Review: Antec Fusion Black 430
By Lothar | Published Saturday, 09 February 2008

Here are a few screenshots of the setup of the software that is included with the Antec Fusion 430.  It's fairly a basic setup.  The main thing to point out here is that one of the screens has a slider bar for contrast that I had to play with on my setup because the default "contrast" set the background of the LCD so bright that I couldn't read the text from more than about three inches away.  I don't think I would call this contrast either.  It appeared to control the backlight brightness, not contrast.  It took me a bit of tweaking to find a comfortable setup of enough brightness to be able to read it from any distance but not too much brightness that the background would overpower the text.  Take your time and find something that suits you.  I will also note that there are newer drivers available on the Antec website that have a few more options.

tn_fusion_lcd-config1.jpg tn_fusion_lcd-config2.jpg
Common info setup
Auto mode setup
tn_fusion_lcd-config3.jpg
tn_fusion_lcd-config4.jpg
 Graphic Equalizer setup
System Information setup
tn_fusion_lcd-config5.jpg tn_fusion_lcd-config6.jpg
 Media Information setup
Email setup 
tn_fusion_lcd-config7.jpg tn_fusion_lcd-config8.jpg
News setup City Information setup
tn_fusion_lcd-config9.jpg tn_fusion_lcd-setup1.jpg
System setup
Equalizer message

I will also note that while not officially supported by Antec or Soundgraph, the Linux community has shown some good talent again in reverse engineering the LCD protocol and created some Linux drivers that, while still in development, work very well. 

One of the features that I really like about the Antec Fusion 430 is the ability to turn on the computer via the remote.  In order to make use of this feature, the power button is fed into the LCD panel, which is then connected to the motherboard with red and black cables (individual connections).  In my case, the connection from the power button to the LCD panel was not already made from the factory, but I have been informed that it will be done in the future.  In fact, in my case, the jumper for the power button was too tall to fit into the LCD housing when it is screwed in so I had to use a knife to cut into it so that it would fit.  Again, this should not be an issue for anyone in the future.

The LCD panel itself connects to the system via a USB port.  In order to help keep a clean looking system, Antec has included an adapter cable that allows you to connect the LCD screen to an internal USB header.  I tested the panel both onboard and external USB and it worked fine under both conditions.  Another thing to note is that the LCD panel gets power from a three pin connector that connects to a special split off of the main motherboard power cable.  If you plan to change PSUs in the future, you will be required to purchase a special adapter from Antec in order to use the LCD panel with it.

 

tn_fusion_lcd_off.jpg tn_fusion_lcd_back.jpg
LCD screen off
LCD casing with hole cut for power button
tn_fusion_lcd_in_front.jpg tn_fusion_front_panel_in.jpg
LCD panel internals with IR receiver
Front panel internals
tn_fusion_lcd_scroll1.jpg tn_fusion_lcd_scroll2.jpg
LCD before adjusting scroll speed and contrast
LCD before adjusting scroll speed and contrast
tn_fusion_lcd_scroll4.jpg tn_fusion_lcd_scroll5.jpg
LCD after adjusting scroll speed and contrast LCD after adjusting scroll speed and contrast

The IR receiver is integrated into the LCD panel and runs through the same USB connection (as well as the volume knob) as the LCD.  The IR receiver is setup to recognize RC6 codes which are used with the MCE remotes as well as the IMON PAD remote.  It does not recognize other formats such as the RC5 codes used by my Hauppauge remote.  In order to use my remote with this IR receiver, I needed to reprogram my Harmony 670 to emulate the MCE remote instead. 



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