Fans not spinning with hub

[tannersanders7]

Hi, just today I got new fans to help keep the inside of my computer cool while gaming, after installing them seemingly normally with no issues, two of the three fans are not turning on.

The fans I got - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103061
I have 3 of the 120mm fans in the front, only one works, what is strange is that I use 2x 140mm cooler master fans in the top of my case and they spin just fine.

My case - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854042 (probably irrelevant)

My motherboard - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132935

The hub i'm using - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999309

I'm wondering if having every fan plugged into the hub could be causing the issue but other reviews of the product seem like everyone can plug more than 4 fans into them just fine with no problems, but after my 4 fans spin up, the same 2 never spin up upon turning my computer on. I can't imagine i was sent dead fans but that is still a possibility.

 

[Paperdoc]

That is very odd. First, the Hub you got can only control the speed of 4-pin fans, but the fans you bought are 3-pin type. That means that what SHOULD happen when they are plugged into that Hub is that they all run full speed all the time. Yet only one of them works!

Just to be sure: the Hub has a wide connector on one cable that MUST be plugged into a SATA power output connector from the PSU. Did you do that? Also, for the Hub to work properly, its 4-pin fan connector must plug into a mobo header that is using PWM Mode for control, and NOT the older Voltage Control Mode (aka DC Mode).

 

[R0GG]

- You can quickly test fans by switching their ports on the fan hub, or disconnecting few and see how the other do, or attach the non spinning fans directly to a motherboard fan header to test them.
- Also you can trigger higher speed rotation through your motherboard software which detects all the fans as one by the way through the speed detection 3 pin link of the fan hub attached to a motherboard 3 or 4 pin fan header.

 

[tannersanders7]

That is very odd. First, the Hub you got can only control the speed of 4-pin fans, but the fans you bought are 3-pin type. That means that what SHOULD happen when they are plugged into that Hub is that they all run full speed all the time. Yet only one of them works!

Just to be sure: the Hub has a wide connector on one cable that MUST be plugged into a SATA power output connector from the PSU. Did you do that? Also, for the Hub to work properly, its 4-pin fan connector must plug into a mobo header that is using PWM Mode for control, and NOT the older Voltage Control Mode (aka DC Mode).

Hello and thank you for the fast replies. I'm not sure what my problem was but I had another one of the hubs that I ordered because I thought I didn't have one in the first place for some reason.

Both hubs take up both chassis fan connectors on the motherboard now, and the two fans that were not working are on the hub connected to cha_fan2 and they seem to work just fine now, I find it strange that the same exact fan worked on the first hub but the other two would not despite there being no reasonable problem that should stop them from working. Reviews of the same product shows that people were able to connect more than 4 fans into one hub, I find it strange my hub would only have half of the connectors working.

First hub is connected to CHA_FAN1 and has 4 fans connected to it. Despite having 8 connectors for 8 fans only 4 of them were working, all working connections were on the same side of the hub.

The second hub I decided to connect into CHA_FAN2 just to see what would happen and if it would possibly work, after connecting the 2 fans that were not working previously into the second hub they now work fine.

I'm not very knowledgeable in this area but I guess if they're all running normally and at max speed then hopefully that should help keep everything nice and cool, the tiny amount of noise is drowned out by typing or listening to music or just gaming in general.

 

[Paperdoc]

OK, It certainly appears that the first Hub is faulty. The fact that all four ports that do not work are on the same edge of the board suggests a wiring flaw there somewhere, and you could request a replacement under warranty.

Almost all HUBS can control the speed of their fans ONLY if two conditions are met:
1. The mobo header you plug the Hub into MUST be using PWM Mode to control its fans; and,
2. The fans MUST be of the 4-pin design.

Your fans are 3-pin, so they will always run at full speed in this set-up. IF you want to have control of the fan speeds, either you will need to replace them with 4-pin fans, or you will need to replace your Hub with a particular different Hub from Phanteks. If you need more info about that, post back here.

 

[tannersanders7]

OK, It certainly appears that the first Hub is faulty. The fact that all four ports that do not work are on the same edge of the board suggests a wiring flaw there somewhere, and you could request a replacement under warranty.

Almost all HUBS can control the speed of their fans ONLY if two conditions are met:
1. The mobo header you plug the Hub into MUST be using PWM Mode to control its fans; and,
2. The fans MUST be of the 4-pin design.

Your fans are 3-pin, so they will always run at full speed in this set-up. IF you want to have control of the fan speeds, either you will need to replace them with 4-pin fans, or you will need to replace your Hub with a particular different Hub from Phanteks. If you need more info about that, post back here.

Thank you for the explanation that helps me understand a bit about how this all works. I would be interested in another Hub that could help me control the fan speeds because i'm sure my fans running at full speed at all times is not the ideal setup for them.

 

[Paperdoc]

For a Hub that CAN control the speed of your 3-pin fans, buy the Phanteks PWM Hub.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4RE5032993

This Hub MUST have a PWM signal from the mobo header it plugs into. On your mobo, both of the CHA_FAN headers can be configured to use PWM Mode, and that's the setting you will need. What makes this Hub different from others is that it does not merely share out to its fans the PWM signal from the mobo. Instead it uses that signal internally to create its own group of six 3-pin fan headers that all operate in the older Voltage Control Mode and thus CAN control 3-pin fans (and even 4-pin ones). It comes with two Splitters so you can connect two fans each to a couple of its ports. In fact, excepting the white Port #1, you can connect at least two fans to EACH of the other 5 ports if you get more Splitters. You really should connect one fan to the white Port #1 because that's the only one that can send its fan's speed signal back to the mobo.

You plug a cable ending in a 4-pin female fan connector into the mobo header you have chosen. Then you connect its power cable into a SATA power output from the PSU to provide power for the fans. The instructions with this Hub suggest you plug its fan connector into the CPU_FAN header and then plug your actual CPU cooler into the Hub's Port #1. You do NOT need to do this. That is only to be sure the Hub can get a PWM signal, and you can deliver that from a CHA_FAN header. Leave your CPU cooler plugged into the CPU_FAN header; plug the Hub into a CHA_FAN header and configure it as above.

Thanks for Best Solution.