Question Question about fan splitters and fan failure

[testtube5]

If I use a fan splitter for two fans but one of those fans fails, would I be able to detect this failure somehow using software like HWinfo64?

 

[Eximo]

No, the one fan would be providing an RPM signal.

Unless the fan broke in a way that caused the other fan to stop spinning, I suppose. Not really sure what the failure mode there would be.

 

[kanewolf]

If I use a fan splitter for two fans but one of those fans fails, would I be able to detect this failure somehow using software like HWinfo64?

It may depend on the splitter and which fan fails. Many splitters use one fan only for RPM data. So if that fan failed, zero RPM could be reported with other fans running.

 

[Paperdoc]

Any mobo fan header can accept the speed signal sent back to it from ONE fan only. That signal is a series of pulses (2 per rev) carried on Pin #3 of the connector. The header does two things with that. It can count the pulses to display the fan speed, plus it can monitor whether or not there is any signal. NO pulses means fan failure, and that triggers warnings and actions.

However, the header cannot deal with two pulse trains coming to it. So any Splitter or Hub will send back to the header the speed signal of only ONE of its fans. For a unit that looks like a bunch of fan cables, among those only one will have all four pins in it; the others will be missing Pin #3 so they cannot send those fans' signals back. On a unit that looks like a circuit board or a box with portholes, ONE port will be marked, and that's the only one that can send its signal back.

When you use a Splitter or a Hub, ONLY that one fan can be monitored for failure this way. There is NO way for the speeds of other fans on that Splitter / Hub to be monitored. So from time to time YOU need to inspect the fans and verify that all are still working.