6600 mem: Crucial Ballistix 2gb (2x1gb) DDR2 800 psu: Corsair 520hx gfx: EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 512Mmb cooling: Watercooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H E A T W A R E

10-02-07, 01:27 AM	#9
Navig Member Join Date: Dec 2003	Nice write-ups. Been doing the same mod with 10K Ohm resistors. 10K Ohm balances the LEDs to most other types of computer lighting. 10K Ohm here. Red lighting here, again 10K Ohm. You can just make out the resistors. __________________ E8600 ~ Xeon 3110 ~ E6600 ~ Q6600 ~ E6300 ~ Abit IP35 Pro ~ Abit IN9 32x Max ~ Abit AW9D Max ~ Abit AN8 32x ~ Water Cooled Framer Project ~ TR Ultra Copper vs. X review ~ Jewel Box Project ~ DIY Benching Station ~ Console Project ~ Project Dark Side ~ Tower PC ~ Dual Tower PC ~ Bench Rig ~ My only standard case ~ TR IFX-14 review ~ TR Ultra 120 X review ~ Abit/C2D Starter's guide to overclocking

10-03-07, 06:39 PM	#10
d4m0n Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA	Radio Shack has 10K Ohm resistors in 1/2 watt and 1/4 watt flavors. Which do I need? __________________ CoolerMaster ATC-110b w/Antec True480 \| Thermalright SLK900A w/80mm Vantec Spectrum Abit NF7-S w/Vantec copper Iceberq on NB & aluminum passive on SB Mobile Barton 2600+ (IQYHA 0348 SPMW) @ 2.4GHz (11x218) Volts: vcore = 1.65v (1.6v) / vdd = 1.7v / vdimm = 2.8v (2.88v) / agp = 1.5v Temps: idle = 42c / full load = 50c \| Prime stable 24hrs+ 2GB ADATA PC3200 @ 218MHz in DCM \| 2.5-3-3-8 timings BFG GeForce 6800 OC (non-ultra) 128MB @ 390/850 \| Creative SB Audigy ES 120GB Seagate Barracuda HDD, 7200RPM, 8MB cache

09-30-07, 10:44 PM	#4
bryan_d Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San HO!	Very informative, The pictures you included were helpful. I will be modifying the LED's on my Sunbeam as soon as I have the time to buy the resistors and perform the soldering. Bryan D

10-01-07, 07:57 PM	#7
Dark Marauder Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: North Virginia	Many thanks. Looks like I've just found a project for next weekend

10-08-07, 08:59 PM	#12
d4m0n Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA	Went to radio shack & picked up a cheap 25w soldering iron, a "helping hand" and a pack of 10K Ohm resistors. Did the mod yesterday after about 30-45 minutes of practicing with the wires on an extra 80mm case fan - since it was my first time soldering and all. My joints were clean and the results were great. The LEDs no longer light up the entire room and they don't blind you if you look directly at them. They're a little brighter than the standard LEDs on my case, or about the same as on my external HDD. Damon approved! __________________ CoolerMaster ATC-110b w/Antec True480 \| Thermalright SLK900A w/80mm Vantec Spectrum Abit NF7-S w/Vantec copper Iceberq on NB & aluminum passive on SB Mobile Barton 2600+ (IQYHA 0348 SPMW) @ 2.4GHz (11x218) Volts: vcore = 1.65v (1.6v) / vdd = 1.7v / vdimm = 2.8v (2.88v) / agp = 1.5v Temps: idle = 42c / full load = 50c \| Prime stable 24hrs+ 2GB ADATA PC3200 @ 218MHz in DCM \| 2.5-3-3-8 timings BFG GeForce 6800 OC (non-ultra) 128MB @ 390/850 \| Creative SB Audigy ES 120GB Seagate Barracuda HDD, 7200RPM, 8MB cache Last edited by d4m0n; 10-08-07 at 09:05 PM.

10-09-07, 10:56 AM	#13
jason4207 Do you haz white stars? Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Concord, NC	I will be trying this mod sometime soon. I have already pressed the LEDs into the case a bit which helps, but if you look directly into the lights you'll be seeing a blue blob for a while. I may go w/ the 10k resistor, though, but I'm still not sure. __________________ QUADINATOR: ES Q9550 E0 @ 4GHz 1.256v TRUE MaxIIForm 4GB-Ballistix @ 1132MHz TT Armor GTX280 @ 729/1458/2520 1.175v/0.85v AC-AX Xplosion-DTS 300GB-VR PCP&C750 Hanns-G 27.5" 1920x1200LCD Z5500-5.1 Saitek-Eclipse G9 Logitech Driving Force Pro-Microsim Racing Pod Vantage 'X'-6,727 SPEED-QUEEN: E5200 M0 @ 3.84GHz 1.352v CM-Hyper212 P5K-Prem 2GB-Ballistix @ 1GHz Antec900 HD4850 @ 800/2300 1.3v/1.05v HR03GT 2x250GB-WD RAID0+1 Zeus560W Acer 22" 1680x1050 Stereo-2.0 *HEAT* GAMING HTPC: E5200 M0 @ 3.6GHz 1.344v Geminii-S P5Q-EM 4GB-OCZ-Plat @ 900MHz AntecNSK2480 8800GTS @ 648/1620/2200 1.0v 8800GTstockcooler 640GB-WDAAKS AntecEW380W Sanyo PLV-Z4 720P Projector 95" 6.1 DTS-ES 110W/ch unRAID FILE SERVER: E5200 M0 @ 2GHz 0.856v MSIP43Neo-F 4GB-Corsair @ 800MHz CM-Centurion PCIgfxCard 3x1TB-WDGreen 2x1TB-WDBlack 3x640GB-WDAAKS [5.28TB] Antec550W

02-16-08, 08:28 PM	#14
M Diddy Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Reading, PA	Back from the dead.... I just performed this mod today (first time soldering) and it went pretty well. Two things though... 1. I used 10K Ohm 1/2 Watt resistors. Is it going to impact anything if I did use the 1/4 Watt ones? 2. The LED's are definitly dimmer, but the weird thing is that 3 out of the 4 LEDs are now more of a teal color and one of the is just a dimmer blue. Why is that one LED now a different color then the rest. I have have no clue. Thanks for any help in advance! __________________ CPU:LAPPED Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 @ 3.4 Ghz at 1.35 VCore Actual HSF:LAPPED Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme + Shrouded Scythe S-Flex SFF21F RAM:4 x 1GB Crucial Ballistix PC6400 945 Mhz @ 4-4-4-12 2.15V Mobo:Asus P5K-Deluxe P35 HD's:2 x 74GB Raptors RAID 0 + 2 x 160GB WD Sata II's RAID 1 GPU:MSI 8800GTS 512MB (G92) 774/1890/2052 Sound:Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic \| Logitech Z-5300e 280W 5.1 Power:Corsair HX620 Modular Case & Monitor:CoolerMaster 690 \| 26" Doublesight DS-263N H-IPS and 20" Dell 2007wfp S-IPS Heat

02-16-08, 10:43 PM	#15
JamesXP Epic Fail Guy Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: England	Another tip is to sand the LEDs to make them rough, it diffuses the light __________________ HTPC: A64 3200+ / 1024MB RAM / 320GB HD / 8600GT Main-Laptop: Travelmate C300 / 1.6GHz P-M / 512MB / 60GB My Saitek Eclipse III Review

02-18-08, 08:54 PM	#16
M Diddy Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Reading, PA	Guys, any idea why the one LED is more blue while the other three are a lighter teal color??? I redid the resistors today with 1/4 watt ones and I still have that one odd-ball LED. __________________ CPU:LAPPED Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 @ 3.4 Ghz at 1.35 VCore Actual HSF:LAPPED Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme + Shrouded Scythe S-Flex SFF21F RAM:4 x 1GB Crucial Ballistix PC6400 945 Mhz @ 4-4-4-12 2.15V Mobo:Asus P5K-Deluxe P35 HD's:2 x 74GB Raptors RAID 0 + 2 x 160GB WD Sata II's RAID 1 GPU:MSI 8800GTS 512MB (G92) 774/1890/2052 Sound:Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic \| Logitech Z-5300e 280W 5.1 Power:Corsair HX620 Modular Case & Monitor:CoolerMaster 690 \| 26" Doublesight DS-263N H-IPS and 20" Dell 2007wfp S-IPS Heat

02-18-08, 08:58 PM	#17
Jolly-Swagman Team 32 Folding Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Folding@Home in Downunder Australia.Victoria	They look allot better not as bright, can be a right in the ass to the eyes when PC is fairly close to view __________________ MyHeat I'm a Team 32 Folding Mentor - Ask me about Folding My Ultimate QUAD CORE PC CASE-CM690\|Q6600@3.2GHz(8x400)\|GAP35DS3L\|DDR2-4GigXMS2Pro6400/800-4-4-4-12\|Palit9800GTsonic-1GB\|HX520W\|DVDRWLiteonLS\|Sata160+250+320Gig\|OCZVen detta2+HR05NB\|BenQE2200HDWinXPProSP3(BetaTesting)Windows7-Ultimate-64bit <- Folding@Home-2xVM-SMP+GPUv2 My CORE 2 DUO PC E6550@3.0Ghz\|GAG31MS2L\|4GigXMS2Pro6400C5-800-5-5-5-18\|ION2-550W/\|Inno3D8800GT512MB+HR03GT\|ACFrezzer7Pro + NB-HSF\|Viewsonic-VA703B x2 OS's-Ubuntu8.04/WinXPPro<-Rosetta/Folding@Home-VM-SMP+GPUv2->Folding for my Parents for a Cure! The Milestone Thread 4.0 \| Smooth-n-Fold-Custom Project \|The Sled Acrylic Tech Bench