Performance

To test the Sunbeam Rheobus Extreme it was connected to a 12 volt power supply and the individual channels were checked for voltage readings with a Craftsman digital Multi-meter. Four different fans of different sizes were used (one per channel) to load the controller and test the output.


From this chart you can see the voltage drop of the controller. The source voltage was reading 11.99V when all of the channels on the controller were set to low, and the voltage dropped to 11.85V when the channels were set to high. The voltages ranged from 10.99V to 11.09V at high speed, and from 3.38V to 3.81V at low speed. I believe that the amperage and wattage ratings on the fans will have an effect on what the final voltage value will be, which accounts for the variation in the low-speed voltage output from channel to channel. The high-speed voltage output does lose some voltage from the rheostats, but the loss is within 10% and considered normal. However, users should be warned that many fans out there need 5 to 7 Volts to start spinning. If the knob is turned all the way down 3.4 to 4 Volts may be too little to get the connected fans moving. If this is the case, the fan speed control needs to be turned up until the fan starts, then it can be adjusted back down to the previous level.