Introduction

Today we are reviewing the Fractal Design Adjust 108 fan controller, which has six channels, each one controlling one fan up to 36 W.

The Adjust 108 uses one 5.25” bay. Its box is simple and small, in black cardboard, as shown in Figure 1.

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Figure 1: Box

Figure 2 shows the Adjust 108, which comes with the cables pre-attached.

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Figure 2: Box contents

This fan controller will be discussed in detail in the following pages.

The Fractal Design Adjust 108

The fan controller uses one 5.25” bay. It is simply a fan controller, with no thermometers or USB ports. The fans are controlled using six sliding potentiometers, which can be seen in Figure 3. Below each potentiometer, you can see one LED.

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Figure 3: Front panel

Figure 4 exhibits the side of the controller, where you see the holes for the screws.

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Figure 4: Side view

Figure 5 presents the rear side of the controller, revealing the circuit board. All cables are connected to the device with removable connectors.

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Figure 5: Rear side

Installation

The installation of the Adjust 108 is easy. You just need to open a 5.25” bay on your case, put the panel in place, attach the screws, and connect the fans to the cables.

Figure 6 presents the product cables. The power cable, shown at the left side, must be connected to the power supply using one standard peripheral power connector or a SATA power connector. The fan connectors are three-pin ones. Those connectors are also compatible with four-pin connectors found on PWM fans. The Adjust 108 is not compatible with fans that use a four-pin standard peripheral power connector (“Molex”).

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Figure 6: Cables

Operation

The operation of the Fractal Design Adjust 108 is easy and intuitive. Slide each potentiometer up and down in order to control the speed of the respective fan. At the upper position the fan will be at full speed, and at the lower position it will be running at minimum speed. There is no way to turn off the fan.

There is a dual color LED below each potentiometer. If there is no fan connected to an output, or the fan is blocked and not spinning, the LED is off. If the fan is set at the lower half of the potentiometer curse, it glows in white, and in the upper half, it turns blue.

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Figure 7: The Adjust 108 in operation

Main Specifications

The main specifications for the Fractal Design Adjust 108 fan controller include:

• Front Panel: Brushed aluminum
• Temperature sensors: None
• Fans controlled: Six
• USB ports: None
• e-SATA ports: None
• Used bays: One 5.25” bay
• Maximum fan power: 36 W per channel
• More information: http://www.fractal-design.com
• Average price in the U.S.*: USD 35.00

* Researched at Amazon.com on the day we published this review.

Conclusions

The Fractal Design Adjust 108 is simple to use, elegant, and powerful. It is no more than a simple fan controller, but it is excellent as a fan controller, with a very intuitive operation.

Strong points

• Simple and intuitive to use
• Great looks
• You can remove unused cables
• Controls an awesome 36 W per channel
• LED indicates if the fan is actually spinning

Weak points

• Cannot turn off a fan
• No audible alarm for blocked fans