Fan Controller help needed

[ir_cow]

so i currently have the Sunbeam RHK-EX-BA which at this point is catching on fire per knob. The first time i plugged it in one of the fans wouldn't go so i turned the knob and poof out can smoke. A few months later now 2 of knobs did the same thing so i need a replacement.

 

the point of this controller was it needed to handle 200mm fans (2 of them) and 4 120mm fans. at 30watts per channel i would have thought that was enough which is why i felt $30 wasn't that big of deal for something to last multiple builds. This time i need to avoid the same mistake and get some quality parts, any ideas?

[Hyper Threaded]

One of the few good fan controllers that I think is able to handle large fans, is the Lamptron FC5. This one is actually capable of handling 30w per channel, on each channel. It's built quite well with heatsinks on each resistor.

[sticknstone]

No matter which fan controller is used be sure to have the watt = volts x amps formula in mind. A 200 fan may use .8 amps with 12v = 9.6 w. Two 200 fans will use about 20 w. A 120 fan may use .2 a with 12v = 2.4 w. Four fans will use 10w. Total watt 30 or max capacity for a period of time and viola overheating. Max watts is an enemy of electronic components. If the controller was providing 25w I am pretty sure it would be still working. I know electronic components have a tolerance of 2% or some 5% +/-. I think the better controllers would use the lower tolerence components.

[medbor]

warranty replacement? it might be just a bad controller. Also make sure that it sits in a well ventilated spot, to counter overheating.