[SOLVED] RGB LED's W/O an RGB Header

[justnopenope]

I have a GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 R2 motherboard. It doesn't have any RBG headers, but it does have one regular 4-pin fan header.
I see a lot of RGB LED strips that have four-pin connections on the end, can I plug that into the regular four-pin port?

Would I be able to use this kind of connection?
https://www.amazon.com/eTopxizu-Computer-RGB-control-Flexible/dp/B00W3HZTPE/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1547337190&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=rgb+led+strip+for+pc&psc=1

 

[Paperdoc]

No. RGB light strips and other lighting devices use a very different system from those used for fans.

In fact, there are two different systems widely sold for use in computers, plus some others sold as stand-alone systems that do not connect to a mobo. The simpler computer lighting RGB systems are called just plain RGB systems, and they use a 4-pin mobo header that is deliberately different from the fan headers. Those mobo RGB headers provide +12 VDC supply on one pin, and three separate Ground pins (one for each colour of LED) to turn on and off the LED's along the strip. In that system, ALL the LED's of one colour (say, Red for example) are connected in parallel and turn on and off together. Same for the other two colours. So the entire strip shows only one colour at a time, although some colours are made by turning on two or more LED groups.

The more complex system is called Addressible RGB or ADDR RGB or ARGB. Its mobo header has THREE pins, arranged just like the 4-pin header but with one pin missing. However, its electrical signals are quite different. The header provides +5 VDC and Ground on two pins, and Control line on the third. NOTE both the supply voltage and the control system are different, so these two designs cannot be mixed together. Along the strip are many Nodes, each Node consisting of three LED's (one of each main colour) plus a controller chip. Each controller chip has its own unique address and listens to the signals on the Control line. It executes only the instructions sent to its address for its Node of three LED's. So every Node can exhibit a different colour at any one time, and the strip can produce much more complex displays.

If You buy the lighting strip system you linked, its only connection to your computer is that it gets power from a PSU Molex power output. The actual feed of power to the strips (and control of the display) is done by the power module and the remote control box manually.

Many computer accessory makers also sell RGB lighting systems along with their own controllers that can be used when you do not have a mobo RGB header. Some of those use manual control boxes wired to the controller unit, and some may use un-wired remote boxes like the system you have linked to. Some have a system in which you connect their control box to a mobo USB2 header and then install and run the supplier's proprietary software to use the computer to control the displays, with communication between mobo and RGB controller module via that USB2 cable. If you go this route, make SURE that you buy ONE type of RGB system and controller module - either plain RGB or ADDR RGB. Some suppliers make and sell both, so pay attention to the details.

 

[justnopenope]

No. RGB light strips and other lighting devices use a very different system from those used for fans.

In fact, there are two different systems widely sold for use in computers, plus some others sold as stand-alone systems that do not connect to a mobo. The simpler computer lighting RGB systems are called just plain RGB systems, and they use a 4-pin mobo header that is deliberately different from the fan headers. Those mobo RGB headers provide +12 VDC supply on one pin, and three separate Ground pins (one for each colour of LED) to turn on and off the LED's along the strip. In that system, ALL the LED's of one colour (say, Red for example) are connected in parallel and turn on and off together. Same for the other two colours. So the entire strip shows only one colour at a time, although some colours are made by turning on two or more LED groups.

The more complex system is called Addressible RGB or ADDR RGB or ARGB. Its mobo header has THREE pins, arranged just like the 4-pin header but with one pin missing. However, its electrical signals are quite different. The header provides +5 VDC and Ground on two pins, and Control line on the third. NOTE both the supply voltage and the control system are different, so these two designs cannot be mixed together. Along the strip are many Nodes, each Node consisting of three LED's (one of each main colour) plus a controller chip. Each controller chip has its own unique address and listens to the signals on the Control line. It executes only the instructions sent to its address for its Node of three LED's. So every Node can exhibit a different colour at any one time, and the strip can produce much more complex displays.

If You buy the lighting strip system you linked, its only connection to your computer is that it gets power from a PSU Molex power output. The actual feed of power to the strips (and control of the display) is done by the power module and the remote control box manually.

Many computer accessory makers also sell RGB lighting systems along with their own controllers that can be used when you do not have a mobo RGB header. Some of those use manual control boxes wired to the controller unit, and some may use un-wired remote boxes like the system you have linked to. Some have a system in which you connect their control box to a mobo USB2 header and then install and run the supplier's proprietary software to use the computer to control the displays, with communication between mobo and RGB controller module via that USB2 cable. If you go this route, make SURE that you buy ONE type of RGB system and controller module - either plain RGB or ADDR RGB. Some suppliers make and sell both, so pay attention to the details.

So I ordered this RGB strip : https://www.ebay.com/itm/113113732352
and it connects to one of the power supply's SATA connectors. The lights work, but the remote is unresponsive, so I cannot control the lights.

 

[Paperdoc]

Check the battery in the remote. Check whether it is installed correctly, that its contacts are clean and making good contact. If you have a voltmeter, check its voltage to verify the battery is OK. If that does not fix it, contact the seller - you may have a faulty system - either in the remote box, or in the main controller box connected to the SATA power source.