Since Santa felt the need to hold back on my flux capacitor last month (Dear Santa – Planetary Security is not an excuse!), I decided to order a multi-function panel. These little gems have both form and function. They rarely get the coverage they deserve. Not too pricey either. You can pick one up for less than the Murph keeps in his pizza fund (where do you think I got the money?).

Am I promoting bolt-a-bling? Sure I am – nothing wrong with an accessory here and there. I picked up an Aero Cool unit myself. It takes up two bays and will monitor temperature and fan speed. It also works as a fan controller and has a few other goodies. Of course, there are a number brands and many different looks, options and functions. Some monitor temperatures, some monitor fan speed, some even monitor ambient audio signals. Panel styles range from “automotive” to “Def-Con 9 missile launcher” (sorry, no Hello Kitty motifs). Most of these are easy to install and typically offer more accurate monitoring than software solutions (and they look cooler). These are perfect for a “first mod” to get in to the sport, or even to top off a pro-level mod.

Normally they have to be installed to function, but a bit of fiddling in the lab and we managed to light this one up hooked directly to a PSU.

I can’t wait to install it fully! Then I will Rule The World!!1!

Wait – No, Santa, that was just a joke – really!

Happy Moddin’!

In today’s bling, Bill Owen let’s you stand next to his fire (and his airbrush).