Corsair Hydro fan output to PWM hub?

VanGoghComplex · Mar 30, 2016

I have a Corsair Hydro H100 GTX, which I would like to set up in a push-pull configuration. It's push-only from the factory. The pump/heatsink assembly has a fan control cable with two PWM plugs on it for controlling the stock fans.

I've read that the fan controller built into the H100GTX is too weak to burden with four fans via splitters. However, my case has a built-in powered PWM fan hub. It has a SATA power input, a PWM fan input (for plugging into a PWM motherboard header) and five 3-pin outputs which it voltage-controls based on the PWM signal coming in from the mobo header. It also reports the tach signal (which I assume you be averaged from all attached fans) back to the mobo over the PWM connection.

In my case, the PWM signal would be coming from one of the fan power cables on the H100GTX. Has anyone tried this? Any reason why it might not work?

Paperdoc · Mar 31, 2016

If that Hub is not already in use for case vent fans, then what you propose is reasonable. The hub you describe sounds like the Phanteks PWM Hub. The critical point is that i MUST have a genuine PWM signal from some source (normally a mobo fan port). I am not sure whether tthe Hydro H100 GTX's two dedicated fan ports do operate in true PWM mode, or actually are Voltage Control Mode ports. But you'll know pretty quickly. If you hook it up as you propose, and the fans all insist on running at full speed all the time, you will know that the Hub is NOT receiving a PWM signal. You could test this with your two current fans before buying two more. Just hook them both into the Hub's outlets, and plug the 4-pin female fan connector from the Hub into one of the H100 GTX ports.

This MIGHT produce a problem IF the software for the H100 GTX monitors both of its fan ports separately to ensure both fans are running. If you connect the Hub to only one of these ports and nothing to the other, it would appear that one fan has failed and cause an alarm.

By the way, you misunderstand the speed monitoring system. Each fan generates a pulse signal (2 pulses per revolution) and sends it back to a mobo port (or Hub port) on connector Pin #3. If you connect two or more fans to one mobo port using Y-splitters or a Hub, you must NOT connect all the fans' signals from their Pins #3 to the mobo, or it will totally confuse the counting circuit. Hence, ALL decent Y-splitters simply do not send back any more than ONE fan's speed pulse signal. The Phanteks PWM Hub sends back to a mobo port ONLY the speed signal from the fan plugged into its Port #1, the white one. All other fan's signals are ignored. So it is IMPORTANT when using this hub that one fan be plugged into Port#1 so the Hub CAN send back a valid fan signal.

Because of this limit in fan speed signal forwarding and counting when using Y-splitters and Hubs, on a regular basis the user should inspect all fans to ensure they are operating normally.

VanGoghComplex · Apr 9, 2016

Paperdoc :

If that Hub is not already in use for case vent fans, then what you propose is reasonable. The hub you describe sounds like the Phanteks PWM Hub. The critical point is that i MUST have a genuine PWM signal from some source (normally a mobo fan port). I am not sure whether tthe Hydro H100 GTX's two dedicated fan ports do operate in true PWM mode, or actually are Voltage Control Mode ports. But you'll know pretty quickly. If you hook it up as you propose, and the fans all insist on running at full speed all the time, you will know that the Hub is NOT receiving a PWM signal. You could test this with your two current fans before buying two more. Just hook them both into the Hub's outlets, and plug the 4-pin female fan connector from the Hub into one of the H100 GTX ports.

This MIGHT produce a problem IF the software for the H100 GTX monitors both of its fan ports separately to ensure both fans are running. If you connect the Hub to only one of these ports and nothing to the other, it would appear that one fan has failed and cause an alarm.

By the way, you misunderstand the speed monitoring system. Each fan generates a pulse signal (2 pulses per revolution) and sends it back to a mobo port (or Hub port) on connector Pin #3. If you connect two or more fans to one mobo port using Y-splitters or a Hub, you must NOT connect all the fans' signals from their Pins #3 to the mobo, or it will totally confuse the counting circuit. Hence, ALL decent Y-splitters simply do not send back any more than ONE fan's speed pulse signal. The Phanteks PWM Hub sends back to a mobo port ONLY the speed signal from the fan plugged into its Port #1, the white one. All other fan's signals are ignored. So it is IMPORTANT when using this hub that one fan be plugged into Port#1 so the Hub CAN send back a valid fan signal.

Because of this limit in fan speed signal forwarding and counting when using Y-splitters and Hubs, on a regular basis the user should inspect all fans to ensure they are operating normally.

Thanks a ton, very thorough information. In the end, I just eschewed the Corsair's built-in "Y" pigtail for fan control, and brought my CPU_FAN header to the input of the (guessed correctly by you!) Phanteks PWM hub. At first, I got no tach signal, but then I found (as you explained) that it only sends back the tach signal of one fan plugged into the white plug instead of an average of all fans as I had assumed.

Hope this helps someone else out too! =)

Paperdoc · Apr 9, 2016

Glad it's working for you. Thanks for Best Solution.

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Corsair Hydro fan output to PWM hub?

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