Question Tecware Orbis fan speed not working.

[brochure96]

Hi all, thank you for your time.
I have recently encountered an issue with my Tecware Orbis fanhub with all case fans running at max utilisation when the PC is powered.
My issue is that the Fan speed toggle on both the hub its controller are not working whereas the other two toggles (LED speed, LED colour) are working.
I have attached a picture of the fanhub below for reference but for further context I have 9 fans plugged in to the hub which is then plugged into the PSU and Mobo (to SysFan1 via 4pins) and this issue has only recently been encountered.

I have since tried to re-plug each fan and cable individually with no changes noted and have reset my BIOS and set up the fans again as PWM and SmartFan, I can confirm that no RPMs are being shown in the bios for SysFan1.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as unsure if the hub has simply malfunctioned or if there is an easier solution as I cannot find a replacement online.

Many thanks!

 

[helpstar]

check the temperatures of your system

 

[brochure96]

check the temperatures of your system

thank you for the reply, I can confirm that temps are perfectly fine and the fans run at max even on boot-up. They were previously silent unless under load.

 

[Paperdoc]

I have a few suggestions.

1. Check WHICH ports of your Hub are used to plug in the fans. On most systems you MUST plug one fan into output Port #1 because that is the ONLY port that will relay its fan's speed back to the mobo header.

2. This Hub can operate entirely on its own OR can let signals from a mobo header control its actions. Most such units have a way to switch between these options, and that MAY be separate actions for the fan speeds and the light displays. I found no info on that in the manual for this unit. However, there are three things you can try:
(a) Try the Mobo Sync button at upper left of the remote box. This MAY affect only the lights.
(b) Try the Fan Auto button at top centre.
(c) SOME such units allow you to change some settings using the computer front panel"s RESET button. The Hub has a socket that you use to plug into it the cable coming from the case front panel for this. IF you have that cable hooked up and CAN change some things by pushing the button, some units allow you to change to mobo control by pushing and HOLDING IN this button for more than 5 sec.
(d) Similar to (c) above, you MAY get results by holding in one of the buttons on the Hub itself.

 

[brochure96]

I have a few suggestions.

1. Check WHICH ports of your Hub are used to plug in the fans. On most systems you MUST plug one fan into output Port #1 because that is the ONLY port that will relay its fan's speed back to the mobo header.

2. This Hub can operate entirely on its own OR can let signals from a mobo header control its actions. Most such units have a way to switch between these options, and that MAY be separate actions for the fan speeds and the light displays. I found no info on that in the manual for this unit. However, there are three things you can try:
(a) Try the Mobo Sync button at upper left of the remote box. This MAY affect only the lights.
(b) Try the Fan Auto button at top centre.
(c) SOME such units allow you to change some settings using the computer front panel"s RESET button. The Hub has a socket that you use to plug into it the cable coming from the case front panel for this. IF you have that cable hooked up and CAN change some things by pushing the button, some units allow you to change to mobo control by pushing and HOLDING IN this button for more than 5 sec.
(d) Similar to (c) above, you MAY get results by holding in one of the buttons on the Hub itself.

Hi paperdoc, thank you for the thorough reply. I've had some time to look over this but unfortunately none of the suggestions have worked. For further context - these fans were previously working as expected for almost a year and now the fan controls just do not work on either the remote or the hub itself.

1. Can confirm their is a fan plugged into Port #1
2. a) Mobo sync button turns on/off the RGB

b) Fan Auto button does nothing when used
c) Reset button actually resets the computer itself and no changes with fans
d) Have tried to hold in buttons on the hub itself with no luck.

I appreciate the support so thank you for the suggestions.

 

[Paperdoc]

It is intriguing that your SYS_FAN1 port fails to show any fan speed in BIOS Setup, even though you have confirmed there IS a fan plugged into the Hub's Port #1. You might try changing around WHICH fan is plugged into that port just in case the problem is with one particular fan.

The related item is that even though you say your mobo fan headers are set to use the newer PWM Mode (NOT to Auto), you still get no speed control. Both of these issues indicate lack of signals passing between that mobo header and the Hub. As an experiment, try connecting the Hub to the SYS_FAN2 header and adjusting that header's configuration. If the problems persist, then the headers are not the cause. That would get us back to either the Hub itself or the cable from it to the header.

 

[brochure96]

It is intriguing that your SYS_FAN1 port fails to show any fan speed in BIOS Setup, even though you have confirmed there IS a fan plugged into the Hub's Port #1. You might try changing around WHICH fan is plugged into that port just in case the problem is with one particular fan.

The related item is that even though you say your mobo fan headers are set to use the newer PWM Mode (NOT to Auto), you still get no speed control. Both of these issues indicate lack of signals passing between that mobo header and the Hub. As an experiment, try connecting the Hub to the SYS_FAN2 header and adjusting that header's configuration. If the problems persist, then the headers are not the cause. That would get us back to either the Hub itself or the cable from it to the header.

Hi paperdoc, sorry for the late reply - just had a chance to try this out now.

I can confirm that I have a mini-mobo with only one SysFan slot, I have swapped out the fan plugged into Fan 1 of the hub with no luck. System still shows 0rpm whilst on PWM, I have also updated the BIOS with no luck.
I have had a look online with no luck but wondering if it is as easy as swapping out the Orbis Fanhub that I use with another brand and still using the Orbis fans themselves? Not sure if this would work but cannot think of any other methods to test what the issue is.

(Update: I have also attached a picture of the SysFan1 input, I see that the 4 pin cable only has two wires, could this be the issue? I am going to look to purchase a replacement female to female 4pin PWM cable to rule this out)

Really appreciate the help and suggestions that you have given so thank you.

 

[Paperdoc]

That photo show what MAY be the reason you get no fan speed shown in BIOS Setup. The connector has wires for the Ground and PWM lines, but none for the +12 VDC and Speed signal lines. Thus any speed signal available at the connection port of the Hub has no wire to take it back to the SYS_FAN header.

HOWEVER, since that cable was supplied with the Hub, it is possible that the design of the Hub itself does NOT try to send out a speed signal to the host header. The manual I found does not show the socket on the Hub where the two-headed cable plugs in - the cable that goes to both the SYS_FAN and ARGB headers on the mobo. So we can only speculate on whether or not the speed signal from any fan is available at that socket. In any event, you would not be able to get some "standard" cable to replace that special one because the pin setup at that port is not any standard arrangement, so you could not fit an alternative cable into that.

As to your thoughts of getting an alternative Hub, you really can't do only that. The problem is that the fans themselves have proprietary connectors on their cables that only fit the Orbis Hub. "Standard" 4-pin fans with ARGB lights in their frames now come with TWO separate cables: one has 4 holes and fits a mobo standard 4-pin male fan header, and the other larger one has 3 holes in a (4-1) pattern (looks like it had 4 holes but one is blocked off) to fit a mobo ARGB header. Your fans' female connectors all have 6 holes in a straight line. The layout is wrong, and you have no way to know which line is which. To change, you'd really have to replace all those fans, too, unless you were to undertake major re-wiring of all your fans.

 

[brochure96]

That photo show what MAY be the reason you get no fan speed shown in BIOS Setup. The connector has wires for the Ground and PWM lines, but none for the +12 VDC and Speed signal lines. Thus any speed signal available at the connection port of the Hub has no wire to take it back to the SYS_FAN header.

HOWEVER, since that cable was supplied with the Hub, it is possible that the design of the Hub itself does NOT try to send out a speed signal to the host header. The manual I found does not show the socket on the Hub where the two-headed cable plugs in - the cable that goes to both the SYS_FAN and ARGB headers on the mobo. So we can only speculate on whether or not the speed signal from any fan is available at that socket. In any event, you would not be able to get some "standard" cable to replace that special one because the pin setup at that port is not any standard arrangement, so you could not fit an alternative cable into that.

As to your thoughts of getting an alternative Hub, you really can't do only that. The problem is that the fans themselves have proprietary connectors on their cables that only fit the Orbis Hub. "Standard" 4-pin fans with ARGB lights in their frames now come with TWO separate cables: one has 4 holes and fits a mobo standard 4-pin male fan header, and the other larger one has 3 holes in a (4-1) pattern (looks like it had 4 holes but one is blocked off) to fit a mobo ARGB header. Your fans' female connectors all have 6 holes in a straight line. The layout is wrong, and you have no way to know which line is which. To change, you'd really have to replace all those fans, too, unless you were to undertake major re-wiring of all your fans.

Hi again Paperdoc, thanks for the reply.

I was able to research a bit about the above and understand now why it may be at 0rpm which is a shame. It is strange as I had control of the fan speed up until recently and cannot think of anything else which may have changed it.
I assume with no SysFan2 available to test if SysFan 1 is working my only solution may be to buy a new set of fans with hub and hope for the best as cannot find a replacement Orbis hub online at all.

Thanks again for the help over this thread!