Intro

Once again our good friends over at Xoxide have asked us to review a new addition to their ever expanding inventory. Under the microscope today is the VL Systems Lost In Space 2 Premium Vacuum Fluorescent Display and Automatic Fan Controller. Whew! I'm not sure why, but I seem to get a lot of review items with very loooonnnng names. We'll just call it the L.I.S.-2.

I have to admit I was anxious to review this particular item. If your anything like me, you've probably considered adding a LCD or VFD display to your rig. Cuz let's face it, chicks dig a pimped out rig. Um...yeah that's it. But perhaps you've been put off by the high price or maybe the loss of a serial or usb port. Or the prospect of losing a drive bay to a device that is less than practical wasn't appealing. Not to mention a less than adequate support for drivers and software in the past hasn't helped. It's only fairly recently that the major players in LCD/VFD displays for PC use, Crystal Fonts and Matrix Orbital, have started bundling their own software with displays. In days gone by you were left to pick from a precious few apps available for displays and these were often written by hobbyists in their spare time. While some of these applications were very good, installing a display wasn't exactly plug and play.

Enter VL Systems with the original Lost In Space Display. VL Systems obviously had their hand on the modding communities pulse with the L.I.S.. Rather than a plastic housing, VL opted for a slick brushed aluminum casing to match the increasingly popular aluminum cases such as Lian-Li. The L.I.S. came with a USB rather than the near obsolete serial interface. And bundled with the display, one of the most comprehensive and user friendly display applications to date. Vendors couldn't keep them on the shelf. While displaying system info and interfacing with MBM and media apps is all well and good. With the L.I.S.-2, VL Systems kicks it up a notch and adds a truly useful function. The L.I.S.-2 will control up to 4 fans automatically.

The unit we are reviewing here is the "Premium" or VFD version. There is also a LCD or "Blue Eyes" version available for those on a tight budget. To paraphrase Henry Ford, "You can have any color you want as long as it's blue." The L.I.S.-2 displays currently come in only one color.

What you get

Maybe Attila the UPS guy is losing his touch, because the package arrived relatively unmolested. Only one corner of the outer box was stove in. Perhaps he was short on time and couldn't finish a full 4 quarters of football with my package playing the part of the ball. Oh lucky me, the L.I.S.-2 was snug as a bug in it's polystyrene rug.

Inside the bright blue package:

1 - L.I.S.-2 Blue VFD in a brushed aluminum housing with plexi cover (available in silver and black)
1 - mini disk including driver and software
1 - power cable (no pass through)
1 - External USB cable
1 - Internal USB cable (yay!)
3 - 3-pin male to 3-pin female fan cables
2 - 3-pin female to female Molex fan cables
4 - Mounting screws (Why does that sound so dirty to me?)
1 - Poorly translated Users manual (I think I hold the current record for reviews with badly translated manuals. I haven't heard back from Guinness yet.)

Install

Truth is I didn't even look at the manual until I started fiddling with the software. Installation is super simple. Power cable to an available Molex connector, USB cable to an available header or port, fan wires to the 3-pin headers and tighten a few screws. Bada boom bada bing, you're done. You'd need a mallet to mix up the wiring. On the PCB there is also a group of jumpers you're warned not to fool with or you could damage the unit. Ever mindful of my unit, I resisted the temptation to jump them. There is also a small pot to adjust the brightness of the display if you find you just have to mess with something.