Are you sick of powering on or shutting down your system with the boring button on your case? How about using an atomic nuclear bomb launch button like those that you see in the movies? Newegg is currently selling an Evangelion-themed power button for $22.49. Whether you’re an Evangelion fan or not, you can’t deny there’s no cooler way to power on or off your system than slamming a big red button.
Hailing from Corn Electronics, the Evangelion power button communicates with your system wirelessly, so there’s no annoying cable going to your motherboard like those external power button alternatives on the market. Some wires are still involved, but they’re all inside your system so that they won’t mess up the harmony on your desk.
The standard version has a yellow and black exterior, while the alternate version features a white and copper theme. Either way, you must lift the plastic cover and hit the big red button to use its functions. The white version is slightly cheaper at $14.59.
The only downside is that the Evangelion power button requires a small add-in card that will fill up one of the PCIe expansion slots on your motherboard. It will be a turn-off for mini-ITX motherboard owners who typically only have access to one PCIe expansion slot and potentially for the microATX ones if they have many devices connected to their PCIe expansion slots. Luckily, it’s a small PCIe x1 add-in card, measuring 39.3 x 37.25 mm, so it’s not overly intrusive and demanding on bandwidth.
The add-in card is Xiaomi’s Youpin Mijia boot card, which costs $16.22. The card typically pairs different Xiaomi devices, such as speakers, smart alarm clocks, lighting hubs, etc. It leverages an MHCB07 2.4 GHz Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) module, a popular choice for Xiaomi smart devices.
Three cables connect the add-in card to the motherboard. One goes directly to the motherboard’s USB header, whereas the other two connect to the Power Switch of your front header and your case’s power button.
The Evangelion power button connects to the add-in card via Bluetooth for a coverage of up to 30 meters. When first turned on, a blue LED will indicate that it needs to pair with the add-in card. Pushing the button on the side will pair it with the add-in card, and the light will turn off. The Evangelion power button recharges through a standard USB Type-C cable. However, the manufacturer didn’t specify the button’s battery capacity, the estimated usage time before requiring a recharge, or how long it takes to charge it completely.
