Overall Impression

The TWV500 from Thermaltake

Thermaltake, commonly known for its coolers, has come up with something very special. The ATX 12V 2.01 power supply TWV 500 incorporates a digital power meter in addition to a fan controller. By means of a 5.25" front panel, it is possible to control the speed of the power supply fan and that of an enclosed additional 4.72" (120 mm) fan.

The power supply's components: on the right, the additional 4.72" (120 mm) fan.

The power meter and both setting potentiometers.

Well concealed (left) - the connection for the potentiometer at the fan.

Not much inside: Two potentiometers and the seven segment display.

The fan is supplied with power via a conventional 5.25" Molex connector. To control the speed, an additional jack is available, which is connected with a setting controller from the front panel. The same kind of cable is also used to connect the fan from the power supply. And a third cable is used to display the power reading.

On the left, the tacho signal, in the center the potentiometer connection for the fan, on the right, the readout for the power meter.

The manufacturer could have at least combined the last two cables, thus avoiding the spaghetti wire syndrome. The user should connect the panel to the power supply even if he or she does not wish to use the manual control. If the cable is not connected, the fan rotates at full speed and the power supply becomes incredibly loud.