[SOLVED] Why won't my MasterLiquid ML240r sync with Asus aura?!

Jul 17, 2019
16
0
10
I recently built my first PC using specs below and for some reason my MasterLiquid ML240r will not show up on asus aura/sync, so I can only control the RGB with the included controller even tho it says on both MastersLiquid and Asus' website they're compatible.I'ive tried everything I can find including attaching a 4 pin RGB cable to the RGB header on the motherboard and the CoolerMaster controller. To sum it up I want to be able to control the lights from my MasterLiquid ML240r within the Asus aura software. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!

Specs:
Asus ROG strix B450-F gaming motherboard
Ryzen 7 2700x
MasterLiquid ML240r RGB AIO
G Skill Trident Z RGB ram (2x8GB)
Gigabyte AORUS GeForce RTX 2070 8GB
 
Solution
Fans have always been an issue, there's no set standards. Some are molex, some are 5v, 7v, 9v or 12v. Some are 2pin, 3pin or 4pin. I've even seen 12pin hook ups. When RGB first got crazy, after the LED craze, nobody had the same connection or specification. Everybody used what they wanted. Corsair even went as far as using a hair-brained idea and used 4pin PWM connections for its RGB, on a 3pin DC fan. Ppl burned them out quick and several complaints later this was changed again. Most are now leaning towards a 5050 connection for strips, 4pin molex looking plugs (3wires) for ARGB, 4/5 pin for RGB /RGBW, but that still leaves software. Now you have asrock, CoolerMaster, thermaltake, Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Corsair, and thats just the major...

Paperdoc

Polypheme
Ambassador
The problem is you have a mis-match of RGB types.

There are two different and incompatible types of RGB lighting devices dominating the market currently ("devices" includes light strips and the RGB lights built into a fan or pump frame). The plain RGB system uses a 4-pn connector with a common 12 VDC power line plus three separate Ground lines for the three basic LED colours. The mobo header can switch those three colours on and off in various combinations, to produce many colours (maybe even different brightnesses). The colours can be changed over time but at any one moment the entire string is all the same colour. The more advanced type is called Addressable RGB or ADDR RGB or ARGB. It uses a THREE-pin connector (like the 4-pin one, but with one pin missing) that provides common +5 VDC and Ground lines, and a Control Line. Along the strip the LED's are grouped into Nodes. Each Node contains one LED each of Red, Green and Blue, plus a controller chip for that group only. All the Noeds' control chips listen to the Control Line which carries data packets containing an address and instructions. When a Node control chip gets a packet with its address it does what the instructions say with ONLY its three LED's. Thus every Node along the strip can be different at any moment and more complex displays can be made, like a rainbow chasing itself along the strip.

So both the supply Voltage and the method of control of the display is different between the two types, and they can NOT be mixed in the same circuit. Moreover, you can NOT plug an ARGB system into a plain RGB header or the units will burn out. In fact, the connector pins are made different so you cannot do this by accident. You always need to match the type of RGB device you buy to the type of RGB header your mobo has.

Many mobo makers sell some mobos with no RGB headers, some with only plain RGB, some with only ARGB, and some with both types. They also provide their own software utilities to do the control functions under their own names like Aura Sync, RGB Fusion, Mystic Light, etc. Each of these can manage lights and mobo headers for BOTH types or RGB systems on their maker's mobos. But the software name does NOT tell you the mobo header type, and that is what you must match to your lighting devices.

OP, your mobo has only two PLAIN RGB headers, and no ARGB header. On the other hand, the lights in your ML120R system are of the ARGB type, and the Cooler Master ARGB Controller box that came with it can accept from a mobo header only the ARGB signals that your mobo can NOT produce. So you should plan to install and use the ML120R system as if your mobo has NO suitable RGB header (it does not - it has the wrong type), That means probably you should plan to use the software utility that Cooler Master specifies for use with their hardware. It was co-developed with ASRock, so it is often found as the ASRock Polychrome RGB utility available for free download from the ASRock website. If you use the cable included with that Cooler Master controller to connect it to a mobo USB2 header, that is how the software will communicate its commands to the Controller. The Controller also needs a cable connected to a SATA power output from the PSU for power for itself and the lights is controls.
 
Jul 17, 2019
16
0
10
The problem is you have a mis-match of RGB types.

There are two different and incompatible types of RGB lighting devices dominating the market currently ("devices" includes light strips and the RGB lights built into a fan or pump frame). The plain RGB system uses a 4-pn connector with a common 12 VDC power line plus three separate Ground lines for the three basic LED colours. The mobo header can switch those three colours on and off in various combinations, to produce many colours (maybe even different brightnesses). The colours can be changed over time but at any one moment the entire string is all the same colour. The more advanced type is called Addressable RGB or ADDR RGB or ARGB. It uses a THREE-pin connector (like the 4-pin one, but with one pin missing) that provides common +5 VDC and Ground lines, and a Control Line. Along the strip the LED's are grouped into Nodes. Each Node contains one LED each of Red, Green and Blue, plus a controller chip for that group only. All the Noeds' control chips listen to the Control Line which carries data packets containing an address and instructions. When a Node control chip gets a packet with its address it does what the instructions say with ONLY its three LED's. Thus every Node along the strip can be different at any moment and more complex displays can be made, like a rainbow chasing itself along the strip.

So both the supply Voltage and the method of control of the display is different between the two types, and they can NOT be mixed in the same circuit. Moreover, you can NOT plug an ARGB system into a plain RGB header or the units will burn out. In fact, the connector pins are made different so you cannot do this by accident. You always need to match the type of RGB device you buy to the type of RGB header your mobo has.

Many mobo makers sell some mobos with no RGB headers, some with only plain RGB, some with only ARGB, and some with both types. They also provide their own software utilities to do the control functions under their own names like Aura Sync, RGB Fusion, Mystic Light, etc. Each of these can manage lights and mobo headers for BOTH types or RGB systems on their maker's mobos. But the software name does NOT tell you the mobo header type, and that is what you must match to your lighting devices.

OP, your mobo has only two PLAIN RGB headers, and no ARGB header. On the other hand, the lights in your ML120R system are of the ARGB type, and the Cooler Master ARGB Controller box that came with it can accept from a mobo header only the ARGB signals that your mobo can NOT produce. So you should plan to install and use the ML120R system as if your mobo has NO suitable RGB header (it does not - it has the wrong type), That means probably you should plan to use the software utility that Cooler Master specifies for use with their hardware. It was co-developed with ASRock, so it is often found as the ASRock Polychrome RGB utility available for free download from the ASRock website. If you use the cable included with that Cooler Master controller to connect it to a mobo USB2 header, that is how the software will communicate its commands to the Controller. The Controller also needs a cable connected to a SATA power output from the PSU for power for itself and the lights is controls.

Thank you for your knowledge and reply. so there is no way i could get this to work?!?! is there such thing as a RGB to ARGB adapter or something like that?!?!
 

demonesc

Prominent
Jul 28, 2018
82
1
665
you need to install the coolermaster software and the asus aura and then the two should sync ...the coolermaster hardware wont work on just the asus software the two software packages should sync when both are installed.
 
Jul 17, 2019
16
0
10
you need to install the coolermaster software and the asus aura and then the two should sync ...the coolermaster hardware wont work on just the asus software the two software packages should sync when both are installed.

I downloaded them both and set the lights to "motherboard" but its not showing up on Asus aura
 

Paperdoc

Polypheme
Ambassador
There is no such thing as an "adapter" that can convert - the differences are too great. Even if you did have such a tool, you would miss out on a lot. The displays possible with the ARGB system are much more complex, and taking the much simpIer display commands from a plain RGB system would not use all of the more sophisticated displays.

I have not used those two software tools, but Karadjgne's recommendation sounds like the right way.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
Fans have always been an issue, there's no set standards. Some are molex, some are 5v, 7v, 9v or 12v. Some are 2pin, 3pin or 4pin. I've even seen 12pin hook ups. When RGB first got crazy, after the LED craze, nobody had the same connection or specification. Everybody used what they wanted. Corsair even went as far as using a hair-brained idea and used 4pin PWM connections for its RGB, on a 3pin DC fan. Ppl burned them out quick and several complaints later this was changed again. Most are now leaning towards a 5050 connection for strips, 4pin molex looking plugs (3wires) for ARGB, 4/5 pin for RGB /RGBW, but that still leaves software. Now you have asrock, CoolerMaster, thermaltake, Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Corsair, and thats just the major players, not mentioning the half a hundred other wannabes throwing their opinions out there. And most are not universal, but will be compatible with a few others.

Which is where you are now. Trying to force compatability between two similar systems that are not fully incorporated the way an ASR board would have been. So it's going to be a Royal pain in the tuskus, aggravating, frustrating, but it has been accomplished, so it is doable. You are going to have to open the CM software with the Asus software at the same time. Turn things on/off, see what's gray'd out. Call Asus tech support, hunt the web for as much info as possible. It's been done, but I haven't yet seen a single post explaining exactly how it was accomplished, in what order, with what connections. No step by step instructions that cover every scenario. Most of what I have seen is that it's been accomplished by ppl with mobo's that have ARGB headers, so even that might preclude success.

It might be you can't get one software to sync and control all, you may just have to use both, Asus for the case lighting, CM for the rad fans. That'd suck, but it is what it is when there's no universal compliance.
 
Solution
Jul 17, 2019
16
0
10
Fans have always been an issue, there's no set standards. Some are molex, some are 5v, 7v, 9v or 12v. Some are 2pin, 3pin or 4pin. I've even seen 12pin hook ups. When RGB first got crazy, after the LED craze, nobody had the same connection or specification. Everybody used what they wanted. Corsair even went as far as using a hair-brained idea and used 4pin PWM connections for its RGB, on a 3pin DC fan. Ppl burned them out quick and several complaints later this was changed again. Most are now leaning towards a 5050 connection for strips, 4pin molex looking plugs (3wires) for ARGB, 4/5 pin for RGB /RGBW, but that still leaves software. Now you have asrock, CoolerMaster, thermaltake, Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, Corsair, and thats just the major players, not mentioning the half a hundred other wannabes throwing their opinions out there. And most are not universal, but will be compatible with a few others.

Which is where you are now. Trying to force compatability between two similar systems that are not fully incorporated the way an ASR board would have been. So it's going to be a Royal pain in the tuskus, aggravating, frustrating, but it has been accomplished, so it is doable. You are going to have to open the CM software with the Asus software at the same time. Turn things on/off, see what's gray'd out. Call Asus tech support, hunt the web for as much info as possible. It's been done, but I haven't yet seen a single post explaining exactly how it was accomplished, in what order, with what connections. No step by step instructions that cover every scenario. Most of what I have seen is that it's been accomplished by ppl with mobo's that have ARGB headers, so even that might preclude success.

It might be you can't get one software to sync and control all, you may just have to use both, Asus for the case lighting, CM for the rad fans. That'd suck, but it is what it is when there's no universal compliance.

Thank you for all your help and knowledge, i basically got what i wanted thanks to you and all the others that replied and helped. I understand all this crazy RGB stuff now and hopefully in the future there will be some updates and make it all work out how i want it to.