Can't figure why these case fans seem incompatibile with the standard connectors on the motherboard

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neiler0847

neiler0847

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My Corsair Carbide 500R case has 4 fans in it. The two front fans and one side fan combine into a harness that is powered by molex and controlled by a switch on the front of the case. The rear fan is already connected to the motherboard.

I decided to unhook the case-controlled three and plug into the fan controller spots on my motherboard (Asus Maximus Hero VII). The motherboard has connectors for two CPU fans and 4 case fans.

But the connectors simply don't seem compatible, which makes no sense to me. Why would they make case fan connectors that can't plug into a motherboard?

Any insights would be appreciated!

I have attached photos....



20170509_220654-1.jpg
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Solution
P
You are right, those are non-standard connectors on the fan cable ends. Obviously they are intended to prevent what you are trying to do, and constrain you to using those three fans only by connecting them to the controls built into the case.

The route to a solution probably means you'd need to snip off those connectors and solder on instead standard 3-pin fan connectors. BEFORE doing that you need to know one important thing, and if you proceed you'll need to make a small adjustment in BIOS Setup.

These are 3-pin fans, and I presume the rear one also is. The standard color coding of wires from such fans, and the connector pin assignments is: Ground is Black on Pin #1, +DCV supply is Red on Pin #2, and the fan's speed signal is sent...
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faRomanut

faRomanut

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As long as I know: the 4th-pin is for control, so you can plug them in the first 3 pins but they will work in a constant speed even if you have a switch for control.
Otherwise, you can manage their speed from your bios configuration I believe.
Sorry for my english, my native language is spanish.
Hope someone else can ensure this.
 
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neiler0847

neiler0847

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I don't think it's a 3-pin/4-pin issue. The connector simply won't fit onto to the motherboard connector because of the shape of the end.

The connector end of the front and side fans doesn't look the same as the connector end on the rear case fan.
 
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faRomanut

faRomanut

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Sorry, I though it would be that. Maybe that just need an adapter, but I haven't seen that connector before.
Hope someone knows.
 
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Paperdoc

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You are right, those are non-standard connectors on the fan cable ends. Obviously they are intended to prevent what you are trying to do, and constrain you to using those three fans only by connecting them to the controls built into the case.

The route to a solution probably means you'd need to snip off those connectors and solder on instead standard 3-pin fan connectors. BEFORE doing that you need to know one important thing, and if you proceed you'll need to make a small adjustment in BIOS Setup.

These are 3-pin fans, and I presume the rear one also is. The standard color coding of wires from such fans, and the connector pin assignments is: Ground is Black on Pin #1, +DCV supply is Red on Pin #2, and the fan's speed signal is sent on a Yellow wire back to the mobo using Pin #3. The DCV supply on Pin #2 is varied by the mobo header from +12 VDC (max speed) down to about +5 VDC (minimum to avoid fan stalling). If you take a FEMALE (with 3 holes) connector on the end of the fan's wires and hold it so you are looking into the holes with the two ridges on the outside of the connector at the BOTTOM, the the hole at the RIGHT is Pin #1 (Ground, Black).

The missing info: the photo you posted shows the wires from the three front fans all are black - no color coding. So you will need to figure out which wire is which on those fans. THEN you can proceed to replacing the connectors, using the info above to do it right.

If you do that, you must then arrange for your mobo's CHA_FAN headers to do it correctly. See your mobo manual, p. 3-43. For each of the CHA_FAN headers verify that it is set to use DC mode, then set the item "Chassis Fan 1/2/3/4 Q-Fan Source" to "MB" so that it uses as its guide the temperature sensor built into the mobo, and not the one inside the CPU chip. Remember to SAVE and EXIT to save your new settings.



That means they can be controlled by a mobo fan header ONLY of it is using Voltage Control Mode (not PWM Mode), and your mobo can do that - except that it calls that "DC Mode".
 
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neiler0847

neiler0847

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I also opened a ticket with Corsair technical support, and got an answer quite quickly.

"The case fans for the 500R are proprietary due to the LED control at the front. They are not able to be connected to the motherboard and doing so may cause damage."

So they made the connector ends incompatible on purpose, to save me from myself. I appreciate the thought. But if I had known this, I might have bought a different case.
 
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faRomanut

faRomanut

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Good to know that, for the future. Thanks for share it here :) I will think twice when pick a Corsair case, at least i'll see some unboxing videos or reviews.
 
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neiler0847

neiler0847

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Don't hold it against them. I love the company. Have bought two Corsair cases and would do so again
 
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Paperdoc

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So, if you want to have your front two fans controlled automatically by the mobo headers, you will have to replace them. For that there are many choices, as well as the choice of whether of not you want to preserve the LED feature on the front fans, of whatever color. I suggest you pay close attention to the CFM (max air flow) rating and the dBA (noise level at max speed). You do not need the "Static Pressure" type since this is for unrestricted air flow into the case front.

IF you like the Corsair line, they have two products that might suit. One is likely similar to what you have, the AF120 LED model that is a 3-pin type capable of 52 CFM with a 25 dBA noise level at max speed, drawing 0.4 A max current. A step up from that in performance (at a slightly lower price) is their ML120 PRO LED fan, a 4-pin design capable of 75 CFM with noise at 38 dBA at max speed, drawing 0.3 A. Note that, under mobo automatic control, each of these fans normally would be slowed down to reduce air flow to just what is needed for the same cooling performance, so the ML fan likely would be running slower and make significantly less noise than its max rating, but there's no way to predict whether that would be less that the noise from another fan running to deliver the same air flow.

By the way, in searching for fans, you may find flow capacity rated in units of cubic meters per hour. To convert, multiply m³/hr by 0.5886 to get CFM. For example, a Noctua NF-S12A PWM fan (no LED's) is a 4-pin design for good air flow, rated at max 107 m³/hr which converts to 63 CFM, noise 18 dBA at max speed, current draw 0.12 A (less because of no LEDs). Some people don't like its two-tone brown color, and they have an alternative 4-pin model in grey and black, the NF-S12B redux PWM rated at 101 m³/hr (59 CFM), noise 18 dBA at 0.8 A current. Again, no LEDs.

IF you switch to a 4-pin fan type, remember to configure the mobo header setting to use PWM Mode to control those fans.

Thank you for Best Solution.
 
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faRomanut

faRomanut

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There's so much things to learn about :eek:
I plan to buy a new pc in a few years and still much is to be learnt.
 
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