[SOLVED] How to connect ARGB fan to Addressable Gen2 header?

rajeshja

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My friend bought a DeepCool CL500 case, which came with 4 ARGB DeepCool CF120 fans.
He's using the case with an Asus TUF Gaming X570 Plus WiFi that has an Addressable Gen 2 header.
The fans are Daisy chained together which means he only needs to plugin a single 3-pin port into the motherboard. Here's the documentation for the fans:

https://www.deepcool.com/product/casefans/2018-08/2420_9307.shtml

This is what the above link says:
Synchronized Control via 5V A-RGB Header on MB
Can be easily controlled by MB through 5V A-RGB Header, no additional controller needed, and can synchronize with other A-RGB devices

But the fan port is 3 pins together. The Addressable Gen 2 header has a gap between pin 2 and 3. So how should he connect the fans to the motherboard?
 
Solution
Good discovery! For interest, that cable at the top with the labels on its header - where does that cable go to? If that is what connects to the first fan's ARGB connector in the daisy chain, then that iw aht you can connect to the mobo Addressable RGB Gen2 header. See the mobo manual, p.1-18, for the pin labels on it. You will need a bit of custom wiring connections, but that is not too hard.

Paperdoc

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I looked at the installation manual for those fans. They come with a multiple-output Splitter cable (item 6) for plugging all the fans' ARGB cables into, and two different adapter cables (items 3 and 4) to connect that ARGB Splitter to either of the two most common mobo ARGB header configurations. One mobo type had 3 pins evenly spaced; the other has the (4-1) pin spacing. Use the appropriate adapter that came with the fans, probably item 3.
 

rajeshja

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May 29, 2019
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I looked at the installation manual for those fans. They come with a multiple-output Splitter cable (item 6) for plugging all the fans' ARGB cables into, and two different adapter cables (items 3 and 4) to connect that ARGB Splitter to either of the two most common mobo ARGB header configurations. One mobo type had 3 pins evenly spaced; the other has the (4-1) pin spacing. Use the appropriate adapter that came with the fans, probably item 3.

Thanks. The 4 fans came with the Case, so unless he's missed something, he doesn't have all the parts mentioned in the manual for the 3-in-1 set.

Would it be safe to use 3 separate jumper cables to connect the fans to the motherboard? If yes, how to tell which one is 5V and which one is Ground?
 
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rajeshja

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Here is a picture of the ARGB port on the fans, in case that helps.
QlKbOQY.png
 

Paperdoc

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The connector in your photo is not one of the commonly-used ones. Did your fan set come with a Splitter with four outputs? Its maual says it should have that. That unit is where you can plug in those non-standard fan connectors for the ARGB lights. Then the single input connector of the Splitter has to connect to the mobo header. But that input connector itself also is non-standard. That is why the fan set should have included two other adapter cables. Each of those has one end to plug into the Splitter input. Then ONE of those adapters will have a simple 3-hole connector; the other will have a connector that looks like it had 4 holes, but they blocked one off. Do you have those two adapter cables? If yes, you probably need the one with the (4-1) hole configuration to connect to your mobo ARGB header.

If you do NOT have those adapter cables but you DO have the 4-output Splitter, then look closely at the input connector of the Splitter. Does it have any markings, like G, V and D? If yes, we can advise. If not, then we will need to do some further detective work. Do you have the manual control box that came with the fan set? That is the one that plugs into a SATA power output form the PSU and to the fans' ARGB connectors, and it has three buttons on it. If necessary, we can do some work with that to figure out the connections for the fan connectors.

Post back here what you have to work with.
 

rajeshja

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The fan set came pre-installed in the case, and didn't come with those attachments. No control box, no adapter cables. Just the fan hub (#7) and the multi-output splitter cable (#6), and an ESATA cable.
And there is no lettering on the port either.
 

Paperdoc

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Good discovery! For interest, that cable at the top with the labels on its header - where does that cable go to? If that is what connects to the first fan's ARGB connector in the daisy chain, then that iw aht you can connect to the mobo Addressable RGB Gen2 header. See the mobo manual, p.1-18, for the pin labels on it. You will need a bit of custom wiring connections, but that is not too hard.
 
Solution

rajeshja

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May 29, 2019
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Connected using jumpers and it's working.

Now the problem is that is he's using Linux, so the typical windows software for controlling ARGB doesn't work for him. He's figuring out what to do about that, but that's a different problem.

Thanks for the help!