Aerocool is a company that has been around since 2002, and is probably best known for it’s GateWatch fan controller.  Well, today, they have sent us their latest and greatest unit, the FP-01.  The FP-01 is Aerocool’s latest and greatest fan controller, with a whole new style. 

     The FP-01 is much more than a fan controller, however, as the new unit is also capable of temperature sensing, reading 55 different media cards, and even has an eSATA controller.  On top of that, the FP-01 has a complete new design that allows all of these features to be crammed into a single CD-ROM bay, while at the same time, looking very cool. Lets take a look!

What AeroCool claims:

• Car stereo style flip-up LCD screen (Color)

• Detect 3 sets of temperature and fan speed

• 3 sets of Alarm settings

• Auto / Manual control

• 55 in 1 card reader (no need for adaptor)

• Smart copy function - copy card data to your desktop in one touch

• 1 x USB port

• 1 x e-SATA port

• Fits in any 5.25” bay

Media Card Support:

CF SLOT : CF-Type I, CF-Type II, CF-Ultra II, HS CF ,
Micro Drive, CF-Pro, CF-Pro II, CF-Extreme, CF-Extreme III,
CF-PSP II, CF-Super, CF-Ultra X

MS Slot : MS, MS-Magic Gate, MS-PRO Magic Gate,
HS-MS-PRO Magic Gate, MS-DUO, MS-DUO Magic Gate,
MS-PRO Duo, HS-MS-PRO Duo, MS-PRO Duo-PSP,
MS-PRO Duo-Gaming

SD Slot: SD, SDC, SD-Pro, SD-Pleomax, SD-Pro C,
SD-Ultra, SD-Ultra II, SD-Ultra II Plus, SD-Extreme III,
SD-Ultra X, SD-Turbo, SD-Super, SD-Max, Mini SD,
Mini SD-Pro, Mini SD-Pleomax.MMC, MMC-Pleomax,
MMC Pro, HS-MMC, MMC Plus, MMC-Plus Turbo, RS MMC,
RS MMC-Pleomax, RS MMC-Speed,RS MMC-Max,
MMC Mobile, MMC Mobile-ProC, MMC Mobile-Pocketnet,
Micro SD

SM Slot : XD READY, XD (M), XD ( H), Smart Media

Out of Box Experience:

     So, here we start off with the box.  The box is simple and effective.  The full color graphic shows what the controller looks like, as well as a close-up of the LCD.  We also can see that the controller closely resembles that of an in-dash DVD player for a car. 

The back of the packaging shows off the features of the controller in several different languages.

Both sides are identical, and show the memory card compatibility.

Inside, all the components are tucked away safely inside a plastic shell.

Included in the box is a driver CD, the controller, a manual and a bundle of cables.

The cable bundle includes the following:

• 1x SATA cable for eSATA support

• 1xUSB header cable for USB and memory card reader support.

• 3x Thermal sensor cables

• 3x Fan adaptor cables

• 1x DC power cable

• 1x HDD access signal cable

     Finally, a look at the controller itself.  The controller looks much like a standard optical drive, except for the eSATA, USB and memory card ports on the bottom. 

Video: Watch the Door in Action Here.

     With a light push on the tray, the spring loaded LCD panel pops out and folds up, much like a car stereo. There are four buttons available to adjust fan controller and temperature readout settings.

     Here, we have a side view of the controller.  Since the unit is only about half as deep as a typical optical drive, only one screw on each side is needed to install.

     This is what the controller looks back with all the wiring installed.  I am a bit disappointed that there is no wire management on any of the cabling.  A little sleeving or some zip ties can go a long way here, and I highly recommend that you only plug in whatever cables you will be using.

Installation

     Installation of the fan controller is a pretty straightforward affair.  All you have to do is install the controller like you would any other optical drive, and plug in the cables.  The fun part is routing all the cables so that they look nice.

     Probably the first consideration to make in terms of the cabling is determing where the temperature sensing wires should go.  Obvious candidates would be anywhere that has a significant source of heat.  Here we have one of the power MOSFETS with a temperature sensor on the heatsink.  Other good places would be hard drives, graphics cards, chipsets and the CPU.  The FP-01 utilizes three separate channels, with each channel correlating to a single temp sensor and fan controller.  Ideally, you will want the sensor to be in range of the appropriate fan, to take advantage of the isolated channel characteristics of the FP-01. 

     The memory card readers and the USB port are all handled through a motherboard USB header, as depicted above. 

Setting up the FP-01

Video: See the alarm in action here.

The last step is to setup the software.  Once you boot into Windows, the card readers should automatically install, or you can install them from the disc.  Once those are installed, you can also install the Smart Copy software, which will automatically copy data from your flash card to your desktop with the touch of the "Copy" key on top of the panel.  Unfortunately, the software will not install in Vista; however Aerocool has confirmed they are working on the issue and hope to have a new version of the software on their website soon.  It should be noted that the software is not needed to access the memory cards, all card readers still work in Vista as you would expect any regular card reader.

Conclusion:

     Aerocool has a winner with the FP-01, as it has many of the features of a double wide controller packed into a single 5.25" bay. It is important to point out however, that while the pictures make it look like the display is motorized, it is not. It is a simple spring loaded function, which does not add as much to the bling factor as a motorized display would. However, at its current price point, the lack of a motorized tray makes sense. The lack of any cable management is also a bit disappointing, as well as the current support for 64-bit Vista. These are all pretty small quibbles, however.

     On the plus side, the inclusion of eSATA is a very handy feature, and the memory card support is top-notch. The unit is very nice to look, easy to install, and works very well. Changing fan speeds on the fly is pretty easy with the buttons, and allows for a sleeker look you can't get with knobs. All-in-all, the FP-01 is a good looking product that effectively performs its function at a fair price, and thus, I am happy to recommend it.

Innovation:	8.0 out of 10
Performance:	8.0 out of 10
Quality:	8.0 out of 10
Stability:	N/A
Overclocking:	N/A
Software/Drivers Pack:	Optional
Value:	7.5 out of 10
Overall Rating 8.0
Project Skill Level (10 being most difficult)	4 out of 10