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LANFire By Night - Modding the ThermalTake by ACRyan

Modding/Case Mods by terangreal @ 2003-12-21

ACRyan is fairly new to the modding scene. They send us some of their most impressive products in the "UVactive Fever" line. Take a look how this high quality modding gear can give a Thermaltake Lanfire the edge!

BlackFire4 UV LEDfan 80mm

2x Blackfire4 UV LEDFan - 80mm UVBlue / 4x UV LED
ACR-BF5613

Specifications

clear acrylic fan with 4 ultrabright UV LEDs (UV-active™)

80x80x25mm

ball bearing

fan power consumption: 1.3W

LEDs power consumption: 0.3W

power consumption: 1.62W

fan speed: 2500RPM (+12V)

noise level: 27.85dB

airflow: 32.37CFM

Package contains

ACR-BF5613 with 3-pin power connector

A 3 pin to 4 pin (with pass through) adaptor

4 mounting screws

Madshrimps (c)

What you see is what you get: a sturdy combination of cardboard and plastic to prevent the fan from sustaining damage, with all the specifications you need printed on the backside.

I do have to make 3 remarks here:
1) "Ultra-silent fans": an 80mm producing ~32CFM at ~28dB isn't bad, but not what I would call "ultra-silent" ... plain silent would be more suited here.
2) Both fans we received as review samples didn't sport a 4-pin power connector, but a 3-pin connector instead. I don't find this to be a negative point, as a 3-pins can be hooked up directly to the main board - whether it is to power your fan, or only to have an RPM readout. We have mailed A.C.Ryan about this issue, so expect an update about which one is the standard power plug.
3) When you compare the list of specifications printed on the package and the one shown on their site, you will find some differences. Again, we've mentioned this to A.C.Ryan in order to clear things up.

Madshrimps (c)

Not powered - a light blue/green touch to it, but nothing out of the ordinary. This picture clearly shows only 3 wires (+12V, GND, RPM)

Madshrimps (c)

Still not hooked up, this is what A.C.Ryan would refer to as UV-passive I guess. A minor UV glow can be seen, reacting with the UV CCFL next to the main board.

Madshrimps (c)

Showtime! Finally hooked up, pushing quite a lot of air at a reasonable sound level. Too bad night shots are quite hard to make, this picture doesn't do justice to the effect of the 4 UV LEDs. Generating 2000mcd each, the fan is able to light up a part of your case at its own! In reality, the colour is a bit more blue-ish.

Madshrimps (c)

A close-up of one of the UV LEDs, incorporated in the fan's housing. Just like the rest of the fan, this has a high quality feel and look to it, definitely a pro point!

Blackfire4 UV-LEDfan 80mm (ACR-BF5613)
PRO	CONTRA
good performance	mediocre noise production*
overall quality and finishing	availability**
safely packaged
pricing (~ €7)
UV effect is extremely good

* Sound production is a subjective point to me, as different people are used to different things. I did note it as a contra, but this point depends entirely on your own, individual opinion.
I, for example, am used to a 92mm Papst. I find these fans to be quite loud.
JMke is used to high performance Alpha fans. He'll probably think these are "ultra-silent" indeed. :)

** I was able to find but a few Belgian web shops who sell A.C.Ryan products -- whether that would be because A.C.Ryan hasn't been around for a long time yet or some other factor(s), I can only guess ...

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