[SOLVED] How to connect ARGB fans?

[flinka]

I have 4 ARGB pwm case fans that im trying to fit into a InWin A1 Plus itx case using Ryzen 5 3600. But most itx motherboards only have 1 fan header and one argb header so i dont see how im going to connect all the fans. Am i meant to use one of these https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/coolers/rgb-accessories/masterfan-argb-and-pwm-hub/ ? If not, what do i use?

 

[Paperdoc]

Yes, that is how to connect up to six ARGB fans for both fan control and ARGB light control from single mobo headers. Just be sure your mobo has an ARGB header with 3 pins, and NOT a plain RGB header with 4 pins.

 

[YuterHa]

Yes, that is how to connect up to six ARGB fans for both fan control and ARGB light control from single mobo headers. Just be sure your mobo has an ARGB header with 3 pins, and NOT a plain RGB header with 4 pins.

If I am using the hub, I will be able to control the fan speed and color through the PC right? Does the hub work with ARGB fan from other brands as well?

 

[digitalgriffin]

If I am using the hub, I will be able to control the fan speed and color through the PC right? Does the hub work with ARGB fan from other brands as well?

Compatibility all depends on the fan mfg. Corsair for example uses proprietary headers. You need to pick your fans carefully. Cooler Master and Deep Cool use standard separate ARGB and 4 pin PWM headers.

With the cooler master above, your limited to 1 zone of fan speed control. So if you use the CPU fan header, then all fans will spin up to match the CPU fan speed. You will also only be able to see 1 fan speed. So if you use different fans/sizes off this controller, the fan RPM may be off considerably.

 

[Paperdoc]

I'll add a couple comments re the last paragraph above.

ALL means of connecting several fans to a single fan header (Splitters or Hubs) pick up ONE speed control signal from that header and provide that to ALL fans on that device. Certainly the applies to the Hub you linked to by Cooler Master. But further, that device is really TWO Hubs in one box, for very different and independent purposes. One part is the Hub for the FAN motors. The other is the Hub for ARGB LIGHTS in the fan frames. So each section has its own signal input from the appropriate mobo header, and the entire unit uses one common source of power from a SATA power output from the PSU. Most certainly, all the fan motors will receive the SAME signals; IF all those fans are identical, they will operate identically. Similarly, all the ARGB lighting units will get exactly the same signals and do the same thing.

I presume that OP is concerned about using six fans all for case ventilation. So it makes sense to ensure that the Hub used gets its PWM signal from the header that is designed for case ventilation fans. The mobo will have at least TWO fan headers: one for the CPU cooler, and another for case ventilation. The major difference between these is the TEMPERATURE sensor each uses for guidance. The CPU_FAN header is guided by a sensor inside the CPU chip so its fan will respond to CPU cooling needs. The CHA_FAN or SYS_FAN header uses a different temp sensor on the mobo to guide its case ventilation fans. So, a Hub for case fans REALLY should be plugged into the CHA_FAN or SYS_FAN header.

Any mobo fan header can accept the speed signal sent back to it from only ONE fan. So any proper Hub will send back only ONE fan's speed, and the speed signals from all the other fans will be ignored entirely, never to be seen or known. On the specific Hub that OP linked, fan output port #0 is marked in red - this is the one port that will send its fan's speed back to the host mobo header. All this has NO impact on ability to control speed. It does impact the second function of the mobo fan header, though - to monitor the fan speed signal for fan FAILURE, and warn you if that happens. Thus, when you use a Hub and most of the fan speeds can NOT be monitored, you should check from time to time that all the fans still are working.

If the fans involved are NOT identical, given the same signals as others on that hub, they will actually run at different speeds. So what? That is NOT any problem. In fact, although we talk all the time about fan SPEED Control, the system really is a TEMPERATURE Control system. The SYS_FAN or CHA_FAN header has a pre-set (or, maybe you customize it) temperature target for the related sensor it is reading, and settings for how to change the output signals to its fan(s) as that measured temperature changes. What it really does is alter the output signal to whatever it takes to get the fans to produce enough air flow to keep the temperature at its sensor (and for related components) on target. It really does NOT care what the fan speed is and does not use that speed for any control function. Of course, the relationship between fans speed and AIR FLOW generated by that fan (which is more relevant to cooling) varies a lot from one fan to another. But still, the automatic control system does not care about either speed or air flow - it concentrates on measured TEMPERATURE.