Logisys Remote Multifunction Panel Review - Page 1 of 2
By Brian Cochran - August 1, 2005
INTRODUCTION
I like convenience. Of the dozen or so mods I've done to my car, perhaps the most utilized mod is a car alarm system with remote start.
Living in the Midwest, having cold winters and hot summers, it's great to turn my car on from inside the building so the heater or air
conditioner is running by the time I get there. Well, thanks to Logisys,
I have this same convenience with my PC.
A Look at the Box
Logisys has created a low-cost Remote Multifunction Panel, complete with remote control for powering up and rebooting your PC. It's about as convenient as you can get.
SPECIFICATIONS
Remote Control Buttons: Power On and Reset
Panel Input Power: 5VSB DC, and 12VDC
Remote Control Input Power: Alkaline Batteries
Remote Range: 10 to 15ft
Fan Control: 3 Pin
Temperature Sensor: 2 Independent Sensors and Meters
Antenna: Single Telescopic Antenna Included
Dimension: 14.7 x 4.2 x 10cm, 5.75'x 1.63" x 5.94" (LxWxD)
Color: Black or Silver
INSTALLATION
The manual that comes with the Remote Multifunction Panel is in full color, and is large enough for my Dad to read without his
glasses. Some of the pictures were a little fuzzy, but I don't think my Dad would notice. The case I was installing the Panel
in uses drive rails for the 5 1/4 inch drive bays. Because of the holes in the rails, it meant that I would either have to
have the Panel stick out from the case slightly, or have it recessed from the front of the case slightly. I chose to have it
slightly recessed.
It's not a big deal, but not exactly desirable. They included an extension for the motherboard power
connector from the power supply so that the Panel gets its own specialized power connection. In addition to this extension,
the case power has to be rerouted and the buttons from the motherboard reset to the Panel, which takes a couple of extra wires
that are included.
Package Contents
The remote works thanks to a plate with an antenna that is mounted to the rear of the case. The plate is attached to the front
panel via a long cable. The USB ports on the Panel have a cable that connects to a free motherboard header. The FireWire port
has a cable that you must feed through a hole in the back panel for the antenna and plug into another external FireWire port.
The Panel contains a sliding indicator that acts as a rheostat for a single fan header. I connected my front case fan to this
fan header. Also included were 2 temperature sensors. I placed one in a very open area of the case, not near any heat sources,
to test the ambient temperature inside the case. The other, I placed near the processor.
