Alternative to Corsair Lighting Node Pro

[robobro]

Hello, I bought a single Corsair LL140 RGB fan and failed to see that it doesn't come with the Lighting Node Pro which is required to power the 16 LED's build into the fan. The issue is I don't need another one, and you either get the Lighting Node Pro on it's own for £40 or buy a double/triple pack of the fans which is ridiculous.

I was curious since all the LNP realistically is, is a 4 pin RGB to SATA (to power the LEDs). I was wondering if this would work to bring power to the LEDs instead of forking out for the LNP:

http://www.xs-pc.com/lighting/rgb-sata-controller

The LL140's use a female 4 pin rated at 0.62A for the RGBs (fan is powered separately by a 4 pin fan header). I don't really care about the Corsair Link software support that the LNP device provides, I'm just looking for a cheaper alternative to powering the RGBs on the fan, even if it's temporary.

 

[julienruc]

What motherboard do you have? The LL140's RGB should light up normally when connected directly on the motherboard's 4-Pin connectors. The node pro is only for syncing RGBs together.

 

[robobro]

What motherboard do you have? The LL140's RGB should light up normally when connected directly on the motherboard's 4-Pin connectors. The node pro is only for syncing RGBs together.

Thanks for your advice, I have an ASRock B450 ITX, haven't had the chance to use it yet though as I'm waiting on the CPU and PSU to arrive later this week so I'm trying to wrap my head around everything beforehand. I'll try that before anything else now as I think it has 2 RGB headers on it.

 

[Aeacus]

Since Corsair LL-series fans have proprietary RGB connector, there are only 2 device combos you can use to control their LEDs:
1. RGB fan LED controller + Lightning Node Pro
2. RGB fan LED controller + Commander Pro
image:

Though, answer me this. Why did you buy premium priced RGB fan if you plan to cheat and cheap out in controlling it's LEDs? With the price of 1x LL140 (£27), you could've gone with this set instead (£26) which includes 3x RGB fans with controller included and works in any PC,
amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/EASYDIY-Computer-Cooling-Adjustable-Radiator/dp/B079G11HM3

 

[devbiker]

What motherboard do you have? The LL140's RGB should light up normally when connected directly on the motherboard's 4-Pin connectors. The node pro is only for syncing RGBs together.

Oh, my.
DO NOT plug a Corsair fan into a 4-pin motherboard RGB connection. Most, if not all, of the 4-pin connections are 12V Analog RGB. The Corsair fans use 5V digital RGB. Plugging them in to one of those connectors (if you manage to do it, that is ... the RGB connections don't fit) is a really good way to fry your LEDs.

 

[devbiker]

Hello, I bought a single Corsair LL140 RGB fan and failed to see that it doesn't come with the Lighting Node Pro which is required to power the 16 LED's build into the fan. The issue is I don't need another one, and you either get the Lighting Node Pro on it's own for £40 or buy a double/triple pack of the fans which is ridiculous.

I was curious since all the LNP realistically is, is a 4 pin RGB to SATA (to power the LEDs). I was wondering if this would work to bring power to the LEDs instead of forking out for the LNP:

http://www.xs-pc.com/lighting/rgb-sata-controller

The LL140's use a female 4 pin rated at 0.62A for the RGBs (fan is powered separately by a 4 pin fan header). I don't really care about the Corsair Link software support that the LNP device provides, I'm just looking for a cheaper alternative to powering the RGBs on the fan, even if it's temporary.

That controller will fry your Corsair RGB LEDs. It's 12V and the Corsair RGBs are 5V.
The LNP has a microcontroller that actually generates and sends the digital control signal to the fans (or strips). The Fan Hub replicates the signal and provides power for the fans. Now, if you don't want to use it, there are those that have hacked together an Arduino-based replacement (the LEDs are WS2812B so it's a standard protocol). See http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=165029.

 

[Saga Lout]

Are you certain that link goes to a genuine Corsair site, devbiker. The method you describe seems to tread on their Intellectual Property rights.

 

[Aeacus]

While the Corsair forums is genuine, the method of modifying the Corsair fans are not. The very first line in that topic states:

This is not in any way endorsed by Corsair and will probably void the living bajeebers out of your warranty.

If that modification would be legit, it wouldn't void the warranty on fans. But since that modification isn't approved by Corsair, it's illegal, simple as that. Also, anyone using that Arduino-based replacement would not need to buy Corsair's RGB LED controller and Lightning Node Pro/Commander Pro to control the LEDs of Corsair RGB fans, making Corsair to loose revenue.

There are other such "modifications" people have done to either bypass or improve something. E.g debugging PS4 so that it would play copied discs or activating Win without actually paying for the license/key, where companies that provided the hardware/software (Sony and Microsoft) will loose revenue due to these "modifications".

 

[devbiker]

A) It is the legit Corsair site. It is owned and run by Corsair.

B) Corsair is well aware of what Charixfox has done here. Very, very well aware. And while they don't officially support it, they also haven't shut it down. They could very easily delete the entire thread if they wanted to. They haven't. Because if it helps them sell more RGB fans, they make money. Plus ... most, if not all, of the Corsair folks are enthusiasts and builders.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

They are bog standard WS2812 addressable LEDs, buy-able by the million, and about as proprietary as toast.

The most 'innovative' thing that Corsair has done, according to that thread, is to put them in an odd order and put a strange plug on them.

You're more likely to be "infringing on someone's intellectual property" by changing your central heating thermostat, or the radio in your car. That is, you're infringing on no-one, with the possible exception of explicitly saying this is sanctioned by Corsair.

He's built his own, but you could buy any WS2812-compatible controller off Ebay or Amazon and it would work.