[SOLVED] [Solved] Do non-pwm controlled fan control hubs exist?

[kaiadam]

Last year I purchased a premade desktop (HP OMEN 30L) as it was one of the only ways to get the latest graphics cards for a halfway reasonable price. Unfortunately, the airflow in the case was terrible resulting in extreme fan noise so I recently swapped all components over to another case, adding in some additional fans and a new AIO.

My temp issue is completely fixed (idling at 30c), but now the problem is I can't control the cpu or case fans, and it sounds like they are all constantly on at 100%. It seems like this is a motherboard issue (the custom one HP uses for their OMEN destkops), I've tried at least a dozen fan control software suites and I can't even see the fan speeds at all, much less change them. I see the speeds in bios, but can't change them there.

My question is: are there any fan speed control hubs that do NOT use a motherboard pwm header? A sata or USB header (preferably sata header and sata powered) would be excellent except my google fu with this search term is lacking. Hell, I'd be fine with a USB A cable connected to the back and threaded back into the case as long as I can actually control my case and cpu fan speeds.

Thanks!

 

[punkncat]

The fan hub used by Arctic runs off "a header" and a SATA power connector. Fans speed control is fully dependent on what fan you plug into #1 position.

I know that back in the day you could purchase fan controllers that were like a PCI card with a dial on the back for full physical control. It has been years since I have seen or used one of those.

 

[kaiadam]

Do you mean https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-Case-Fan-Hub-Distributor/dp/B0887VG14J?th=1 for the arctic controller? I think the control mechanism is still PWM, unfortunately.

I actually did find a PCI fan controller that you mentioned with those physical knobs: https://www.amazon.com/SinLoon-Controller-Channels-Control-Interface/dp/B09DG74QXM/
I wish there was a USB plugin for that so I could control their speed with software.

 

[Paperdoc]

We need two types of into to help you.

Fans with lights in their frames these days usually come with TWO cables coming out of them. One ends in a smaller connector about 3/8" wide with two ridges running down one side. This is for the fan MOTOR and it plugs into a mobo fan header. It may have three holes (older fan type called 3-pin or Voltage Controlled Fans). OR 4 holes (newer type called 4-pin or PWM fans. Each type requires different signals from the mobo header for speed control to work. The mobo fan HEADER now almost always has 4 pins. BUT in BIOS Setup for each fan header, usually you have an option to tell it whether to use Voltage Control Mode (aka DC Mode that is REQUIRED for 3-pin fans), OR to use PWM Mode for 4-pin fans.

The other cable from each fan usually ends in a wider connector with either four holes in a straight line, or three holes (looks the same but with one hole blocked. These are for the LIGHTS in the fan frame, and they go to different LIGHTING headers on the mobo. These are NOT involved in fan speed control.

So, look at all your fans, including the one cooling the CPU chip. Some are original, some are added. Tell us how many of each fan MOTOR type you have (3-pin or 4-pin) for case ventilation fans. ALSO tell us same for the CPU cooler. THEN tell us IF you can what mobo is in the case. IF you have ever found in BIOS Setup the options for fan MODE setting for fan headers, tell us what they say. ALSO: how many CASE Vent fan headers are there (not including the CPU_FAN header?

IF you have any fan HUB units or Splitters for connecting several fans to a single header, tell us what those are.

With that info we can help sort out this issue.

 

[kaiadam]

The main issue is that the motherboard is a customized HP unit (Custom HP Z490 (8703), Micro-ATX ) with customized HP bios which completely locks down any manual configuration whatsoever regarding CPU and case fans. I get to view the fan speeds of 3 fans in the bios menu, not adjust the speeds, just view them. The piece of proprietary software that comes with it, omen gaming, gives me exactly 3 settings: quiet, balanced, turbo. This is what led me to search for a way to control the fans without using any motherboard fan headers, but well, that hasn't really turned up anything, so it's looking like I can either manually use a PCI knob to tune the fans, write some custom arduino script to control the fans, or swap out my motherboard.

For the record, the fans inside my case (all are PWM 4pins):

Fans 1 & 2 are part of an AIO, their power cords connect to a splitter which combines with the pump power and then connects to the CPU/PUMP header on the motherboard.
Fan 3 has a power cable which connects to SYS_FAN1, and a disconnected rgb wire.
Fan 4 has a power cable which connects to SYS_FAN2, and a disconnected rgb wire.
Fan 5 has a power cable which connects to REAR_FAN, and a disconnected rgb wire.

Problem is, NONE of those fans are revealed in any fan software monitor that I can find. None. Speedfan, FanControl, LibreHardwareMonitor, and a bunch of others all come up with exactly nothing. If I can't even see the fans, I can't control them.

That being said, I suspect something else may be broken, because my fans are not turning off when I put my system to sleep, which leads me to suspect that regardless of what software setting I pick, the fans are always blowing at 100% regardless. I'll see if I can't get that fixed first, and if that's done, maybe the quiet/balanced/turbo setting may be enough.
Edit: fans turn off during hibernation, but not even 15 min after putting computer to sleep, despite high 20s/low 30s for cpu temp.

 

[Paperdoc]

I found two units that do what you want. First is the Razer PWM Fan Controller

https://www.razer.com/ca-en/gaming-pc-accessories/razer-pwm-pc-fan-controller

It gets all power from the PSU via a SATA power connector, and you connect a cable from it to a mobo USB2 port. Then you download and run their Synapse software utility. It does NOT require a connection to any mobo fan header. I assume all three case fans have standard 4-pin female connectors, so they can plug into the ports of this Controller. Synapse, a Windows app, will let you see and control each fan. It has no facility for lighting unit control, but you are not able to use what you have now, anyway.

From your description of the AIO system, it may well be using the automatic CPU cooling control system of your mobo, so I do NOT recommend connecting any of it to a new Controller.

The second is less expensive, by NZXT - their RGB & Fan Controller.

RGB & Fan Controller | PC Components

The RGB & Fan Controller combines optimal fan control, RGB lighting customization, and convenient installation.

nzxt.com

Again, it gets power from the PSU and uses a USB2 connection for communication between this Controller and a software utility running under Windows. No connection needed to a mobo fan header. This one use NZXT's CAM software. It has three fan ports, plus six lighting ports. HOWEVER, you have not told us which type of lighting is in your fans - 3-pin ARGB or 4-pin plain RGB - and NZXT does NOT use standard connectors on their lighting ports, so you may NOT be able to power your fans' lights from this Controller.

Heads Up!! MANY mobo fan headers will send out warnings if there is NO fan connected to them. So it you move all your case fans to a new Controller you may find such warnings popping up on your screen. The CPU_FAN header may be even more insistent and shut down your system if it has no fan speed signal coming to it, but as I said I do NOT recommend you disconnect anything from that header.

 

[kaiadam]

Thank you, this is exactly what I was looking for! I have my glass window facing a wall and I'm planning to build an enclosure around my case anyway so I couldn't care less about the rgb.

 

[Paperdoc]

Thanks for Best Solution. Good luck with the upgrading.