Matrix Orbital MX5 514 USB VFD & Fanbus
Screen In Action
Published: 13th May 2006 | Source: Matrix Orbital | Price: |
What good would this review be if we didnt show you some pictures taken in a darkened room of this screen in action! I must admit taking these pictures took in excess of 2 hours as my camera doesnt seem to like bright lights. Maybe its time for a new camera!
Big Clock
Spend to much time on the PC in the morning and end up late for work? This huge clock, consuming the entire screen could be just what you need.
Current Weather
Maybe you'd like to know if its worth finishing your game of Counter Strike and going outside for some fresh air? The current weather plugin can display Weather information from all around the world by simply obtaining a code from the MSN Weather website.
Winamp Plugin
The default install of LCDC is capable of interfacing with all versions of Winamp to display basic track information. I was disappointed that a DSP plugin for Winamp v5 wasn't included, as i was looking forward to seeing some good old jumping bar animation!
Network Information
Not sure if this plugin has any practical use for most users, but still, its always interesting to see how much bandwidth you are using up. This could well be a handy plugin for servers so that Network Admin's can see at a glance how much of their network capacity is being used.
Memory Information
A handy plugin for looking at a quick glance why your PC is running like an old dog. No need for me to jump on the 2gb bandwagon just yet ;)
Fan Monitoring
Up to 4 3-Pin fans can be connected to the MX5. If the fan supports RPM monitoring, it will be displayed on the screen. Another nifty feature of the MX5 is the ability to adjust the fan speen based on temperature (from the thermal probes), or manually by using the buttons on the front of the LCD. As i said earlier, the MX5 uses PWM to control fan speed, so any LED fans plugged into the unit will start strobing when the fan speed is reduced.
Temperature Monitoring
The included thermal probes give pretty accurate readings of the temperature when compared with my multimeter. I actually went to the trouble of placing one probe in the water before my radiator and one after. The bottom line of the display just scrolls my current water cooling setup specification. Prety cool eh?
CPU Speed, Uptime & RSS Feeds
This screen is actually one i created myself in only a couple of minutes, just to show you how easy it is to get exactly what you want on there. The second line shows you the CPU model and current speed, 3rd shows you how long my PC has been switched on for (before it randomly crashes), and last line is from the RSS plugin which is presently obtaining its information from the OC3D homepage.
Spend to much time on the PC in the morning and end up late for work? This huge clock, consuming the entire screen could be just what you need.
Current Weather
Maybe you'd like to know if its worth finishing your game of Counter Strike and going outside for some fresh air? The current weather plugin can display Weather information from all around the world by simply obtaining a code from the MSN Weather website.
Winamp Plugin
The default install of LCDC is capable of interfacing with all versions of Winamp to display basic track information. I was disappointed that a DSP plugin for Winamp v5 wasn't included, as i was looking forward to seeing some good old jumping bar animation!
Network Information
Not sure if this plugin has any practical use for most users, but still, its always interesting to see how much bandwidth you are using up. This could well be a handy plugin for servers so that Network Admin's can see at a glance how much of their network capacity is being used.
Memory Information
A handy plugin for looking at a quick glance why your PC is running like an old dog. No need for me to jump on the 2gb bandwagon just yet ;)
Fan Monitoring
Up to 4 3-Pin fans can be connected to the MX5. If the fan supports RPM monitoring, it will be displayed on the screen. Another nifty feature of the MX5 is the ability to adjust the fan speen based on temperature (from the thermal probes), or manually by using the buttons on the front of the LCD. As i said earlier, the MX5 uses PWM to control fan speed, so any LED fans plugged into the unit will start strobing when the fan speed is reduced.
Temperature Monitoring
The included thermal probes give pretty accurate readings of the temperature when compared with my multimeter. I actually went to the trouble of placing one probe in the water before my radiator and one after. The bottom line of the display just scrolls my current water cooling setup specification. Prety cool eh?
CPU Speed, Uptime & RSS Feeds
This screen is actually one i created myself in only a couple of minutes, just to show you how easy it is to get exactly what you want on there. The second line shows you the CPU model and current speed, 3rd shows you how long my PC has been switched on for (before it randomly crashes), and last line is from the RSS plugin which is presently obtaining its information from the OC3D homepage.
Most Recent Comments
Nice. Not as nice as my Crystalfontz tho 
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