Question Can't figure out how to connect RGB fans in Meshify 2

[bigmeatballs]

This is my first time building a rig with RGB and I am feeling like a huge idiot. I don't understand how to attach the cables so that they end in a female connector for the mobo header.

The front panel header has a male 3-pin rgb connector and in the instructions it shows it connecting to a fan.
So I put it into the female connector in the fan below it. Then I daisy chain that to the 2nd, 3rd, and rear fan as shown in the instructions too.

But it ends in a male connector and I don't know how to get it to plug into the mobo now. Am I missing a cable? Or how the heck do you daisy chain it so that it ends in female? There can't be that many ways of doing this yet here I am doing it wrong...

I even tried to not use the front panel header and it still doesn't end in a female end that can connect all 4 fans to mobo. Like it can't be this hard? Yet I keep looking at it and not getting anywhere.

Thank you in advance.

 

[Ralston18]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

What RGB components/fans? You may be encountering some proprietary (non standard) connections.

Overall, the necessary information should be provided via the motherboard's and case's User Guides/Manuals.

Not at all unlikely that instructions are wrong or that something else is astray: missing cable being a possibility.

Are you able to take some photographs and post the images here via imgur (www.imgur.com)?

Or link to the instructions you are attempting to follow?

I would expect that the connections are made from motherboard to fans - going "downstream" so to speak.

Could very well be that you have been provided some mismatched or otherwise inappropriate cable.

More information needed.

 

[bigmeatballs]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

What RGB components/fans? You may be encountering some proprietary (non standard) connections.

Overall, the necessary information should be provided via the motherboard's and case's User Guides/Manuals.

Not at all unlikely that instructions are wrong or that something else is astray: missing cable being a possibility.

Are you able to take some photographs and post the images here via imgur (www.imgur.com)?

Or link to the instructions you are attempting to follow?

I would expect that the connections are made from motherboard to fans - going "downstream" so to speak.

Could very well be that you have been provided some mismatched or otherwise inappropriate cable.

More information needed.

My case is a Meshify 2 RGB. The fans are the pre-installed ones that come with the case, Aspect 14 RGB fans. I am connecting it to an AsRock ZS690 PG Riptide motherboard with an I5-12400 CPU.


I've looked through manual (https://www.fractal-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Meshify-2-Manual-V.3-2021-10-08.pdf) page 18, but I just don't get it still.

This is how it says to connect the front panel :

https://imgur.com/pjwougt

View: https://i.imgur.com/pjwougt.png
, showing the 3-pin RGB male end going to an RGB fan.

This is how it says to connect the fans:

https://imgur.com/UJXAc4j

View: https://i.imgur.com/UJXAc4j.png
daisychaining them together. I am confused because the 3rd pic shows it ending in a male too, but the 4th shows a female going into motherboard.

I have to believe I am misunderstanding something super basic here. Like there are only so many ways to connect cables. Is there supposed to be some splitter cable maybe?

Right now I connect Male header to Female fan, then Male to Female for the next in series, such that there is a male connector until the sequence ends. I don't know how else to do it. I will try to post some actual pictures later.

Thank you for the help.

 

[Ralston18]

The problem is that the instructions are too general and somewhat vague.

Not unusual with respect to RGB, 3 pin environments, 4 pin environments, or mixed environments. Add in controllers/hubs, proprietary cables etc. and it all gets very confusing. And motherboard ports can vary as well.

= = = =

Both motherboard connectors are male.

Pic #2 being 4 pins and Pic #4 being 3 pins.

The illustrated fan cables are double gendered on one end. So that that end can be used as either a plug or a port as necessary.

However you may also need a splitter or gender changer cable to make the required physical connections depending on your build and fans.

Go from the motherboard out to the fans.

Sketch out the connections showing pins, cables, and fans in a daisy chained path.

You may or may not have all of the necessary cables. The last connection does not have to be double gendered - just the correct gender to the last fan.

Yes: add some photographs and a simple sketch of the connections you believe are necessary.

Pay attention to the number of RGB pins and cable end genders.

 

[bigmeatballs]

Thank you for your reply. I reached out on a Fractal forum and several people replied that you don't have to connect to the motherboard, you either do the header or the motherboard but not both.

Instructions really don't make that clear for people like me who have no experience. How frustrating!

Hope it is all figured out going to try firing it up tonight. Really appreciate the troubleshooting help.