Enermax 120mm Fans Very Dimly Lit...PSU Problem?

Helix334 · Jan 30, 2017

Hello community!

I finally received today with so much excitement my Enermax TB Vegas White case fans -- five in exact. To my disappointment though, only one is perfectly lit!!

These fans are supposed to have very bright LEDs and only one is showing off their real potential while the other four are very dimly lit and often even flickering. Is this a PSU problem? The ones that are experiencing this issue also seem to reduce in speed and then speed up again in a repeating process. Does this mean I need to upgrade my PSU?

My specs:

Intel i7-6700k
Asus Sabertooth Z170s
Zotac 1070 amp extreme
Cryorig H5 Universal
EVGA Nex650G
three more case fans
an ssd and a hard drive

Note: all Enermax fans are connected to four pin connectors on the mobo.
Model of fans: UCTVS12P

I am so confused as to what to do! Thanks in advance!

R4lNM4N · Jan 30, 2017

In your BIOS. Got to fan profile for each fan. Adjust them to run faster. Usually, the LED's brightness is directly correlated to the fan speed.

Helix334 · Jan 30, 2017

R4lNM4N :

R4INM4N, thanks for your reply. I have not done that yet because all the fans are running at over 800rpm and the minimum these fans run at is 500rmp. What do you make of that?

R4lNM4N · Jan 30, 2017

Adjust them to run faster, see if it changes the brightness.

R4lNM4N · Jan 30, 2017

Also found this: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA8UC39V5226.

"SMART APS CONTROL
With a small switch at the back, the peak speed can be changed between the modes: Ultra Silent Mode (500-1200rpm), Silent Mode (500-1500rpm), and Performance Mode (500-1800rpm).

SWITCHABLE VEGAS LED MODES
A circular type LED with 18 diodes delivers bright luminance, and Focus Blades center the light to increase the brightness. Six switchable Vegas Modes produce radiant, splendid color fun that makes your computer stand out immediately."

Helix334 · Jan 30, 2017

R4lNM4N :

Okay, I will switch them and I will keep you posted. At the moment I have them on the Ultra Silent Mode. They are very silent, however they are just not impressive at all as regards to the LEDs.

Helix334 · Jan 30, 2017

R4lNM4N :

So I ended up witching the fans to Performance Mode. They did bump up in rmps significantly, however the LEDs remained the same. One of the four bad one sometimes lights up equivalently to the one that is running perfectly, yet goes back to being dim very quick.

Any thoughts?

R4lNM4N · Jan 30, 2017

Seems like they may be faulty. If it were me, try switching one of the dim ones to the fan header of one that is bright. This will confirm if it is a fan issue or the fan header/mobo. Then contact Enermax or the seller.

Helix334 · Jan 30, 2017

R4lNM4N :

Okay I will go ahead and check them one by one. I will let you know. If it turns out to be a header/mobo issue, what should be my next step?

Thanks so much for your help so far!

R4lNM4N · Jan 30, 2017

No prob. The physical switch on each fan should all be set to performance mode and then logically controlled by the fan curve in your BIOS.

R4lNM4N · Jan 30, 2017

http://www.enermax.com/home.php?fn=eng/product_a1_1_1&lv0=4&lv1=79&no=220

Under features: "Patented Circular Type LED with 18 diodes and 6 switchable modes"

That is why they're flickering.

R4lNM4N · Jan 30, 2017

Per this article, there is a button attached to the fans that allow you to cycle through the different lighting configurations.

Helix334 · Jan 30, 2017

Helix334 :

I am convinced it is a motherboard issue. The fans work great when I connect them to the connector where the one fan works (CPU_OPT). All the other four-pin connectors give poor output as regards to performance and they don't even light up the lights properly. It's like they don't give enough power to the fans other than CPU_OPT which works excellent. What should I do? I hope warranty covers this...

Helix334 · Jan 30, 2017

R4lNM4N :

As regards to the flickering, I know the fans have a specific type of flickering as a feature and I have learned about the button that changes modes -- I am well aware of that. The flickering that i speak about is the "you know something bad is happening" type of flickering. It seems like the fans are nearly about the run out of power and then they turn on again -- same with the lights.

R4lNM4N · Jan 30, 2017

I doubt it's the motherboard. Did you go into the BIOS and ensure that all the fan profiles are the same? The CPU_OPT port is probably defaulted to a different profile than the others - which are meant for case fans. Go into the BIOS and adjust the fan curve, fan profile, temperature curve, whatever it's called.

Helix334 · Jan 30, 2017

R4lNM4N :

Okay, I will try and see if that works. Actually its not CPU-OPT where I have it connected. I have it connected at the Water Pump connector and works good (W_PUMP). I'll go into the BIOS now.

Helix334 · Jan 30, 2017

This is great!!! They all work now great!!

All I had to do was switch the mode to PWM mode! I should have listened from the beginning.

Thank you so much!!!

Helix334 · Jan 30, 2017

By the way, these fans are amazing...!

Enermax 120mm Fans Very Dimly Lit...PSU Problem?

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