The controller’s card is the electronic center of the system. Generally speaking, off-the-shelf systems differ from homemade ones in the advanced control and monitoring tools in the first head. The controller does the following:

• Turns the system on and off
• Controls the restart delay timer
• Processes the data from the thermal sensors
• Turns the PC on when the set temperature is reached
• Outputs the system monitoring information on the LCD display
• Controls the power of the heater elements
• Controls the speed of the fans
• Allows the user to control the system with Windows-based software via the USB
• Reports errors and shuts the system down in emergency situations

The controller is powered through an ordinary Molex connector: although the compressor receives power from the electric mains, the electronics is all powered by the computer’s PSU. The total consumption is low, however, as the power goes only to two fans, one LCD screen, and the controller’s logic.

The 5-pin connector is attached to a USB header on the mainboard. The OS “sees” the new device and, after the driver is installed, allows you to control the Prometeia Mach II GT “on the fly”.

The 2x20 characters LCD screen on the front panel of the cooler unit displays various information messages. By default it gives you a string with the name of the system and a string with the evaporator temperature. You can reprogram the display with the help of an included utility.

Besides a power connector and a 120mm fan, there are 4 LED indicators of the system status on the rear panel. The user’s manual will tell you what the various combinations of the indicators mean.