Koolance TMS-200 testing results / review

Koolance TMS-200 Thermal Management System

Manufacturer:

www.koolance.com

Product Pages:

TMS-200 Thermal Interface Controller
TMS-EB200 Expansion Board

Software and Manuals:

Thermal Management Software v2.2.1

TMS-200 Program & Drivers v2.1.2 (Windows 7 or Vista 32/64-bit) - v2.1.2 released May 28, 2009
TMS-200 Program & Drivers v2.1.2 (Windows XP 32/64-bit) - v2.1.2 reelased May 28, 2009

v2.1.2 Additions:

-120dpi resolution support.
-User-definable pump and fan speed levels. These can be accessed via the "Adjust" option beneath any fan or pump's drop-down menu.
-A new debugging log feature. If there are issues in the software that cause an error or crash, information should be posted to the debug log file in the TMS root directory. Debug logs can be disabled under "Settings".
-Color code indicators have been added to all devices on the main screen (temperature, fans, pump, flow meters, etc.) to make the display graph more legible.
-The option to disable the TMS tray icon hover menu was added. To access, right click and select "Disable Mouseover Menu".
-Additional fixes for stability.

Thermal Management Software v2.0

TMS-200 Program & Drivers (Windows 7 or Vista 32/64-bit) - v2.0 released Mar. 19, 2009
TMS-200 Program & Drivers (Windows XP 32/64-bit) - v2.0 released Mar. 19, 2009
TMS-200 Program Help File - v1.0 released Mar. 19, 2009

TMS-200 Manual
TMS-EB200 Manual

Known Keyboard Shortcuts:

"CTRL+S" = open Settings Dialogue Screen
"CTRL+A" = open Alarm Functions Screen
"CTRL+D" = open Shutdown Functions Screen
"CTRL+F" = open Fan Settings Menu
"CTRL+P" = open Pump Settings Menu
"CTRL+L" = open Log Functions Screen
"CTRL+V" = open Log Viewer

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images...og/tms2005.jpg

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images...og/tms2002.jpg

After purchasing a TMS-200 and expansion board, I went over to the koolance forums and discovered this troublesome thread:

http://forums.koolance.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=576

Seems some folks are having some problems with this controller. I got a little worried initially so I thought i should test mine out somewhat. A few hours later I am happy to report that I am pleasantly surprised. 8) My controller did not exhibit any of the of the known bugs listed in the koolance thread, not even one. I just recently recieved my controller so perhaps i have a new version. I cleaned and flushed out my rads, mounted the fans and hooked everything up to the TMS-200 and began experimenting.

TMS-200 with EB200 installed and mounted into the bay bracket:

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images...og/tms2007.jpg

6 fan channels, 2 pump channels, 4 flowmeter channels(INS-FMS17 or INS-FMS16), Led control for INS-FMS16, Shutdown switch header, and 10 thermal probe channels on a sexy black PCB. Not bad!!


TMS-200 and EB200 Vital Stats

-Fan and pump connectors have a rating of 2A/24W per channel
-The total current limit for the TMS-200 board is 6.5A.
-Pump Speed control is analog
-Fan Speed Control is PWM.
-Accepts 2 style of flowmeter (INS-FMS17 or INS-FMS16 w/LED control)
-Internal/external USB interface
-4 Pin Molex power

TMS-200 Main Board Features:

-Temperature monitoring of up to 5 sensors, each with individual alarm and power shutdown settings
-User-defined pump "auto" settings: set the min/max temperature values and speed for one 12V DC pump
-User-defined fan "auto" settings: set the min/max temperature values and speed for three 12V DC fans
-Coolant flow rate reporting for one Koolance flow meter
-Pump and fan RPM reporting
-Pump performance test mode
-Logging and playback of: temperatures, fan speed, pump speed, and coolant flow rate (creates raw text file)
-Option for hardware or software safety shutdown with adjustable delay period, based on any temperature
-Allows custom alarm sounds through an available sound card.

Optional TMS-EB200 Expansion Board Features:

-Adds 1 additional pump
-Adds 1 additional flow meter
-Adds 3 additional fans
-Adds 5 additional temperature sensors

Whats included in the box:

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images...og/tms2004.jpg

First off I would like to thank Koolance for including EVERYTHING needed with this controller, unlike other products that just include one or 2 and you have to buy extra.

The Koolance controller comes with the full package to MAX OUT the controller with the exception of the flowmeter, which makes sense because some poeple may not want the restriction. However, to fully maximize the abilities of the controller I would highly recommend installing the optional flowmeter(s). Some highlights of the package include PCB/pump/fan power extension cables, internal and external USB cables, ATX pass-through wire for hardware shutdown functions, 5 temp probes, 2 mounting brackets (one for PCI slot, or 5 1/4 bay). The EB200 comes with similar fare and all in all, its more than most will need.


Installation:


To get things rolling took literally about 15 minutes... and all in all a complete no brainer. Just screw it together, connect the usb cable and your desired peripherals. Then download and install latest version of TMS software from koolance website (see top of post) Be sure to check the install driver option when going through the setup...reboot and all set to go! It seems as though the TMS-200 runs on a USB to serial driver. Very likely if someone could get ahold of the HEX code list of commands that the controller can accept, an alternative software app could be written for this, or plugins could be added to the existing software app. The software puts a little Koolance icon in your system tray, very much like speedfan. If you hover over it, it gives a pop window of vital system temps, double clicking opens up the main console screen.

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/app1.jpg


Test Scenario 1 - Basic Functionality.


Yup. it all works, no bugs for me like others reported.

I tested all fan, thermal and pump channels with multiple probes etc. on the main board and the expansion. They can be hot plugged in real time, although there is probably a Koolance disclaimer against that...still, the peripherals were easily hot swapped while the unit was live and powered up with no immediate adverse effects. The software will detect and update peripherals accordingly. This can make identifying temp probes/fans a snap.

Software details....

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/app2.jpg

-Refresh rate is roughly about 1 tick per second on the graph, similar to task manager in windows.
- 2.5 - 3 second delay before a physical response from the pump or fan occurs from the time a MANUAL command is intiated in the software.
- 1.5 - 2 second delay for the auto monitoring software to respond to a change in temp/flow rate/alarm etc.

The auto monitoring definately responds faster than if you manually initiate commands.

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images...og/tms2003.jpg

Peripheral Reporting Characteristics

-temperature is displayed in 1 degree units, no decimal places in celsius or farenheight
-flow rate is displayed in GPM to two decimal places (i.e. 2.74 GPM) or LPM to one decimal place (i.e. 6.4 LPM)
-Pump voltage is displayed to one decimal place
-Pump RPM's are rounded to nearest ten, (i.e. 2640 RPM)
-Fan speed is displayed in percentage..not voltage due to PWM control
-Fan Speed rounded to nearest ten (i.e. 760 RPM)
-probes are fairly sensitive. the Coolant temperature plug successfulyl detected a 2 degree change above ambient from the pump's heat dump when the fans were disabled.

The real time graph can monitor temps, fan speed, pump or flow meter, or be set to cycle through them at 5, 10, 20 or 30 second intervals. All colors can be adjusted (background and individual monitoring colors)

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/app3.jpg

Pump Benchmark:

There is a mini "Benchmark" built into the software app called pump characteristics. It will cycle and monitor your flow rates based on voltage throughout the entire spectrum of the controller. Definately useful for testing different loop configurations and pumping power. It dumps the results to a nice bitmap screenshot:

**be sure not to run this while benching or heavy thermal usage**

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/test1.bmp

The data is useful in the sense that it lets you know the optimal voltages to run at..as you can see with this example test loop, there are basically 3 settings worth using..level 5, level 12 and level 15. Not much difference in between those. Also this test will let you know the point at which your pump will fail, in this case it was on the second lowest setting so you can be sure to not go below this voltage when setting up your auto control thresholds.. As loop restriction increases, the minimum voltage required will go up and you can test again. Pretty handy!


Fan Control

A note on the PWM fan control..no howls, clicks or buzzing on my fans at any setting or RPM, I verified it is IDENTICAL acoustically to an analog controller (at least with these fans), by hotswapping in real time.. i could not tell the difference. Plus the fans can start spinning from the lowest setting. For these particular yate loons, my mini setting was 720 RPM, and the max was 1440 RPM there are 16 settings in between at 5% increments.

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/app4.jpg

Very well done Koolance.


INS-FMS17 flowmeter testing


http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images...og/tms2001.jpg

The flowmeter is very simple to install, just pipe it into your loop, plug in the wire and set your tubing diameter in the software. One minor complaint is that the cable on the flowmeter is quite short, you will have to have your controller within a foot or so of the flowmeter. Data can be displayed in GPM to two decimal places or LPM to one decimal place. Is it restrictive? thats hard to say because accuracy of this flowmeter is unknown, here are the results I obtained:

My mini loop was as so:

[INDENT]
-1/2 ID tygon tubing.
-1 x INS-FMS17 flowmeter
-1 x Koolance coolant temperature plug
-1 x HK rev 3.0 LT waterblock
-1 x DDC2 18w pump w/EK rev 2 top.
-1 x Feser Monsta Rad
-1 x Koolance 3/8 ID high flow QDC panel barb male/female

DDC-2 18W on max voltage (12.7V) flow meter measured the empty loop at 2.86 GPM.

addition of one 3/8 ID Koolance VL3 QDC (male and female) = 2.38 GPM
addition of one HK 3.0 LT CPU block = 1.61.GPM
addition of another 3/8 ID Koolance VL3 QDC (male and female) = 1.45 GPM

Remove all QDC and install one HK 3.0 LT CPU Block on 3/8barbs = 2.09 GPM

it seems the HK 3.0 is more restrictive than a koolance QDC interestingly enough. Perhaps Martin or skinee can comment if these values seem in line....


Scenario 2 - Thermal Cycling and logging.


http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images...og/tms2008.jpg

**note on temperature plugs***

i also tested the TMS-200 with a black sparkle Bitspower g1/4 threaded Thermal plug...although the bitspower was successfully detected and able to physically connect to the controller...it reported temperatures 30 C above ambient. As such I recommend only using Koolance thermal probes/plugs with this product.

I set up the failsafe settings to monitor from a probe that i heated up by holding it between my fingers. the probes are fairly sensitive, even placing one near my finger but not touching does actually register a change....for reference it is a toasty max temp of 34 degrees Celsius in between my thumb and index finger 8-)

Setting up the Log...

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/app5.jpg

logging is a no brainer, just choose the peripherals you'd like to monitor and then the time interval (1 min, 10 min, 30 min, one hour) The software dumps the log to a filename/folder of your choosing. To view, launch the viewer and open your desired log. The log viewer allows you to get a precise measurement of any peripheral at any specific moment in the time interval by dragging a slider across the graph..Furthermore, for easy access it also displays the max and min temperatures recorded during the logs duration for each probe. You can also disable/enable the individual peripherals to make reading the log easier. Two minor shortcomings of the log are that it doesnt record pump voltage, only pump RPM...and more importantly it does not read the user specified peripheral names.

i.e. If you name Temp Channel 1 to "CPU" or "Ambient"...it is still listed as CH.1 in the log. So you will have to remember what channel you set to what when viewing the log..a minor nitpick but room for improvement nonetheless.

The Log Viewer:

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/app6.jpg

Overall the log is extremely easy to use, and gives access to the pertinate data in an easy to read format,

Peripheral Controls...

The TMS-200 Supports manual and Auto pump and fan voltages. Auto setting is completely user defined.

Manual Control:

Very straight forward...just select the desired setting from a drop down menu and the rest happens as it should. As mentioned before it is roughly a 3 second delay until your command is realized by the peripheral.

Auto Control:

Setting the fans or Pump to the Auto setting brings up a small and very intuitive graph to set your voltage limits and ramping for both the high and low end of the temp spectrum for the respective peripheral(s). Temperature response is roughly 2 seconds before the change is registered, 15 seconds before the temperature stabilizes.

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/app7.jpg

Fans/Pump speeds ramp up and down accordingly with each registered temp change. Flow rate,fan RPM's and temps are updated in the realtime graph/log over the duration. Overall Koolance has implemented a very nice and smooth transition from cool -> warm -> cool again. I would describe it as logarithmic in nature.


Scenario 3 - OS Dependant Testing


The controller supports alarm functions and hardware or software shutdown with optional delay based on temperature or flow measurements/limits.The safety features of this controller are fairly robust. With the optional flowmeter(s) installed the TMS-200 offers triple redundancy for your loop:

1) If a tempearature exceeds a threshold, tms-200 maxes out fans and pump until desired thermal limits are reached.
2) If flow drops too much, tms-200 maxes out fans and pump until thermally controlled.
3) If all else fails, tms-200 initiates a shutdown.

Also if a shutdown sequence is intitated, but temps are recovered before the timer expires..the shutdown is cancelled. A minor bug is that once this occurs, no settings in the software can be modified untill you restart the app. ***this has been fixed as of 2.1.2***

Configuring your failsafes...

Again the software is a pleasure to use here.

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/app8.jpg

One minor nitpick, I wish the alarm and shutdown temp settings were all located on the same page. Initially i thought something was messed up because I could not lower my shutdown temp below 57 degress. Turns out, you cannot lower the shutdown temp below the alarm temp (which make sense) but because they are on seperate pages, you have no idea what the thresholds are initially.

Alarm Function...

The alarm function basically maxes out all fans and pumps combined with an audible alarm that can be individually customized to any wav file until the thermal or flowrate thresholds are restored. The default sound is two periodic beeps from a speaker on the controller. This is a good failsafe in the event your sound is not working during an OS freeze up...the default beeps are not overly annoying/intrusive, but definately lets you know you need to check your system out...Once thermal limits are restored..the controller resumes to the auto setting or last setting you manually specified.

Shutdown Function...

If the temperatures/flow exceeed the alarm function and go beyond its limit to the shutdown threshold....okay now the sound gets annoying with a solid loud tone...but if your RIG is burning you want to be able to hear it over the hockey game LOL....

The shutdown Function works exactly the same as the Alarm function, except in addition to maxing out all fans and pumps it initiates a hardware or software shutdown with an optional delay of your choosing from 10 to 60 seconds. For the hardware shutdown to work you need to install the included ATX pass-through wire on your motherboard, very straightforward. Its just a simple Y splitter. All OS based shutdowns and alarms work according to how the user defines them and are fully functional.


Scenario 4 - OS Independant Testing Results


Initially when inviestigating this controller there seemed to be somewhat of a grey area in regards to whether the card was semi intelligent or not...I can now with 100% certainty say that this controller

IS FOR THE MOST PART OS/SOFTWARE INDEPENDANT...

To clarify specifically:

Controller settings must be set up and changed through the TMS software initially, after that the settings are saved and the controller is software/OS independant.

On system boot the controller launches all peripherals to a full setting for about 3-4 seconds..this is important especially due to the analog nature of the Pump control, so that it gets everything spinning. Soon after it returns to the last configured settings you saved...including fan speeds, alarm failsafes and shutdowns.

However, OS independant shutdowns are only semi functional with the current software/firmware.To test and verify I set up shutdown/alarm parameters in windows, then heated up a probe or stopped flow to create a fail condition. I then also tested while booted in the BIOS.

Thermal Shutdown Testing:

As expected in both the windows and BIOS, alarm function kicked in...all fans pumps went to high...then once the shutdown threshold was reached.....the system just turned off! This is great news because that means in the event of a system freezeup..your machine should still be protected. And linux users can rejoice too.... Insert penguin clap here...I also unplugged the TMS from USB and power and let it sit for a few minutes then ran the test again...success.....The only tangible difference I found outside the OS was that you get single beeps instead of double beeps at the alarm threshold... big woop.

Flowrate / Pump Shutdown Testing:

A shutdown sequence IS initiated if a low flow threshold is reached within windows, so the TMS-200 can detect flow based pump failures from the installed flowmeter.Unfortunately the controller DOES NOT initiate an OS independant shutdown in the event a flowrate threshold is exceeded.

Also, the software does not have any implementation for a shutdown based on pump RPMs, even in windows. This is a big no no in my opinion. Koolance should address this shortcoming, especially since RPM are being monitored to begin with. Pump RPM shutdown thresholds would also enable users without a flowmeter to have pump failure protection.

This is the first true chink in the TMS-200's armor I have found and the first thing about this controller I am truly disatisfied with. At the minimum, pump rpm based shutdown is needed. Hopefully Koolance can address this with a software update or perhaps a firmware flash. I am going to call in and offer to work with the software devs on this one, or at least make them aware of it. For the time being if you have this controller, make sure to set your CPU thermal probe shutdown thresholds to ensure OS independant security.


SYSTEM PROTECTION SUMMARY:

-Controller is OS independant once configured, but needs more coding.
-Controller settings are saved and non volatile/OS independant.
-Thermal shutdowns occur inside and outside the OS
-Flow based shutdowns are currently malfunctioning outside the OS. ***koolance is aware and working to fix***
-Pump RPM based shutdowns are not implemented in any fashion at all, and are sorely needed. This has been submitted for development.

Overall it needs LCD capabilities and some software fixes for it to be the feature competitive/superior controller on the market.


Thermal Management Software v 2.1 Update



•120dpi resolution support.
•User-definable pump and fan speed levels. These can be accessed via the "Adjust" option beneath any fan or pump's drop-down menu.
•A new debugging log feature. If there are issues in the software that cause an error or crash, information should be posted to the debug log file in the TMS root directory. Debug logs can be disabled under "Settings".
•Color code indicators have been added to all devices on the main screen (temperature, fans, pump, flow meters, etc.) to make the display graph more legible.
•The option to disable the TMS tray icon hover menu was added. To access, right click and select "Disable Mouseover Menu".
•Additional fixes for stability.


I got ahold of the much antipcipated TMS v2.1.2 Update and ran some tests tonight. Alot of people are hedging their bets on this one, so I was hopeful alot of problems could be solved or improved. One bug I noticed that was fixed right away was the fact that if you cancel a shutdown, you couldnt change any settings afterwards...this has been fixed, if you cancel now no adverse effects occur.

Software Update Procedure... Important!!

In order for the software to be updated correctly, you have to completely uninstall BOTH the original TMS software, AND the PL-2303 driver and reboot before running the new installer package. Uninstalling the original software isn't good enough...it doesn't take care of the driver for you. Failure to do so, can result in a "cross installed" setup..where the software gets updated, but the driver gets uninstalled. I experienced the "Array does not exist error" people were complaining about when this scenario happened to me. Its because the software is trying to access the hardware through the driver..which does not exist in this case.

To fix the problem, as stated completlely uninstall then reinstall both the software and the driver before updating. Koolance should streamiline this by automatically doing a complete uninstall and reinstall of the driver on any removal or update of the software. I suspect many of the bugs reported in the Koolance thread are as a result of this exact scenario.

If you are still experiencing bugs after this:

1) Exit the TMS program
2) Go to the directory that the TMS software was intalled in ( typically \Program Files\Koolance TMSv2\) and delete the file tmssys.bin
3) Restart the TMS program

you should be good to go now.

Some New Features & improved peripheral controll.

Once I had completely removed and updated the software, I plugged the controller back in and it was detected right away, I was greeted with a new screen:

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/app9.jpg

As you can see they have added color coding to the peripheral labels to make the Graph easier to read, definately a welcome improvement. Just to be sure, i changed a color to see if it was updated according to user preferences, thankfully it is. You can now at a simple glance get info from your graph, and colors/labels can be changed as you see fit. It looks like the developers have decided to try and nip some problems in the bud by adding debug logging which you can enable or disable in the settings. this should help with future updates. I'd suggest you leave it running for now.

Improved Pump/Fan control!

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/app10.jpg

Pump and fan control methods are now in a common format, they have scrapped the previous predefined settings and now switched to 10 user defined presets for each peripheral. The range of availiable PWM settings has been expanded below the 20% minimum as well. This is vastly superior because it allows you to custom tailor voltage settings for each individual fan channel and you can take the minumum voltage all the way down to 1%, i found my 140mm Yate loons fans would spin at only 5% (180 RPM) if they were already in motion.

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/app11.jpg

Notice all the low RPMS am getting on the fans...sweet.

With these new abilities I think Koolance needs to add a "fan characterstics" benchmark. It should be very easy considering it is already written for the pump..they will just need to switch the channel output of the benchamrk. This would automatically map the response and failure point for each fan you have running and allow you to plot the optimum settings for auto adjustment/silence/performance ratios.

This really has alot of potentiual to be the total cats meow...making discovery of the optimum airflow characterstics for your loop super easy.

Improved Analog Modulation

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/app12.jpg

The analog pump channels have gotten a minor increase in voltage modulation as the spectrum is a teeny bit wider by 0.05V:

I verified controller settings with a multimeter just for Kicks

min setting (7.58 V defined, 7.61 V measured)
max setting (12.73 V defined, 12.63 V measured)

Voltages on the EB200 were exactly .1 V lower at both settings (7.51, 12.53)

Also, the pump response has become "smoother" Transitions of voltage levels are now like butter. The new combination has definately improved pump noise somewhat, not in volume levels but in tone. Everything is a smooth whirring noise now....And the kicker..... pump performance has been improved somehow...My flowrates are reported higher than they were on the V2.00 of the software, at first I thought nice try Koolance... probably they just tweaked the monitoring and gave it a boost in numbers...so i ran the benchmark to verify:

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images/Buildlog/test1.png

(The two graphs have been combined and colors inverted for readability)

AWESOME! This is on the same loop as last night, no changes at all. Look how smoother the curve has become and also I can now run the loop with the pump on the lowest setting availiable, whereas previously it stalled... beautiful. Graph colors have changed to reflect the new color labeling scheme. The benchamrk also reports better flow rates and RPM's ....it's too bad i don't have external equipment to verify with, I would say the RPM can be somewhat trusted..but I dont know about flow rates. I guess I will have to get out a bucket and test when I get a chance.

Now for the The Ugly...

Pump Flow based hardware shutdowns are still not working correctly and a new problem seems to have been introduced.

If you define a Flow based hardware shutdown cycle in windows, sure enough the machine turns off as expected...however on the following reboot, the controller still wants to force the shutdown as soon as it gets powered on. The result of this is an endless reboot loop...This definately did not occur in any of my previous testing, I did several flow based shutdowns tests from windows and the BIOS and nothing out of the ordinary happened. However since the update it happens 100% of the time and is repeatable. Either way you go into an endless reboot loop with the alarm going off like crazy.

LOL!!!

Oh my...this is hilarious Koolance..

To fix it, you need to disconnect the ATX pass through cable, boot into windows and disable your flow based shutdowns. it is annoying as hell.. the alarm just permanently goes off the whole time and you need to get into windows to stop it...except you can't get there! I also tested flow shutdowns from the bios again by unplugging the pump, no dice. OS independant flow based shutdowns aren't working at all still.

Bummer dude.

Help is on the way...

After all this was said and done I deciced to call in to Koolance to see if I could get some answers or help somehow. I got ahold of dean at Koolance over the phone, hes a super nice guy. He gave me the following info:

First off the software devs are in Korea, so communications are a little delayed being that it is night time there when it is day here...but they are working hard to get this stuff sorted out for us and hes has been in daily email communictation with them.

As for the problems,

he mentioned that there are actually a few legitamate com port errors which may be unresolvable in certain situations, so anyone having serious incompatibilities Koolance is allowing them to return their board for a refund. You can read this thread for details about the COM port troubles, it seems to be power related:

http://forums.koolance.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=690 .

Furthermore he mentioned anyone willing to tough it out and wait will be offered a fix, whether it be a firmware flash, or a hardware only fix....( new board required.) Either way, you'll be taken care of. I asked him directly if this thing was supposed to have OS independant failsafes and the answer is YES the controller is supposed to be capable of OS independant shutdowns based on any of the readings that it measures, including the flowmeter. So there you have it, although not fully functioning yet, eventualy the plan is to have this little card do what we all want it to do, inside or outside the OS environment. They are going full steam on getting it resolved and that is great news in my opinion. Dean was extremely receptive to my suggestions and seemed very willing to work towards fixing the controller issues...and improving the software.. I feel much much better after talking to him.
He gave me his email address to send him a list of feature requests for the software which he was going to forward to the software DEV's directly.

I requested fixes for all OS independant shutdown capabilities first and foremost, and the fix of the endless reboot bug. i also suggested many other improvements to the interface and feature list.

I am sure some of you out there aren`t willing to wait for these fixes...so to you I suggest returning the product, or purchasing another brand...however I feel Koolance is going to eventually resolve the problems and has the potential to develop a really nice unit and are obviously putting resources into achieving this goal. Although the card has an achilles heel at the moment, I still think The TMS-200 is very useful and functional even with the current shortcomings.

Stay Tuned....the search for the perfect controller continues.

Thanks for the really long but certainly detailed review. It will come in handy when I set mine up (and once I finish reading all of it).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

A note on the PWM fan control..no howls, clicks or buzzing on these fans at any setting or RPM, I verified it is IDENTICAL acoustically to an analog controller (at least with these fans), by hotswapping in real time.. i could not tell the difference. Plus the fans can start spinning from the lowest setting. For these particalr yate loons, my mini setting was 720 RPM, and the max was 1440 RPM there are 16 settings in between at 5% increments.

OS Independant Safety...GOOD NEWS!!!

Initially when inviestigating this controller there seemed to be somewhat of a grey area in regards to whether the card was semi intelligent or not...I can now with 100% certainty say that this controller IS FOR THE MOST PART OS/SOFTWARE INDEPENDANT...with the one catch that it will have to be configured to use a hardware shutdown (with cable installed) and the controller needs to be set up in windows initially, after that...no problemo.

On a user intitiated sytem restart or power cycle on the following startup the controller launches all peripherals to a full setting initially..this is important especially due to the analog natuire of the Pump control, so that it gets it spinning then can tone down a bit from there. After a few seconds it settles into the last configured setting you saved.

If alarm or shutdown thresholds are exceeded...the controller still functions as expected.

To test/verify I set up shutdown/alarm parameters to intiate a hardware shutdown with 10 second delay, then heated up a probe to create a fail condition. I tested while booted in the BIOS, and also simply just while sitting at the post screen.

As expected, alarm function kicked in...all fans pumps went to high...then once the shutdown threshold was reached.....the system just turned off! This is great news because that means in the event of a system freezeup..your machine should still be protected. And linux users can rejoice too.... Insert penguin clap here...

I also unplugged the TMS from USB and power and let it sit for a few minutes then ran the test again...success.....so it looks like it must have some non volatile memory on there somewhere that remembers the settings.

The only tangible difference I found outside the OS was that you get single beeps instead of double beeps at the alarm threshold... big woop.

---

Three very essential functions (along with the full start power and then to set power startup sequence) a lot of fan/pump controller reviews forget to thoroughly test and report - kudos! When I finally get enough extra cash for a controller I really am liking the bigNG T-Balancer and this TMS-200, but, of course, there's been potential problems fleshed out for each here on XS. I can optimistically take a few of those off the TMS-200!

What are you thoughts on the bigNG T-Balancer (with or w/out expansion) itself and compared to the TMS-200?

That was a awesome review man and definitely answered pretty much all the questions I had about this product!!! Also sounds like they might have got most of the bugs worked out

As for the tweaks all your ideas are along the same lines I was thinking from what Iv read if they implemented these the other couple controller makers would be in serious trouble IMO especially the hotkey for something like a game setting :D and the LCD

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by liguhy

Three very essential functions (along with the full start power and then to set power startup sequence) a lot of fan/pump controller reviews forget to thoroughly test and report - kudos! When I finally get enough extra cash for a controller I really am liking the bigNG T-Balancer and this TMS-200, but, of course, there's been potential problems fleshed out for each here on XS. I can optimistically take a few of those off the TMS-200!

What are you thoughts on the bigNG T-Balancer (with or w/out expansion) itself and compared to the TMS-200?

---

I put my thoughts on the comparison of the other controllers in the conclusion.

For me the BigNG was off the list because I am running dual loops/pumps with 12 fans just on the rads, I dont think the Big NG has enough power for all that, i am pretty suer I exceed the channel limits just on one rad so I would have to daisy chain multiple controllers. The digital probes are nice, but i really don't know if that much accuracy is truly going to be utilized on a product like this. Plus I didnt like the BigNG flowmeter at all. And the software isn't all that great from what I hear and hasn't been updated in ages. Koolance app is 32/64bit windows 7 ready now.




For the most part, i think the Koolance has them all beat with a few exceptions.

If they update the software and add a few features/open it up it will pretty much be the best one for sure.

Actually, the digital probes on the BigNG are no more accurate than regular analogue probes, so no loss there.

Just to reiterate on a point - you were running regular fans on PWM control? And you had no issues throughout their working range? And maybe I'm just overlooking it, but do the fan headers give 100% power at startup?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MpG

Actually, the digital probes on the BigNG are no more accurate than regular analogue probes, so no loss there.

Just to reiterate on a point - you were running regular fans on PWM control? And you had no issues throughout their working range? And maybe I'm just overlooking it, but do the fan headers give 100% power at startup?

---

Yes regular YATE LOON 140mm Medium speed fans mounted on the PWM fan control channels of the controller. No howls or whines at any selectable speed setting. I plugged the fans into my Rheobus and they sounded exactly the same I coud not tell one IOTA of difference, this is the first PWM controller that has satisifed me acoustically ever..and Im serious one little tick of noise and ill notice it..I have been die hard analog for years.

on start up, everything hits max for about 3 seconds, then adjusts to your defined settings.

These points are all covered in the review, but i know its a long one heh.... you probably got bored.

Spooky ! I was looking for a TMS-200 review just a couple of hours ago !

Lots of good info, but just had time for a quick read through, I'll read it properly later. Thank you :)

A stupid question:

Can you take a picture of the motherboard header end of the internal USB cable? I managed to mangle mine while sleeving and now, in the process of re-crimping, I forgot which wires go where. Appreciate it.

Thanks for the very nice review. :up:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

I went over to the koolance forums and read this troublesome thread :

http://forums.koolance.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=576

---

I just entered my experience with the TMS-200 in that thread as well.

There seems to a lot of problem with this unit if you reed at the koolance support forums as you linked above. Maybe you just got lucky... This is scaring me a bit. My first choice was the aquaero then mcubed and then the TMS seemed to have everything you wanted. But it turned out to not be as good as i thought. So now I'm thinking of getting a Aquaero and make a custom fanamp that can handle pumps and works with it. And I personally think that aquasuite is much better than the TMS software.

You can for a example not set auto shutdown from rpm values (really good to set shutdown from pump rpm). And the aquaero is TOTALLY software independent once configured.

The TMS cant control the fans when the software isn't loaded etc. And are you sure that auto-shutdown works out of the os? Test to disconnect the flow-meeter or something while you are in bios.

Edit: you should add some pictures to the review. It is very heavy to read!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brodholm

There seems to a lot of problem with this unit if you reed at the koolance support forums as you linked above. Maybe you just got lucky... This is scaring me a bit. My first choice was the aquaero then mcubed and then the TMS seemed to have everything you wanted. But it turned out to not be as good as i thought. So now I'm thinking of getting a Aquaero and make a custom fanamp that can handle pumps and works with it. And I personally think that aquasuite is much better than the TMS software.

You can for a example not set auto shutdown from rpm values (really good to set shutdown from pump rpm). And the aquaero is TOTALLY software independent once configured.

The TMS cant control the fans when the software isn't loaded etc. And are you sure that auto-shutdown works out of the os? Test to disconnect the flow-meeter or something while you are in bios.

Edit: you should add some pictures to the review. It is very heavy to read!

---

I've seen your posts regarding controller troubles and let me just say, quite the EPIC QUEST! Hope you find everything you need in one....so I can just get that one and avoid repeating your headaches :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brodholm

There seems to a lot of problem with this unit if you reed at the koolance support forums as you linked above. Maybe you just got lucky... This is scaring me a bit. My first choice was the aquaero then mcubed and then the TMS seemed to have everything you wanted. But it turned out to not be as good as i thought. So now I'm thinking of getting a Aquaero and make a custom fanamp that can handle pumps and works with it. And I personally think that aquasuite is much better than the TMS software.

You can for a example not set auto shutdown from rpm values (really good to set shutdown from pump rpm). And the aquaero is TOTALLY software independent once configured.

The TMS cant control the fans when the software isn't loaded etc. And are you sure that auto-shutdown works out of the os? Test to disconnect the flow-meeter or something while you are in bios.

Edit: you should add some pictures to the review. It is very heavy to read!

---

This information is partially incorrect..

The card is OS independant with regards to thermal shutdowns, but not flow based shutdowns.

OS based Shutdown can be a result of flow or temperature on the TMS-200. The settings are also OS/software independant once intially configured through the software, I verified both manual settings and Thermal shutdown sequence while in the bios.
The alarm and shutdown functions still worked. I then unplugged the USB cable and power plug, let it sit for a minute and retested...thermal shutdown functions still worked.

I will add some pics tonight.

As far as the aquero is concerned it has great software and tons of features..however here are the specs:

Technical Data aquaero Rev. 4.00 (LT)

Voltage:
5/12V

Connections:
USB, flow rate sensor, Multi-Color-LED, aquabus, aquastream-bridge, relay, stand-by supply

Fan-Connections:
4 outputs with rpm-signal, max. 10W/channel, 1A

Temperature sensors:
6 sensor inputs, 10kOhm NTC, range 0-100°C (32-212°F)

Alarm:
floating output (normally open contact)

Maximum capacity of the channels:
10W

Capacity of the relay:
1A, max. 12V

With a maximum capicity of ten watts, this controller could not even power one of my radiator fan arrays. I am looking at 12W per rad, and these are realtively low power fans.... never mind system fans and pumps, or if I want to add higher CFM units later. TMS-200 handles all this with ease. The aquero needs at a bare minimum 4 times the amount of power output it currently has to support the systems and features it was designed to handle in my opinion.

So if you have 5 or less fans in your case and don't care about pump control, aqeuro is perfect for you...i prefer to have power to spare, and My case will be running upwards of 16 fans

(12 x 140mm in push pull on the rads, 2 x 140mm intake, 2 x 80mm exhaust plus two DDC-2's)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

This information is oncorrect..if you read the whole review you would see I tested these abilities.

Shutdown can be a result of flow or temperature on the TMS-200. It is also OS/software independant once intially configured through the software, I verified both manual settings and Auto shutdown sequence while in the bios.
The alarm and shutdown functions still worked. I then unplugged the USB cable and power plug, let it sit for a minute and retested...all functions still worked.

I will add some pics tonight.

As far as the aquero is concerned it has great software and tons of features..however here are the specs:

Technical Data aquaero Rev. 4.00 (LT)

Voltage:
5/12V

Connections:
USB, flow rate sensor, Multi-Color-LED, aquabus, aquastream-bridge, relay, stand-by supply

Fan-Connections:
4 outputs with rpm-signal, max. 10W/channel, 1A

Temperature sensors:
6 sensor inputs, 10kOhm NTC, range 0-100°C (32-212°F)

Alarm:
floating output (normally open contact)

Maximum capacity of the channels:
10W

Capacity of the relay:
1A, max. 12V

With a maximum capicity of ten watts, this controller could not even power one of my radiator fan arrays. I am looking at 12W per rad, and these are realtively low power fans.... never mind system fans and pumps, or if I want to add higher CFM units later. TMS-200 handles all this with ease. The aquero needs at a bare minimum 4 times the amount of power output it currently has to support the systems and features it was designed to handle in my opinion.

So if you have 5 or less fans in your case and don't care about pump control, aqeuro is perfect for you...i prefer to have power to spare, and My case will be running upwards of 16 fans

(12 x 140mm in push pull on the rads, 2 x 140mm intake, 2 x 80mm exhaust plus two DDC-2's)

---

I read the whole thing. But I never remember you testing to disconnect the flow-meter (not just stop flow) and see how it acts. And I know that some ppl have tested this but it didn't work for them. Maybe they did wrong but after reading how they tested it they seemed to had done it correctly. And when I confronted dean he said that he was told that (what you just have proven) should work but he was going to test it himself and reply later. But he never did and that concerns me a bit.

Got this before though: "We are adding continuous fan control, so that the fans can be controlled 0%-100% rather than stepped 20%-100%. There are some other cosmetic changes... I requested a change log last night so hopefully I should have a better list of actual changes being put in the next software version." But he have never replied to that. Guess they have some trouble with the software.

The thing that concerns me about the TMS is mostly that its not totally independent. And if it is as you say, that it is independent on shutdown. Then why then not make it totally independent? Why make a unit "almost" independent? Why not spend some extra bucks on components to be able to completely separate it from the os like the aquaero? It is small stuff like that makes me unsure about this unit. And I get very concerned when reading the bug report. Its just not software bugs they find. After reading this I got even more concerned: [

Quote:

---

B]"After spending over 2 hours installing, uninstalling, changing com ports, changing USB ports, you name it, I called Koolance tech support. To his credit, the tech told me to RMA the card, but interestingly enough he seemed totally unsurprised I was having installation issues. This makes me believe Koolance knows darn well these cards and their software are buggy as all get out."[/B]

---

About the aquaero and its power. It has 10W on each channel but the total amount of wattage must not exceed 30W (I have done my homework on these controllers :p:). So it aint THAT bad. But as you say, controlling pumps is PITA. Fanamps dont work etc. But I know people have built custom amps that works with the aquaero and right now I'm looking in to that option to control my 2 pumps.

And If you look at martins test you can see that most fans dont use that much wattage. The Gentle typhoon uses less than 1W. That means that you can connect over 30GT's to a aquaero. And numbers like 30W is always within a safe distance of what it actually can handle.

I want a aquaero with the power of a mcubed or tms. But that seems to be impossible to get right now. The tms is almost that but lacks in software and isn't totally independent. But if the new software fixes many of the bugs the tms might be a really good option.

And thanks for the review!. I don't think i said that before :p:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

I put my thoughts on the comparison of the other controllers in the conclusion.

For me the BigNG was off the list because I am running dual loops/pumps with 12 fans just on the rads, I dont think the Big NG has enough power for all that, i am pretty suer I exceed the channel limits just on one rad so I would have to daisy chain multiple controllers. The digital probes are nice, but i really don't know if that much accuracy is truly going to be utilized on a product like this. Plus I didnt like the BigNG flowmeter at all. And the software isn't all that great from what I hear and hasn't been updated in ages. Koolance app is 32/64bit windows 7 ready now.




For the most part, i think the Koolance has them all beat with a few exceptions.

If they update the software and add a few features/open it up it will pretty much be the best one for sure.

---

it all depends on the fans your going to use
i am going to be putting 16 fans on mine, and all you need to do is really cool the heatsink

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by liguhy

I've seen your posts regarding controller troubles and let me just say, quite the EPIC QUEST! Hope you find everything you need in one....so I can just get that one and avoid repeating your headaches :)

---

Yeah, Just when you seem to have find the perfect one you find out something that ruins everything. But you cant have it all can you :)

Right now I don't think it is a controller that can do all the stuff I would like it to do. I guess the koolance tms comes close. But with the bad software and not being totally independent it cripples the controller a bit. And also it doesn't have an option for a display if you want that. I really don't think a display is necessary but it certainly nice to have.

Believe me, When/if I find that controller you will know ;)

Quote:

---

For the most part, i think the Koolance has them all beat with a few exceptions.

If they update the software and add a few features/open it up it will pretty much be the best one for sure.

---

These few exceptions are quite big. I would say that the aquaero have them all beaten except the power. But that is a kinda big thing. Also the Mcubed can handle 20w on each channel. And IF it gets to hot it switches i think and does pwm on 40W on each channel if I'm not mistaken?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

This information is oncorrect..if you read the whole review you would see I tested these abilities.

Shutdown can be a result of flow or temperature on the TMS-200. It is also OS/software independant once intially configured through the software, I verified both manual settings and Auto shutdown sequence while in the bios.
The alarm and shutdown functions still worked. I then unplugged the USB cable and power plug, let it sit for a minute and retested...all functions still worked.

---

Hi,
I also have a TMS-200 and have tried an OS/Software independent shutdown (in bios) and it only works with the temperature sensors. The flowmeter shutdown only works if the software is loaded. Can you try a hardware shutdown with the just the flowmeters.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bond Number

Hi,
I also have a TMS-200 and have tried an OS/Software independent shutdown (in bios) and it only works with the temperature sensors. The flowmeter shutdown only works if the software is loaded. Can you try a hardware shutdown with the just the flowmeters.

---

you are correct i did some further testing while updating my review and can verify these results...i have modified my review with further updates.

This is the first thing about this controller I am truly disatisfied with, the controller is definately OS independant and aware..so hopefully Koolance con modify the code to react to these settings outside the OS, at the minimum.. Pump rpm based shutdown.

Here is the picture of the USB cable for the guy who requested it:

http://www.mmayukon.ca/assets/images...og/tms2006.jpg

Bingo, that works beautifully. Thanks a bunch.

Then I was right then... You should also edit the post where you are saying I'm wrong about the shutdown due to flow.

"I am going to call in and offer to work with thier software guys on this one, or at least make them aware of it." That would be really appreciated. Say how it goes with them. And address that shutdown due to rpm and flow-rate is KEY to get this unit failsafe. And ask if they can implement that the fans also are independent once configured. That would be really good. Then it would be like a aquaero. And the software is kinda young and have a lot to learn but i guess thats comes with time.

And ask if is even possible to do these things with hardware on the controller (flow/rpm/fans independent). Because if you can get temperature shutdown you should be able to get the others to.

So,
RPM/FLOW shutdown from pump
Independant fans
Future things to come with the tms
New software, when and whats new. Ask them to send you a change log or something.

And please report back as soon as you know anything!

And the test got MUCH better now with the pictures. Should be put in the sticky at the fan section. And name it like "Mini Review Koolance TMS-200 + expansion board"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brodholm

Then I was right then... You should also edit the post where you are saying I'm wrong about the shutdown due to flow.

"I am going to call in and offer to work with thier software guys on this one, or at least make them aware of it." That would be really appreciated. Say how it goes with them. And address that shutdown due to rpm and flow-rate is KEY to get this unit failsafe. And ask if they can implement that the fans also are independent once configured. That would be really good. Then it would be like a aquaero. And the software is kinda young and have a lot to learn but i guess thats comes with time.

And ask if is even possible to do these things with hardware on the controller (flow/rpm/fans independent). Because if you can get temperature shutdown you should be able to get the others to.

So,
RPM/FLOW shutdown from pump
Independant fans
Future things to come with the tms
New software, when and whats new. Ask them to send you a change log or something.

And please report back as soon as you know anything!

And the test got MUCH better now with the pictures. Should be put in the sticky at the fan section. And name it like "Mini Review Koolance TMS-200 + expansion board"

---

And you should edit your post saying the card is not OS independant, that information is incorrect as well...the card remebers its settings outside the OS, even after being powered down, and it also has OS indpendant thermal shutdown. This would not be possible if it was software dependant.

It just needs some updates I beleive.

The koolance guys are saying there is supposed to be a software update this week, so before I pester them I will wait and see what happens.

Ill let you guys know what I find out as soon as the update is released.

Wow super review! Excellent job mate!

Do you have any pics with the controller installed and everything connected? I know the board looks good bare, but it was definately a challenge for me trying to get the wiring not to look like a mess, and I don't even have the expansion board.

Here's a pic of mine with the controller installed in a drive bay slot:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4..._installed.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rambler358

Do you have any pics with the controller installed and everything connected? I know the board looks good bare, but it was definately a challenge for me trying to get the wiring not to look like a mess, and I don't even have the expansion board.

Here's a pic of mine with the controller installed in a drive bay slot:

---

Cant you mount it the oppesite direction, so its inside the 5.25bays instead of sticking out from it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

And you should edit your post saying the card is not OS independant, that information is incorrect as well...the card remebers its settings outside the OS, even after being powered down, and it also has OS indpendant thermal shutdown. This would not be possible if it was software dependant.

It just needs some updates I beleive.

The koolance guys are saying there is supposed to be a software update this week, so before I pester them I will wait and see what happens.

Ill let you guys know what I find out as soon as the update is released.

---

Thats good. Let us know what changes they make and how it works. If the software fixes the stuff you mentioned there is nothing thats hindering me from getting this unit over the aquaero. Its just the display.

Can you set pump-speeds after water temp?

I don't think you can say that the TMS is OS independent. Its just parcally independent. I.e It isn't independent. You need to OS to get it to work. Even after it have been configured. I will change that IF the new update fixes that (fans, and flow). And it already have thermal shutdown out of the OS. But NOW its not OS dependant. And not failsafe.

If the computer hangs and the pump fails, then the water will be still in the loop and the temperature sensors will just measure the heat of the water thats not moving. And that will not gain temps just because the cpu is burning up because the water sits still in the housing. So thermal shutdown is only that good. Thermal info is "just" useful for setting pump/fan speeds. If you are not using a sensor from aquacomputer with the hole in it. You can fasten that on a block. And as the block heats up the sensor will heat up to.

What I'm dying to know is whether or not it will work with these: http://shop.aquacomputer.de/product_...oducts_id=2293

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brodholm

Thats good. Let us know what changes they make and how it works. If the software fixes the stuff you mentioned there is nothing thats hindering me from getting this unit over the aquaero. Its just the display.

Can you set pump-speeds after water temp?

I don't think you can say that the TMS is OS independent. Its just parcally independent. I.e It isn't independent. You need to OS to get it to work. Even after it have been configured. I will change that IF the new update fixes that (fans, and flow). And it already have thermal shutdown out of the OS. But NOW its OS dependant. And not failsafe.

If the computer hangs and the pump fails, then the water will be still in the loop and the temperature sensors will just measure the heat of the water thats not moving. And that will not gain temps just because the cpu is burning up because the water sits still in the housing. So thermal shutdown is only that good. Thermal info is "just" useful for setting pump/fan speeds. If you are not using a sensor from aquacomputer with the hole in it. You can fasten that on a block. And as the block heats up the sensor will heat up to.

---

Brodholm, please read my entire original post before making these requests/statements...I took alot of time and went very in depth...your questions have already been answered.

Pumps and Fan speed are controlled via the thermal probes at user defined settings. Once configured the card is OS independant. Flow based failsafes currently do not work outside of the OS. Thermal failsafes do. If this is not good enough for you go buy the aquero..it sounds like this is the one you really want anyways so be happy with the LCD screen and 40 Watt limitation.

My two pumps take up 36W alone, and even one pump exceeds channel limits.... Which makes the aquero useless to me and alot of other people. You can have all the nice software and OS independant features you want...but if your controller can't run the pump, well what was the point of the controller in the first place?

If aquero makes a stronger controller, it will be the best one and ill buy one in a heartbeat.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mech0z

Cant you mount it the oppesite direction, so its inside the 5.25bays instead of sticking out from it?

---

It depends on your case. On mine, the drive bay cover has edges that extend inwards (with indents to lock the cover) about 1.2". If my drive bay cover didn't have this issue, then it could effectively be moved closer to the right or front of the case by 1.2".

You also have the option to install in an empty PCI slot, but in my case the flow meter cable wouldn't reach if I did this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by century child

What I'm dying to know is whether or not it will work with these: http://shop.aquacomputer.de/product_...oducts_id=2293

---

I tested with a bitspower thermal plug and temperatures were not accurate, about 30C too high.

I would suggest using only Koolance thermal plugs to ensure compatibility.

FYI - Version 2.1.2 of the TMS-200 software has just been released:
http://www.koolance.com/support/manuals.html

Alright, I will delve into it later tonight and post an update with my findings.

i wish a changelog was listed.

This information is posted in the forums:

"New software for TMS has been posted to http://www.koolance.com/support/manuals.html . Additional updates should become available more regularly.

v2.1.2 Additions:

•120dpi resolution support.
•User-definable pump and fan speed levels. These can be accessed via the "Adjust" option beneath any fan or pump's drop-down menu.
•A new debugging log feature. If there are issues in the software that cause an error or crash, information should be posted to the debug log file in the TMS root directory. Debug logs can be disabled under "Settings".
•Color code indicators have been added to all devices on the main screen (temperature, fans, pump, flow meters, etc.) to make the display graph more legible.
•The option to disable the TMS tray icon hover menu was added. To access, right click and select "Disable Mouseover Menu".
•Additional fixes for stability.

We are still working on other issues some customers are experiencing with their TMS-200 boards. This includes hearing an alarm or receiving a shutdown signal during the boot-up process (continuously or at random), some fans not being controlled properly, or COM connection problems."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

Brodholm, please read my entire original post before making these requests/statements...I took alot of time and went very in depth...your questions have already been answered.

Pumps and Fan speed are controlled via the thermal probes at user defined settings. Once configured the card is OS independant. Flow based failsafes currently do not work outside of the OS. Thermal failsafes do. If this is not good enough for you go buy the aquero..it sounds like this is the one you really want anyways so be happy with the LCD screen and 40 Watt limitation.

My two pumps take up 36W alone, and even one pump exceeds channel limits.... Which makes the aquero useless to me and alot of other people. You can have all the nice software and OS independant features you want...but if your controller can't run the pump, well what was the point of the controller in the first place?

If aquero makes a stronger controller, it will be the best one and ill buy one in a heartbeat.

---

Why are you so "aggressive"? I'm not criticizing you or anything if you think that :) I'm just making some points about these controllers.

And I have READ your entire post but you cant remember everything. And what I meant with "Can you set pump-speeds after water temp?" was if I can set the pump to go at like 9 volts when the temp is, lets say 20 to 30degres and when its 31 take it to 12v etc. Because from what I can see you can only set it to a straight curve from temperature.
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/517/adssaads.jpg

The only thing I saw about that in your first post was this:
-User-defined pump "auto" settings: set the min/max temperature values and speed for one 12V DC pump

And the requests you are talking about? what are they? The only thing I can come to think of is that I asked you to ask koolance about that features. But that was stuff you was going to ask anyway. I was more reminding you :D

And about OS-independent. I think this is just a misunderstanding. Or how we intercept?! (English?) the word independent. Because to me, independent is that you can plug in the unit and configure it and then unplug it. And then it should be able to do all the stuff it was inteded to do without being DEPENDENT of a software. But if I have understood correctly so does the TMS need to be connected and have the software running to be able to change fan-speeds according to the values that are set. And also that it doesn't shutdown without the program loaded when flow values are exceeded.

And I'm sorry if you think I'm making to much requests and statements that have already been answer. Ill try to not do that :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

I tested with a bitspower thermal plug and temperatures were not accurate, about 30C too high.

I would suggest using only Koolance thermal plugs to ensure compatibility.

---

The koolance sensors are using 49.12 kOhm. I know people uses the bitspower ones on aquaeros and aquacomputers sensors have 10 kOhm NTCs (including the one with the hole in) So its as you say. Go with the koolance ones for the tms. Or one that have the same ohm.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by century child

This information is posted in the forums:

"New software for TMS has been posted to http://www.koolance.com/support/manuals.html . Additional updates should become available more regularly.

v2.1.2 Additions:

•120dpi resolution support.
•User-definable pump and fan speed levels. These can be accessed via the "Adjust" option beneath any fan or pump's drop-down menu.
•A new debugging log feature. If there are issues in the software that cause an error or crash, information should be posted to the debug log file in the TMS root directory. Debug logs can be disabled under "Settings".
•Color code indicators have been added to all devices on the main screen (temperature, fans, pump, flow meters, etc.) to make the display graph more legible.
•The option to disable the TMS tray icon hover menu was added. To access, right click and select "Disable Mouseover Menu".
•Additional fixes for stability.

We are still working on other issues some customers are experiencing with their TMS-200 boards. This includes hearing an alarm or receiving a shutdown signal during the boot-up process (continuously or at random), some fans not being controlled properly, or COM connection problems."

---

Nice, No info about shutdown out of OS though :\

Maybe dean@koolance can comment on this? Will it even be possible to have that on the TMS?

Excellent and detailed review.

The Bitspower temperature probe not working is a show stopper right there. Many of us have numerous probes like this (10k) and it is ashame these are not working. These work with bigNg, Aquaero and motherboard temperature sensors.

Do you have another temp probe to test to confirm?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

Once configured the card is OS independant. Flow based failsafes currently do not work outside of the OS. Thermal failsafes do. If this is not good enough for you go buy the aquero..it sounds like this is the one you really want anyways so be happy with the LCD screen and 40 Watt limitation.

---

I don't think that's fair to Brodholm. You had me almost buying this yesterday when you confirmed that the flow-failsafe worked when it didn't. I was going to post but then others beat me to it. Brodholm had this discussion (and made several informative threads on all 3) about the TMS-200 a few weeks and was about to pull the trigger when this came up. Dean was asked the question but never responded to it. And if its a programming issue that they will fix cool, but thats a strong disadvantage to the security this is supposed to give. To me there are only two reason to buy TMS-200 (or one of these types of units) especially when it doesn't support lcds, thats the failsafe and auto-fan adjustment. I guess you could buy a d5 with the tach sensor and hook that up to the motherboards cpu fan but that kinda defeats the point.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

My two pumps take up 36W alone, and even one pump exceeds channel limits.... Which makes the aquero useless to me and alot of other people. You can have all the nice software and OS independant features you want...but if your controller can't run the pump, well what was the point of the controller in the first place?

---

I'm not following you here. You have to buy the additional expansion board to the TMS-200 to run two pumps. And you can't hook a d5 or Laing pump to Aquaero at all. You buy the Poweradjust for each pump and it runs those pumps separately from the Aquaero. They use the same software but they aren't connected physically. The Aquastream on the other hand can be connected to the Aquaero but the Aquastream doesn't get its power from the Aquaero either. So I believe you can run as many Aquastreams as you need, use just hook each up to a 4pin power connector from the PSU. It's also somewhat independent so you can change the pumping speed and monitor the conditions without the Aquaero, but for the fail-safe I think you need the Aquaero. The 40 W limitation is really only for the fans unless people are powering the Laing pumps off the Aquaero. And if you haven't bought your fans yet, there are some good 1 watt fans out there.

To me its really boiling down to what pumps you're going to use. With the laing pumps I would lean towards the BigNG more than the TMS-200 until they get the failsafe resolved (and the lcd if you want one). But once that and the other issues you linked are resolved (if they do resolve them!) the TMS-200 seems like a good bet. Also, I don't understand why people have a big issue with BigNG software updates, I mean the current software works. And if your going with an Aquastream then the Aquaero seems the way to go. On Tuesday I was set to buy the BigNG (which I think looks very cool). On Wednesday I was set to buy the TMS-200 and today I'm set to buy the Aquaero. I'll see what happens tomorrow.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brodholm

Why are you so "aggressive"? I'm not criticizing you or anything if you think that :) I'm just making some points about these controllers.
.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kimoyo

I don't think that's fair to Brodholm. You had me almost buying this yesterday when you confirmed that the flow-failsafe worked when it didn't.

---

hey there, sorry Brodholm i didnt mean to come off as agressive..no hostility intended at all..after rereading my post I can see how it could be interepreted like that..i was just in a rush when i wrote it heh.

kimoyo:

I was unaware you could hook up more than one poweradjust, this completely changes my mind about aquero now lol. Also, with regards to the flow shutdown...yes i made an error in my testing and missed this condition...there are so many things to test on this controller it was an honest mistake...i really thought I had gotten everything, but this slipped through...and it was a big thing. Again my apologies. it has taken me hours to get this review done and tons of rewrites. I have since removed my conclusion to leave the reader to decide what is best for thier purposes...my opinions dont matter, only the readers do 8)

I have updated the original post with results of the new software update..please enjoy my findings good and bad....

Dsumanik -

Firstly, I really appreciated your review. It did really help a lot! The only reason why this flow fail-safe is an issue is because Brodholm was geeked about buying a TMS-200, brought up the issue and was kinda misled a bit. Someone who actually brought the TMS-200 then posted it didn't work. At least that was my take on it, but anyone can go back and read the threads he posted on the controllers. And I know it seemed like he could have been attacking you a bit especially considering the forum atmosphere but if you read he's previous threads you will really see he's just asking a lot of questions.:rofl:

As far as the aquaero goes, its either they don't care to update the english speaking part of their site or there's a little designed ambiguity there. I actually read threads on their forum and the manuals but the manuals are outdated also.

Just to be clear, a laing pump can not be controlled by temperature in the aquacomputer system, which is what Brodholm was asking you about the TMS-200. So as temp goes up, its not possible to increase a d5's rpms thru the aquaero, unless they changed something in the last few years. You can take a look here. The failsafes still work, the aquaero can tell if the d5 stopped pumping in order shutdown the computer and can still monitor temperatures. The poweradjust can still vary the voltage to change the rpms of the pump, its just that the aquaero (which reads the temperatures) can't communicate with the poweradjust to tell it to vary the voltage of the laing pump. From what I can gather on their forums, they just don't want to integrate the aquaero with the poweradjust because the laing pumps aren't their pumps. They feel the aquastream meets their "standards" and thats what they will support.

I do like the idea that the pumps power isn't going directly thru the controller, but I'm still trying to decide what pump to get. A d5 would be twice a strong as an eheim, but the eheims are extremely reliable (I use them in my other hobby) and quiet. I'm still not sure how quiet a d5 is, I hear that some people can hear a certain tone and I'm pretty sure I will be able to hear it also if that's true.

The AC poweradjust USB cannot be purchased anywhere it seems. Everyone is out of stock and shoggy said he did not know when or if they would be back in stock.

I have two of them and one does not vary the voltage to the pump when demanded. I run two DDCs in series and need two of these. However, for two weeks I have been looking for another poweradjust with no luck.

I would buy anywhere in the world that ships to USA. They are nice pieces of equipment.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kimoyo

Just to be clear, a laing pump can not be controlled by temperature in the aquacomputer system, which is what Brodholm was asking you about the TMS-200. So as temp goes up, its not possible to increase a d5's rpms thru the aquaero.

---

HMM if he means setting specific voltages for specific temps..you cannot do that yet. You can only set the min and max temp and the controller adjusts pump speed automatically in between these values. I have also requested koolance allow it to be controlled via flowrate..so that it can adjust voltage to maintain a specific flowrate for testing purposes. i.e. keep flow at 2GPM and switch out waterblock to see which one is more efficient at a given flow.

yes I red Brodholms other posts on the aquacomputer stuff.... very interesting... it seems like all these controllers just miss the the home run by an inch heh. After speaking with Dean today, i feel pretty confident the shortcomings of this controller are going to be addressed, even if it requires a new board revision. Also i downloaded the aquasuite and tried it in demo mode, there is alot of good stuff in it, but also alot of extra stuff i don't knwo if I would ever use.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

hey there, sorry Brodholm i didnt mean to come off as agressive..no hostility intended at all..after rereading my post I can see how it could be interepreted like that..i was just in a rush when i wrote it heh.

No problem, I just wanted to be sure that I haven't done anything to tick someone off. I rather stay friends than hate each other if you know what i mean :) :)

kimoyo:

I was unaware you could hook up more than one poweradjust, this completely changes my mind about aquero now lol. Also, with regards to the flow shutdown...yes i made an error in my testing and missed this condition...there are so many things to test on this controller it was an honest mistake...i really thought I had gotten everything, but this slipped through...and it was a big thing. Again my apologies. it has taken me hours to get this review done and tons of rewrites. I have since removed my conclusion to leave the reader to decide what is best for thier purposes...my opinions dont matter, only the readers do 8)

Everyone makes mistakes and I just wanted to be sure that the flow-shutdown worked and you rechecked and it didn't work. No harm done. And its REALLY appreciated that people do tests like these. I learned a thing or two about the TMS that i didn't know :)

I have updated the original post with results of the new software update..please enjoy my findings good and bad....

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kimoyo

Dsumanik -

Firstly, I really appreciated your review. It did really help a lot! The only reason why this flow fail-safe is an issue is because Brodholm was geeked about buying a TMS-200, brought up the issue and was kinda misled a bit. Someone who actually brought the TMS-200 then posted it didn't work. At least that was my take on it.

Yeah, that was a bad day... I thought this is IT, the one that have almost everything! But that was not really the case. But i have to give Koolance some credit. They have handled this quite well in my opinion. They even offer a refund if you aren't satisfied with the unit.

"During the time required to test these different hardware scenarios, unfortunately, we realize some customers are still unable to operate their TMS boards properly. For anyone currently experiencing unresolvable or unsatisfactory issues with their TMS-200 boards, we would like to offer the option to return the product for a refund (please submit an RMA request to do so). We sincerely apologize for any issues encountered with this product."

But if you read he's previous threads you will really see he's just asking a lot of questions.:rofl:

Haha, This is true. I do ask a lot of questions (I will try to ask less :p:). Most of the questions I'm asking I already "know" (have read about) and just want confirmation from some more people so that I didn't miss read the text or the source was bad. This happens quite a lot.

As far as the aquaero goes, its either they don't care to update the english speaking part of their site or there's a little designed ambiguity there. I actually read threads on their forum and the manuals but the manuals are outdated also.

I have also noticed this. The old manual said that the AE only can handle 5w per channel. It wasn't until I made that aquaero thread that shoggy corrected me. Its kinda sad because they make really good products. And they could make much better if they just widen their perspective a bit.

Just to be clear, a laing pump can not be controlled by temperature in the aquacomputer system, which is what Brodholm was asking you about the TMS-200. So as temp goes up, its not possible to increase a d5's rpms thru the aquaero, unless they changed something in the last few years. You can take a look here.

I don't think so. According to shoggy you can only set the speed manually via the aquasuite. Because the poweradjust don't have a buss. I.e you cant set the speeds like in the TMS. But the TMS still lacks in the controlling since you only can take control it "that" at auto and not set thresholds values for speed and temp.

The failsafes still work, the aquaero can tell if the d5 stopped pumping in order shutdown the computer and can still monitor temperatures. The poweradjust can still vary the voltage to change the rpms of the pump, its just that the aquaero (which reads the temperatures) can't communicate with the poweradjust to tell it to vary the voltage of the laing pump. From what I can gather on their forums, they just don't want to integrate the aquaero with the poweradjust because the laing pumps aren't their pumps. They feel the aquastream meets their "standards" and thats what they will support.

I think that it is ashame that they don't make their controller more "universal". But I can understand that they want their customers to get their pump so they can make more profit. But I think, and know that many ppl don't get the aquaero since it cant control laning pumps. And they would make more money just selling a aquaero rather then don't sell one at all...

But as I said before, There is ppl that have made there own "fan-amp" for the aquaero so you can control it just like a fan. And since the aquaero already is failsafe with hardware shutdown from flow/rpm/temperature a amplifier is perfect. (normal fanamps dont work well, the aquaero cant change the voltage on them. dono why). The unit Its self a really simple thing. And it can handle 18W i think. But the circuit is not optimal for pumps. Its more for stronger fans. But there is one guy that is going to try and redesign it for pumps. He said he was going to work at it the first week in June. So thats soon.

I do like the idea that the pumps power isn't going directly thru the controller, but I'm still trying to decide what pump to get. A d5 would be twice a strong as an eheim, but the eheims are extremely reliable (I use them in my other hobby) and quiet. I'm still not sure how quiet a d5 is, I hear that some people can hear a certain tone and I'm pretty sure I will be able to hear it also if that's true.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Snyxxx

The AC poweradjust USB cannot be purchased anywhere it seems. Everyone is out of stock and shoggy said he did not know when or if they would be back in stock.

I have two of them and one does not vary the voltage to the pump when demanded. I run two DDCs in series and need two of these. However, for two weeks I have been looking for another poweradjust with no luck.

I would buy anywhere in the world that ships to USA. They are nice pieces of equipment.

---

I think that aqua tuning have some coming in. [Clicky]

This is the LT variant though. But that should not be a problem since you already have one that isn't working. (take faceplat from that unit in that case).

The shortcoming of new poweradjusts may indicat that they have something new coming out and want to clear their stocks on it. Maybe a Aquaero enough powerful control pumps. That would be awesome :bows::bows::bows:. Does anyone know if aquacomputers have any plans on a new controller :) Shoggy?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

HMM if he means setting specific voltages for specific temps..you cannot do that yet. You can only set the min and max temp and the controller adjusts pump speed automatically in between these values. I have also requested koolance allow it to be controlled via flowrate..so that it can adjust voltage to maintain a specific flowrate for testing purposes. i.e. keep flow at 2GPM and switch out waterblock to see which one is more efficient at a given flow.

Yeah, thats what i meant. Dohh, would have been nice. Because all fans and pumps sound better at some levels. Some fans sound like hell at a certain volt and if you increase it a bit its get silent again.

yes I red Brodholms other posts on the aquacomputer stuff.... very interesting... it seems like all these controllers just miss the the home run by an inch heh. After speaking with Dean today, i feel pretty confident the shortcomings of this controller are going to be addressed, even if it requires a new board revision. Also i downloaded the aquasuite and tried it in demo mode, there is alot of good stuff in it, but also alot of extra stuff i don't knwo if I would ever use.

---

Did he think that the failsafe issues would be fixed on THIS board? Or did that require a newer version of the board? If it can be fixed on this board Its very likely that ill go with tms. And exactly as you say, they all miss something. The only one that actually gives it all is the mcubed. But the software is a nightmare... And display is not that easy.

OMG, only two questions in all that text, gotta be some kind of a record :P

Edit: haha, need to add a question :P. What is the range of a ddc3.2 pump? I mean the range of the rpm. Like 2000rpm to 4500rpm. Because if you reed the site its says 7volt to 12volt. How long and high can you go dsumanik with the tms?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brodholm

I think that aqua tuning have some coming in. [Clicky]

This is the LT variant though. But that should not be a problem since you already have one that isn't working. (take faceplat from that unit in that case).

---

I have been watching this exact link for the last week and it ALWAYS says 48 hours..lol

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brodholm

Did he think that the failsafe issues would be fixed on THIS board? Or did that require a newer version of the board? If it can be fixed on this board Its very likely that ill go with tms. And exactly as you say, they all miss something. The only one that actually gives it all is the mcubed. But the software is a nightmare... And display is not that easy.

OMG, only two questions in all that text, gotta be some kind of a record :P

Edit: haha, need to add a question :P. What is the range of a ddc3.2 pump? I mean the range of the rpm. Like 2000rpm to 4500rpm. Because if you reed the site its says 7volt to 12volt. How long and high can you go dsumanik with the tms?

---

My DDC 2 18W tops out at 4440 RPMs according to the TMS, I have been running it on auto settings the last few days and it has been cycling with ease, with the new software update it shifts gears very smooth I can infact only hear it now If I specifically touch it to something that makes noise like the case panels etc.

In the new Software Update section of my Review I checked the pump header voltages with a multimeter, it is very close to what is being reported in the software which is max of 12.73. So it looks like you can get a little "voltage boost" over 12V with the tms on the high end. The main board has 0.1V more power output compared to the Expansion board according to my multimeter.

I don't know how a DDC 3.2 compare to my DDC2, ..but the Koolance pump is in fact a 3.25 I believe, so this should handle 3.2 no problem.

As far as Koolance fixing this board these were Dean's words to me:

"Yeah we know about the problems, we are offering refunds to people and we don't know the exact source of the problems yet, there seems to be some com port errors that may be unresolvable. It might be a firmware fix needed."

I then asked how we could update firmware and he said

" I don't know all the details yet, but we may have to send a new board to people with the fixes."

So to me that says they are gonna try and patch it with software first...if that fails, it'll be a hardware fix and they will do a board swap.

He sent me another email this morning saying all my suggestions and fixes are forwarded to the software DEV's, and he read this thread..and liked my review heh.

Pretty awesome customer support so far I have to say, as I find out more i will retest again and change my review to the new results.

Brodholm, if you are itching to buy something righ tnow just keep this in mind with the TMS

It will keep your Cooling setup silent, and adjust voltages on pumps and fans as needed even in its current state..the software is super easy to use and functional...the only problem is that if a pump fails, cavitates, or stalls the TMS will not shut the computer down until your CPU probe heats up enough.

It is not perfect, but "good enough" for me now.

When and if the fixes are applied, it will do everything I need a thermal controller to do.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Snyxxx

Excellent and detailed review.

The Bitspower temperature probe not working is a show stopper right there. Many of us have numerous probes like this (10k) and it is ashame these are not working. These work with bigNg, Aquaero and motherboard temperature sensors.

Do you have another temp probe to test to confirm?

---

So what is the difference between the various Ohm ratings? Is there any advantages / disadvantages?

The Bitspower sensor seemed to be working when I tested it (but with a static temperature delta) I wonder if the software can be adjusted to accept readings from the 10k OHM sensor plugs.

I only have koolance plugs and Bitspower plugs... koolance ones worked fine and bitspower were ~30C too high.

You can find the specs for the Koolance temp probe on it's page under "manual".

http://www.koolance.com/water-coolin...product_id=702

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsumanik

My DDC 2 18W tops out at 4440 RPMs according to the TMS, I have been running it on auto settings the last few days and it has been cycling with ease, with the new software update it shifts gears very smooth I can infact only hear it now If I specifically touch it to something that makes noise like the case panels etc.

In the new Software Update section of my Review I checked the pump header voltages with a multimeter, it is very close to what is being reported in the software which is max of 12.73. So it looks like you can get a little "voltage boost" over 12V with the tms on the high end. The main board has 0.1V more power output compared to the Expansion board according to my multimeter.

I don't know how a DDC 3.2 compare to my DDC2, ..but the Koolance pump is in fact a 3.25 I believe, so this should handle 3.2 no problem.

As far as Koolance fixing this board these were Dean's words to me:

"Yeah we know about the problems, we are offering refunds to people and we don't know the exact source of the problems yet, there seems to be some com port errors that may be unresolvable. It might be a firmware fix needed."

I then asked how we could update firmware and he said

" I don't know all the details yet, but we may have to send a new board to people with the fixes."

So to me that says they are gonna try and patch it with software first...if that fails, it'll be a hardware fix and they will do a board swap.

He sent me another email this morning saying all my suggestions and fixes are forwarded to the software DEV's, and he read this thread..and liked my review heh.

Pretty awesome customer support so far I have to say, as I find out more i will retest again and change my review to the new results.

Brodholm, if you are itching to buy something righ tnow just keep this in mind with the TMS

It will keep your Cooling setup silent, and adjust voltages on pumps and fans as needed even in its current state..the software is super easy to use and functional...the only problem is that if a pump fails, cavitates, or stalls the TMS will not shut the computer down until your CPU probe heats up enough.

It is not perfect, but "good enough" for me now.

When and if the fixes are applied, it will do everything I need a thermal controller to do.

---

Sounds good. I have had a somewhat different view of the support though. Sent 3 mails directly to the site and have gotten 0 replies. I have sent some pm's to dean here at xs and he has replied to some of them. No one after he was going to check the shutdown though. I guess its because they have problems. But I still like a status report :)

Its not that I need to buy one NOW. But that I have to plan for a TMS or a Aquaero. If I'm going tms I will get that unit inside the chassis but the aquaero has a display so. And I'm building my own chassis so there is so much planing involved. So I have to make up my mind.

How low can you go on your DDC2.X in rpm values? Before it stops. Because 7-12v (DDC3.2 voltage range) is a quite small spectrum compared to fans.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brodholm

Sounds good. I have had a somewhat different view of the support though. Sent 3 mails directly to the site and have gotten 0 replies. I have sent some pm's to dean here at xs and he has replied to some of them. No one after he was going to check the shutdown though. I guess its because they have problems. But I still like a status report :)

Its not that I need to buy one NOW. But that I have to plan for a TMS or a Aquaero. If I'm going tms I will get that unit inside the chassis but the aquaero has a display so. And I'm building my own chassis so there is so much planing involved. So I have to make up my mind.

How low can you go on your DDC2.X in rpm values? Before it stops. Because 7-12v (DDC3.2 voltage range) is a quite small spectrum compared to fans.

---

Just call them, they ALWAYS answer the phone :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by santiagodraco

Just call them, they ALWAYS answer the phone :)

---

Yeah I know. But I live in Sweden and calling overseas isn't exactly cheap! I think that mails are sometimes superior as you can provide data at the same time. But I agree that calling is the fastest way and probably the best.

Also! I re read your review dsumanik. And now when you can set the levels to specific data you can set the pump almost as i like. Because you can set lets say lvl 1,2,3 at the same voltage and giving a totally different curve! Thx again.

Good point, I wasn't thinking about the international side of things.

Also, in case it hasn't already been noted, the new 2.1 version of the software is running very stable on my machine, thanks Koolance!

I know this thread is done but I thought there was a very nice repository of info and the big brains in the know might see my question and respond in kind. So what do you think linux compatability?

The reason I ask is I was thinking of using one of those samsung micro boards with a lcd controller to run (these boards run in a linux and windows ce environment) the tms-200 software and put it on a 7 inch touch screen on the front of my water box (Danger Den). This way I could have a true independent monitoring system.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by titus1972

I know this thread is done but I thought there was a very nice repository of info and the big brains in the know might see my question and respond in kind. So what do you think linux compatability?

The reason I ask is I was thinking of using one of those samsung micro boards with a lcd controller to run (these boards run in a linux and windows ce environment) the tms-200 software and put it on a 7 inch touch screen on the front of my water box (Danger Den). This way I could have a true independent monitoring system.

---

This is thread is not "done"

I have a new controller arriving this week with updated firmware from dean, if all the fixes I requested have been applied, then yes once configured initially in windows, the controller should work with linux and I will update the review accordingly.

I have to test it though before we will know.

However you will not have access to the GUI in linux, the controller will just control the fans and pumps based on the last settings it recieved .

Surprised I haven't read this here yet: http://forums.koolance.com/viewtopic...6&p=3065#p3058

I'm hopinh the random alarm every now and then isn't part of these problems because I'd really hate having to take everything apart and shipping it back again just to get a firmware upgrade.

Even if you dont experience the alarm problems, with the current firmware the controlloer does not protect users from a pump based failure outside the os....

If you are fine with that...great but im not.

If your system bluescreens or locks up, you have not defined a thermal based shutdown or have not defined it correctly/aggressively enough, and your pump fails....your system will sit there and cook.

Which is what this controller was designed to prevent. The alarm bug is minor and its easy to fix..just annoying. the pump based shutdown sequence needs to be addressed asap before this controller can really be recommended.

I see you posted about the auto settings as well...that is gonna be fixed too but its just a bit down the list until these hardware problems get solved...even as it is, the auto settings work nicely so i figured i would request the big problems to be fixed first...

Sit tight, i'll let everyone know as soon as I get some results.

I hope they sort out the Bitspower temp probe issue, I mean, really it should work with all temp probes.

Great review! :up: I want one now instead of these other stupid fan controllers I have right now!

Would you be willing to test putting a DDC3.2(5) on a fan channel and seeing if it runs and at what voltage? :p:

And also if setting to a low % turns it off.

I'm still looking for a controller to run three pumps, but only modulate 1 of them....the other two I just need on/off switches.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dreamaxx

I hope they sort out the Bitspower temp probe issue, I mean, really it should work with all temp probes.

---

i wouldn't call this an issue so much as a design choice...likely koolance did it to try and encourage sales of thier own temp probes...my bitspower probe still works when attatched..it just seems to have a static temperature delta. But it moves up and down a degree or so at a time so it seems to be functioning, i just have no way to verify the demp delta or accuracy. When the new controller arrives maybe i will try and plug them all in together and see if i can figure out the exact delta and/or if the probe is still behaving correctly. At first glance, this seems to be something that should be adjustable on the software side, similar to how you can adjust the flowmeter readings based on tubing diameter. Perhaps adding calibration for different OHM probes will come in a future update?

To me its not that much of a biggy because i have both bitspower and koolance probes...but I am sure others would like to avoid purchasing koolance ones. Really though were talking a savings of 40 bucks on a dual loop system which would likely cost hundreds of dollars to begin with...i can only really see the need for more than two coolant probes for testing/review purposes. In a live loop adding tlines etc for every probe location would get messy, and possibly add restrictions. I mean whats the practical use of knowing your temps after every block unless you doing a review, or perhaps a test to see how flowrate affects temps in a series loop.

For me i just want to know my delta above ambient right after the rad.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Vapor

Would you be willing to test putting a DDC3.2(5) on a fan channel and seeing if it runs and at what voltage? :p:

And also if setting to a low % turns it off.

I'm still looking for a controller to run three pumps, but only modulate 1 of them....the other two I just need on/off switches.

---

unfortunately I dont have any 3.2(5) only DDC 2's. i also thought of trying the pump on a fan channel but I am scared to attach the DDC2 to the PWM control because i have read threads in which alot of on off cycles is what can kills the DDC2. My first thought is that it *should* work fine though, the controller doesnt care what it is powering as long as you don't exceed the channel limits.

As far as minimum voltage goes, i made another post here: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=225786 and it seems the entire DDC pump family has an operating range of 8-12V, with PWM you should theoretically be able to take the pump to a lower speed than analog because you are giving constant bursts of 12V... The lowest my DDC2 will spin is at 7.92V on analog on an empty loop I believe, but only if it gets an initial ~8.25V initial spin..which the controller does provide on startup. So constant PWM bursts of 12v should be able to take the rpm down quite low...at least if the pump was running dry. PWM on fans is great because the blade momentum keeps the illusion of constant spin, but there isnt really alot of momentum happening on the impeller when submerged in liquid. When you cut the juice, it pretty much stops..so the lower the RPM you try to achieve, the harder it will become to maintain a steady flow. Also, at about 8V in a loop with just a HK 3.0 i was getting around 1.5 GPM, I guess some people might like to take it down to the 1 GPM threshold but much slower than that I don't know if it would be practical. For me, if my flow sinks much lower than 1.5 I would probably add another pump, especially with multiple blocks in series so the heat pickup doesnt get amplified.

Another thing i do notice about my DDC2 is that even when plugged into a straight molex there is about a 1 second lag from the time voltage hits it until the pump actually spins, I don't know if 3.2 series does this.

So on the DDC2 series I don't think running it off the fan channel would work....because the PWM switching would be far faster than this 1 second lag....which may be why they used analog control on the pump channels in the first place. If the 3.2 does this as well then i would guess PWM would not be a viable alternative for controlling this series of pump either.

My suggestion to you or anyone else out there using a 3.2(5) is to plug it into a PWM controller and see what happens. (not in a live loop though) If rpms adjust as expected...great! But be warned, alot of on off switching is a suspected cause of failure in the DDC2 series..and PWM control is on off like crazy, in one day you would easily exceed the average on off cycles compared to a life time of normal usage. The PWM control on the TMS-200 is phenominal it really is very nice..so if your pump works with a different PWM controller im sure it will work with the TMS.

I am curious as to what kind of loop you have setup with 2 pumps full bore, and a 3rd being modulated....is it somehow providing extra pressure to one side of the loop or the other? That would be cool..

Do I understand this correctly: the TMS-200 firmware is not field upgradable?

Anyone who designs hardware like the TMS-200 should be experienced enough to understand that the firmware absolutely positively must be designed to be field upgradable.

Congratulations on an outstanding review there dsumanik, very detailed.
All thou there is alot of reading, there was no waffling on.:clap: VERY WELL DONE Mate!

I have just read the whole thread from start to finish, however your last entery is from the 06-10-2009. Is there any more info on updated firmware and have the challenges with the TMS been fixed?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kgtiger

Is there any more info on updated firmware and have the challenges with the TMS been fixed?

---

No more updated firmware as of yet, but the latest (v2.1.18) TMS software has resolved most of the issues. Though there are some enhancements I'd still like to see added.

Apperantly there are 3 more updates planned for the TMS200 after 2.1.18.. Waiting for the update that adds hysteresis myself, right now my fan is just spinning up and down like crazy if I set it to auto :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ILikeCosmosS

it all depends on the fans your going to use
i am going to be putting 16 fans on mine, and all you need to do is really cool the heatsink

---

+1 mcubed love (l) :rofl:

Thanks rambler358 and damunk for your info there, much appreciated.:up:

first of all, thanks a lot dsumanik for such a great review.

Could somebody tell me dimensions of this board? Especially height

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by damunk

Apperantly there are 3 more updates planned for the TMS200 after 2.1.18.. Waiting for the update that adds hysteresis myself, right now my fan is just spinning up and down like crazy if I set it to auto :P

---

This has now been added: http://forums.koolance.com/viewtopic...21&t=690#p5018

Tim

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aka_GK

Could somebody tell me dimensions of this board? Especially height

---

The dimensions of the main board are 100mm W x 160mm L x 21mm H. The expansion board adds another 12mm to the overall height.

Tim

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Koolance

The dimensions of the main board are 100mm W x 160mm L x 21mm H. The expansion board adds another 12mm to the overall height.

Tim

---

Thanks a lot!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Koolance

This has now been added: http://forums.koolance.com/viewtopic...21&t=690#p5018

Tim

---

Looks like a great update - can't wait to try it out! Thanks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Koolance

This has now been added: http://forums.koolance.com/viewtopic...21&t=690#p5018

Tim

---

Works great man, thanks a lot! :up:

So its "safe" to get this now?

Just wondering

If I was to splice (3) 120mm Enermax Magma fans together into 1 3-pin power cable will 1 fan channel be able to power all 3?

According to PPCs Enermax Magma are .34A each. On the board each fan/pump header is good for max 2A. Should be fine.

Sweet thanks Kibbler

Another thanks to dsumanik for the thorough review. And to Tim for keeping us updated. Just ordered the TMS-200 to give it a whirl.

I have an Aquaero for temp and fan monitoring/control, but it's impossible to get a new one in the US right now, so wanted something different. The Alphacool looked interesting, but couldn't find much info on it, and as far as I could see, the manual is only in German (maybe that's only the online version? ). So, due to the info in this thread, went with the TMS-200.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ohms

If I was to splice (3) 120mm Enermax Magma fans together into 1 3-pin power cable will 1 fan channel be able to power all 3?

---

I did that exact thing with no issues.

I finally got my rig done and I hooked up my MCP-655 "bling bling" pump to it and it won't report the pump RPM, is it me or does it just not work?

Should work fine, make sure youve checked the box corresponding to tje pump channel in the settings page

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ohms

I finally got my rig done and I hooked up my MCP-655 "bling bling" pump to it and it won't report the pump RPM, is it me or does it just not work?

---

Is that a Vario or a "B" model? If it's a Vario, there's no tach output at all and RPM's are not readable. If it's a "B" something is either not connected right or the tach circuitry may not be working.

If you are missing the RPM tach lead on your pump, and are feeling adventurous, you can try adding one yourself.

Scroll down this thread and take a look at the instructions in there for adding the RPM lead to the circuit board.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/Forums/...=234698&page=2

I believe his was a Vario in that thread FWIW. If not, he also mentions that Laing could do it for you if you send the pump in..

I'm pretty sure its not a vario because i don't have the red dial on the backside and I do have the RPM lead plugged in.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GregSG

So its "safe" to get this now?

Just wondering

---

I am wondering the same thing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by shazza

Another thanks to dsumanik for the thorough review. And to Tim for keeping us updated. Just ordered the TMS-200 to give it a whirl.

I have an Aquaero for temp and fan monitoring/control, but it's impossible to get a new one in the US right now, so wanted something different. The Alphacool looked interesting, but couldn't find much info on it, and as far as I could see, the manual is only in German (maybe that's only the online version? ). So, due to the info in this thread, went with the TMS-200.

---

How did you make out? What is your personal impression compared to the Aquaero?

Thanks in advance :)

I recently installed a TMS-200, about a week ago. Previously I was using a Koolance RP-1000 to control my primary 4 x 120mm fan / radiator, with sensors to my CPU, one of my GPUs, and one for ambient. I'm using the latest TMS-200 software, 2.1.26, and my board revision was 2.5 or something like that.

When I installed the TMS-200 I added a flowmeter, added an in-line water temp sensor, and had four other sensors going to CPU, one for each of my two GPUs, and one for RAM.

My impression so far is fairly positive, although I haven't used any of the other options currently on the market. I went for the TMS-200 as my initial choice because, of the competing offerings, it seemed to have gotten the most recent support. The T-balancer software, for instance, hasn't been updated since 2008, and that is labeled an 'alpha' version.

There are definitely a few areas for improvement. Starting up the TMS-200 software requires an admin prompt if using UAC on Vista or Windows 7, even if the program starts up at logon. I worked around this by making it a scheduled task set to run with highest priveleges; I found I had to give it a 30 second delay to start after logging on, otherwise the program would start but the tray icon would be missing. The 30 second delay fixes that.

I set the TMS-200 to control my pump speed based on water temp, and maybe 90% of the time upon reboot and logon the pump is controlled correctly. The other 10% of the time the pump starts at max power and remains there until manually set back to 'Auto', which sort of defeats the purpose of 'Auto.' Fortunately reboots are fairly infrequent with Vista / Windows 7, so this issue rarely presents itself.

One option the TMS-200 lacks when compared to the T-balancer is the ability to control a fan through a group of sensors. The TMS-200 limits you to controlling a fan header by one sensor only. You can use the same sensor for all three fans, or three different sensors for each of the three fan headers, or any combination; but you can't, say, have a fan controlled by the highest temp sensor between CPU and GPUs.

I installed the TMS-200 in a 5.25 bay using an internal USB header, and haven't had any com port issues; apparently this is an issue with some users on earlier versions of the software. I did have an issue with the ATX pass-through power switch and the TMS-200, particularly during my Indigo Extreme reflow session. I ended up just removing that. The TMS-200 software does have an 'OS shutdown' option when defined alarm conditions are met (as opposed to the hard-off provided by the ATX passthrough power switch.)

One minor annoyance with the com port interface is that when the software initiatizes after a reboot, it has to do a 10 second 'com port scan' before it becomes operational. During this time you can't move or minimize the window, preventing my scheduled task from starting minimized. Just a minor issue, but something I noted.

I sent in feedback regarding this to Koolance. I also suggested LCD keyboard and Windows Gadget support, as well as the ability to read temps from third party programs like RealTemp. I wouldn't hold my breath though; Koolance replied to some of my suggestions by stating that they had limited programming support but that their software code was on the website if users wanted to modify it.

Hopefully this doesn't mean that software support for the TMS-200 has ended.

So far, though, I'm happy with the interface, and it lets me run my system a lot quieter than previously. I particularly like the ability to control my pump speed based on a sensor, and to customize the fan profiles to my liking. Now my computer is so much quieter I'm noticing my hard drive noise more... I'll have to figure out a way to silence them better.

So far as I know, nothing has changed with the TMS-200 for many months now. I was going to suggest visiting the Koolance support forums and reading up on it, but I see that they're down for some reason.

I have a TMS-200 + EB200 here on my system. It works okay. It's actually a fairly good piece of hardware. It appears to me that it's just the software that lacks. I have it driving two D5 pumps, seven fans (some w/splitters), an FM17 flow meter, a water temperature probe and two air temperature probes.

Some motherboards have USB problems such that they don't consistently communicate with the board. Using a separate pci usb card can solve that problem.

I get the impression that Koolance have abandoned the TMS-200. They don't appear interested in doing anything further with it. Anyone wanting to do anything to support it themselves will either have to dig up an ancient VB6 compiler or start more or less from scratch.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ABalthazor

I recently installed a TMS-200, about a week ago. Previously I was using a Koolance RP-1000 to control my primary 4 x 120mm fan / radiator, with sensors to my CPU, one of my GPUs, and one for ambient. I'm using the latest TMS-200 software, 2.1.26, and my board revision was 2.5 or something like that.

..snip..

So far, though, I'm happy with the interface, and it lets me run my system a lot quieter than previously. I particularly like the ability to control my pump speed based on a sensor, and to customize the fan profiles to my liking. Now my computer is so much quieter I'm noticing my hard drive noise more... I'll have to figure out a way to silence them better.

---

Thanks for the detailed comments :up: It sounds like there is still trouble with the hardware based emergency shutdown (part of the reason I want it).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by astrodanco

So far as I know, nothing has changed with the TMS-200 for many months now. I was going to suggest visiting the Koolance support forums and reading up on it, but I see that they're down for some reason.

..snip..

I get the impression that Koolance have abandoned the TMS-200. They don't appear interested in doing anything further with it. Anyone wanting to do anything to support it themselves will either have to dig up an ancient VB6 compiler or start more or less from scratch.

---

Yes, I tried the forum before posting here. Sounds like another potential BigNG. :( I'm almost tempted to go BigNG and see if I can work out the software issues. However the Koolance is available from NCIX in Canada, while I'd have to order an Aquaero from Europe or a BigNG from US or Europe. :mad:



Thanks for the info!

I'll concur that it's working pretty good for me as well. But it looks like further software updates won't be coming, despite what Koolance said in their forums a while back. ABalthazor seems to pretty much confirm that above.

Also, the TMS-200 seems to only support certain fans. When not at 100% my Coolermaster R4 fans would not work at all. When my Corsair RAM fan is not at 100%, RPMs are not displayed but the fan is still controlled. No issues with Koolance fans however.

I'm using Gentle Typhoons with mine. They work well.

The TMS-200 uses PCM to control fans. Not all fans like that. Some make annoying clicking noises when PCM driven. I had some Panaflo fans that didn't like PCM at all.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rambler358

Also, the TMS-200 seems to only support certain fans. When not at 100% my Coolermaster R4 fans would not work at all. When my Corsair RAM fan is not at 100%, RPMs are not displayed but the fan is still controlled. No issues with Koolance fans however.

---

And I'll concur with this. I have a Kinston HyperX RAM fan that does the same thing; it only shows RPMs at 100% speed. It can be controlled and run as low as 50%, but just displays no RPMs at anything less than 100%.

I'm running 4 x Koolance 12025HBK on one header (1.12A total), and one 12025HBK on a second header, and those have no issues displaying RPMs, even running at 10%.

I hope Koolance continues to support the product, but I'm not optimistic. There is certainly room in the market for currently supported software controlled fan/pump controller.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grinder

Thanks for the detailed comments :up: It sounds like there is still trouble with the hardware based emergency shutdown (part of the reason I want it).

Yes, I tried the forum before posting here. Sounds like another potential BigNG. :( I'm almost tempted to go BigNG and see if I can work out the software issues. However the Koolance is available from NCIX in Canada, while I'd have to order an Aquaero from Europe or a BigNG from US or Europe. :mad:

Thanks for the info!

---

I ordered a T-balancer from MCubed in early May, and it still hasn't arrived. I thought I'd try it out 'side by side' with the TMS-200. But the TMS-200 is actually here, whereas the T-balancer is in shipping limbo.

There are a few North American-based companies that may have the T-balancer, though, if that is something you want to look into. If I realized that at the time I wouldn't have ordered direct from MCubed.

As an aside, I didn't reconnect the ATX pass through power switch to my TMS-200 after I disconnected during my Indigo Extreme reflow process, because it wouldn't even boot (no power to pump = no boot, for safety, I suppose.) I haven't bothered to test it now that my system is operational, but I think they may have resolved part of the problem with certain settings.

For instance, if you use a flow meter, you can set it to shutdown the system of the flow < a set amount. But in the first few seconds of the software initializing it reads the flow as 0, and this initiaties a shutdown. However, at some point they added a delay option, so if you use the default 60 second delay for your system, that gives the software enough time to initialize, get the flow reading correctly, and it automatically abandons the shutdown (assuming no other shutdown conditions are fulfilled.) After using it, it only takes 5 seconds or so to get the flow reading and cancel the shut down - no input from the user is required. You just get a quick flash of a window saying 'shutdown because flow < X' and then it goes away.

What they should do is just not activate any shutdown rules until 10 seconds after the software connects with the com port.

I think without this delay option I could see users having problems. But I don't see why it wouldn't work better now. But my TMS-200 is in a tight spot, and I'm semi-lazy, and don't really want to connect my ATX power pass through cable unless I have to go in there for something else.

Koolance has had some issues with their website since the beginning of the month, including their forums. The community activity there is small, but they do have users that discuss the TMS-200. No power users releasing software updates, unfortunately.

I have the ATX power pass-through connected on my TMS-200, and Koolance seems to have worked out that previous issue now.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ABalthazor

Koolance has had some issues with their website since the beginning of the month, including their forums. The community activity there is small, but they do have users that discuss the TMS-200. No power users releasing software updates, unfortunately.

---

That's because Koolance used out-dated VB6, and there doesn't seem to be anyone using that anymore. :rolleyes:

But I also heard rumor that Koolance is working on some other form of TMS, and that could be the reason they've stopped TMS-200 development.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rambler358

That's because Koolance used out-dated VB6, and there doesn't seem to be anyone using that anymore. :rolleyes:

But I also heard rumor that Koolance is working on some other form of TMS, and that could be the reason they've stopped TMS-200 development.

---

Well, it would be great if they allow any new products' software be backwards compatabile with the TMS-200, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Would be nice to see a supported product on the market, in any event.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ABalthazor

I ordered a T-balancer from MCubed in early May, and it still hasn't arrived. I thought I'd try it out 'side by side' with the TMS-200. But the TMS-200 is actually here, whereas the T-balancer is in shipping limbo.

There are a few North American-based companies that may have the T-balancer, though, if that is something you want to look into. If I realized that at the time I wouldn't have ordered direct from MCubed.

As an aside, I didn't reconnect the ATX pass through power switch to my TMS-200 after I disconnected during my Indigo Extreme reflow process, because it wouldn't even boot (no power to pump = no boot, for safety, I suppose.) I haven't bothered to test it now that my system is operational, but I think they may have resolved part of the problem with certain settings.

For instance, if you use a flow meter, you can set it to shutdown the system of the flow < a set amount. But in the first few seconds of the software initializing it reads the flow as 0, and this initiaties a shutdown. However, at some point they added a delay option, so if you use the default 60 second delay for your system, that gives the software enough time to initialize, get the flow reading correctly, and it automatically abandons the shutdown (assuming no other shutdown conditions are fulfilled.) After using it, it only takes 5 seconds or so to get the flow reading and cancel the shut down - no input from the user is required. You just get a quick flash of a window saying 'shutdown because flow < X' and then it goes away.

What they should do is just not activate any shutdown rules until 10 seconds after the software connects with the com port.

I think without this delay option I could see users having problems. But I don't see why it wouldn't work better now. But my TMS-200 is in a tight spot, and I'm semi-lazy, and don't really want to connect my ATX power pass through cable unless I have to go in there for something else.

---

Sorry to hear it's taking so long, and thanks for the tip! I double checked NCIX, the only Canadian source I could find for the TMS-200, and it isn't in stock, saying 3-6 weeks...

When yours finally arrives and you have had time to evaluate, you can send me the loser :ROTF:

I like the relative price, availability, and capabilities of the Koolance, but it sounds like they still haven't got an OS independant shutdown mechanism. i.e. the software needs to be running on the pc.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grinder

it sounds like they still haven't got an OS independant shutdown mechanism. i.e. the software needs to be running on the pc.

---

It WILL do a hardware power button style shutdown of my machine. It takes it's time about it, but it does do it. What it will NOT do for me is a proper Windows (e.g., OS level) shutdown. Not just when the software isn't running properly of course, but even when it is running properly. The OS level shutdown feature just doesn't do anything here -- other than cause some extra added delay as it eventually reverts to a hardware power button style shutdown.

You can tell they didn't put much thought or effort into the software. It's very light weight demo quality, if that.

One of my main beefs with the software is "auto-startup." The software is written as a monolithic program that is started only once someone logs into the machine. It should be written so that it has a core service that communicates with the board and a separate user interface that communicates with the service. Then the service would be made to start when windows starts. It is as if they thought the software was used only for bells and whistles pretty picture type monitoring and forgot all about the need to be able to do an OS level shutdown when no one is actually logged in at the time...

The USB interface is also problematic for some people. It's done using a prolific driver and a USB to serial converter. When I first got this board the software and the hardware would not communicate at all until I totally re-installed Windows from scratch. I never did find out what was getting in the way. Also, whenever I plug a USB thumbdrive into my machine, the instant I remove it, the TMS-200 software looses contact with the TMS-200 board. Only a reboot gets the two back in communication again.

I hate to bash the thing because it really does work well overall most of the time.

You could schedule it as a task to start at boot (as opposed to logon), but the tray icon won't be there.

I agree that they need to revamp it to a service-style model, which would also resolve UAC issues if done properly.

I don't think the software has to be running for it to cutoff the system using the ATX pass-through switch. If this were the case it couldn't have prevented my computer from booting up when the pump was disabled, but it did. I don't know what parameters it uses when the software isnt' loaded, but there are some.

Ideally the user could select options and have them saved to the firmware of the board instead of relying on the software interface.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ABalthazor

Ideally the user could select options and have them saved to the firmware of the board instead of relying on the software interface.

---

That's actually what's done when you're system starts up and the software isn't running. The last time you saved settings they're written to firmware, and the TMS will use those settings at next startup until they're changed again.

It could stop you from booting if it was confused :wth::confused2:

Actually, I think the comment made by the OP was that it couldn't do a flow based shutdown, but I'm too lazy to check right now.

The scenario I'm being anal about is Windows hangs while unattended and a problem occurs. Is the shutdown mechanism dependant on the software running for certain things?

Sorry for playing devil's advocate :devil: It seems like all of these solutions have their flaws. Time to google some more, and see where I can find one of these three (tms-200, aquaero, bigng) in stock and at what cost!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grinder

It could stop you from booting if it was confused :wth::confused2:

---

Early versions of the software had this very issue! :eek:

I'm waiting for Everest support before I pick one up. A dev on the Everest forums mentioned they were looking into it and that they had ordered a TMS-200. But there has been no update for months.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grinder

When yours finally arrives and you have had time to evaluate, you can send me the loser :ROTF:

---

The T-Balancer finally arrived from Austria. Looking at it ... boy does it have a lot of sensors, way more than anyone would practically need. And the fact that I need to install the base unit and the analog sensor hub in order to get flowmeter support is offputting. Right now the TMS-200 can do what I need in one unit: flowmeter, sufficient temp sensors, and three fans, and all in one device. I suppose I could use another couple of fan headers, but I don't need them enough to install either the TMS-200 expansion board (which won't fit where the TMS-200 is currently installed) or to install the T-balancer.

My TMS-200 is installed in a really cramped place in my case, and taking it out to reroute the cables to the T-balancer is going to be more work than it is worth right now. The TMS-200 is working fine for the time being, so I'll probably store the T-balancer as a backup system.

The T-balancer's software version was labeled 2006. That isn't confidence building.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ABalthazor

The T-balancer's software version was labeled 2006. That isn't confidence building.

---

Yeah, that's the thing I like the least about it. No support to speak of in terms of fixes or new features. I wonder if it is limited to 2 flow input? Unless you could hook up more than one analog hub... It sounds like the tms-200 has the same status, but at least the software is a lot more recent.

Do you have any thoughts about the aquaero? And let me know if you decide to sell your mcubed gear for a loss :p: