How to connect backlit fans via a controller
MAG CORELIQUID 240RH and MAG CORELIQUID 360RH water cooling systems come with an exclusive multifunction controller that monitors temperature and adjusts fan speed. In addition, you can use this controller to deploy the cooling system itself inside your computer case with great convenience. For optimal results, we recommend that you connect the case fans to it and the fans of the cooling system connected directly to the motherboard.
- RPM adjustment for case fans via MSI Dragon Center app.
- Visual effects of addressable illumination can be controlled by MSI Mystic Light app or other brand’s visual effects management tools.
- By plugging in the chassis cable from the backlight switch or reset button, you can quickly select the mode of the addressable backlight (via software or controller) and fan speed.
- Addressable illumination and power supply cables are connected via a water-cooling adaptor, allowing for careful routing inside the computer chassis.
Further we’ll describe the process of installation of the controller, tell you about its accessories and tell you about software utilities that are compatible with it.
Hub controller and accessories
Below is a description of the controller accessories and connectors provided with the MAG CORELIQUID RH series water cooling systems.
A. Power cable (with SATA power connector). B. USB-C cable. USB 2.0: Connect to MSI motherboard for management via MSI Dragon Center app. C. Cable with thermal sensor: Attaches to the surface of your computer components to measure their temperature, which will be used to adjust the rotation speed of fans connected to the controller (through the MSI Dragon Center app or the controller‘s internal adjustment system). D. Hub controller. main control element.
A. 4 power sockets for 4pin fans. B. Connector for cable connection with temperature sensor. C. Slot for reset button/backlight switch: Connects to the relative case cable. D. USB-C connector for connecting a USB Type-C cable. USB 2.0. E. Power connector to connect the power cable. F. 4 sockets for connecting 3 pin cables of the addressable fan illumination. G. 3-pin connector for addressable backlight. for connection to the motherboard by JRAINBOW cable. H. Hub controller power button: turns controller on and off when used independently or when the backlight switch cable is not connected. I. Backlight Sync button: Connects to the motherboard when the controller is used independently or when the backlight switch cable/reboot button is not connected. J. Backlight control button: switches the visual effects of the fans addressable backlight when the controller is used independently or when the backlight/reboot button switch cable is not connected.
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As for the ribbon, implemented:-Static backlighting-Temperature color indication mode-color effects mode
And now, let’s talk about everything in order.It all started with the purchase of a new case, which was quite stuffy for my hot iron. With the purchase of a new case I also had to deal with the purchase of case fans and the issue of blowing.
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After messing around with this for a while I noticed an interesting effect. at the same load in different games GPU temperature reached different values, and if you can say that different engines use different capabilities of GPU, and this results in such a result, then in the case of Battlefield 1 and Battlefield 4 this justification does not fit. Both games are built on the Frostbyte engine, and although versions of Frostbyte are different. it’s not about the engine. Both games have no problem taking advantage of my GPU and the CPU does not become a hindrance, but the GPU temperature in Battlefield 1 stabilizes at 73 degrees, and in Battlefield 4. and 78 is not the limit. So what’s the deal here? And here’s the deal. Battlefiel 1 in contrast to the “four” extremely actively uses and heats the CPU, the case fans increase their speed, improved blowing, and as a consequence of the CPU feels more comfortable.
Figuring out the causes, I started looking for a solution, namely a tool that would allow you to control the case fans based not only on CPU temperature but also on CPU temperature. The motherboard software, and I had MSI Z87 G45-GAMING motherboard at the time, didn’t allow to do this and the only thing I could think of was. SpeedFan utility. After messing around with it one more time (I’ve already tried it in the past) I realized that either it doesn’t work with my particular motherboard or I’ve failed to understand the settings again (it’s too weird) and after putting SpeedFan aside again I remembered another case: a zeo board on e5 1660 which I recently built for my friend. Chinese motherboards are not structurally capable of controlling case fans, and some non-standard firmware even deprives users of the ability to control the CPU fan. I happen to have ESP8266 microcontrollers, which I bought for building a smart home. So I decided to try and build a universal device for controlling case fans and the ability to control it from standard PWM lines.
How to install ARGB fans and do not make a mistake?
Disclosure! I do not know the word from the word completely (well, almost) everything that is presented in the question. is purely my guess. I need your advice on this.
The goal was to add 6 120 fans into a rather stuffy case which only has one fan. blow. The 120s in the store were chosen with 4-pin and 3-pin argb backlighting.
In the same store I looked at splitters for power and address lighting, well studied the reviews in which I found the “low quality” for such a price, which was expressed in the fact that the printed circuit boards or conventional wire splitters had no dop. power supply and t.п., on the same printed circuit board was just a track (no other electronic elements), which does not inspire confidence in me personally, and the price for one such thing from ~699rubles in my city.
So I decided to buy the splitters from the most popular chinese website where each splitter I needed was up to 100.
Everything was bought and delivered, and then I started having questions.
Questions: 1. The splitter of fan connection from 1×4-pin to 3×4-pin came as follows
Am I right to understand that it should be, the speed will be monitored from one fan and regulated on all 3? Or the Chinese cheated me and can open a dispute and try to return at least 50%? Well and t.к. going to take fans without voltage regulation for me it is not critical as I understand it, but I just want to know.
Powering the fans directly, can the motherboard’s 4-pin connector “pull” three fans?? In the specs it says starting voltage. 7v, maximum voltage. 12V, 610mA max current.
My inattention for the ARGB backlight was ordered instead of 3-pin connectors (as in the introduction to the question) 4-pin. Here I thought that everything is already and need to order new ones so as not to mix up the pins t.к. In this case the “foolproof” does not work, but then I found this picture:
Then in theory I can connect everything as drawn in the diagram below and everything will work and I do not “burn? (not a master of explaining in words, so I drew)
Connector with an arrow I connect to the MT arrow to the caption 5v
Testing
Configuration of the test bench
- Motherboard: Asus Z490 TUF Gaming PLUS Wi-Fi;
- Processor: Intel Core i7. 10700F;
- RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 2×8 Gb;
- Graphics card: INNO3D GEFORCE RTX 3070 TI X3 OC;
- Power supply: Zalman GLX 600W;
- Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2;
- Operating system: Windows 10 Pro.
Test fans were installed on the front panel of the Fractal Design Meshify 2 case. In addition, the case has one 140 mm Fractal Design fan on the back and top panels, which were fixed in all tests at 900 rpm. This is also the speed of the Deepcool AS500 CPU cooler fan. Coolant speed of my graphics card was constant at 2500 rpm.
Noise Level
The fans of both tested sets were PWM controlled and ranged from 650rpm to 1800rpm as specified by the manufacturer.
- Totally silent mode, when the noise from the fans did not exceed the background level of ~32dB;
- Comfort level, when the fans were audible, but the noise was tolerable and did not exceed 40dB;
- Maximum fan speed.
Measurements were taken while operating 3 fans. Noise level in room was below 32 dB. The temperature was ~26 degrees.
No miracle happened. Despite of all possible OEM optimizations, the fan with bigger blade diameter also makes more noise. During MasterFan MF120 Halo tests no extraneous noise was detected, but SickleFlow 120 ARGB on the contrary was distinguished by a rumble, the volume of which increased significantly with the speed, which also added a couple of dB to the final result.
Temperatures
To compare fans efficiency we used both video card and processor combined load by MSI Kombustor and AIDA 64 Extreme with fpu test lasting for 10 minutes. CPU and graphics card total heat dissipation was ~400 Watts.
Also we took temperature measurements with only two fans installed.
According to test results, the Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 ARGB kit proved to be somewhat more efficient than its counterpart, both in silent mode and at maximum speed.
Cooler Master managed to make two worthy solutions that are sure to find their buyer. The latter, in its turn, will have to choose between beauty and efficiency. The future owner will be pleased with the rich delivery set and well-thought-out connection system. However, I do not understand the position of the manufacturer, which did not put in the kit extension cord to connect the ARGB light. Also the economy of the SickleFlow 120 ARGB cable length is questionable.
All listed above does not allow Cooler Master solutions to stand out against competitors in similar price segment. If you have to choose between the two kits presented in the review it is worth considering that MasterFan MF120 Halo costs ~500 more on average. Whether the appearance is worth the extra cost is up to the end user to decide.
illuminated fans and Project7-Software1 proprietary software
The backlight is controlled by the proprietary software Project7-Software1, which can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s official website. The program supports up to eight simultaneously connected controllers.
WithProject7-Software1 you can change the color of the backlight by choosing any of the 16.8 million. colors, adjust brightness and fade rate. As modes “breathing”, “pulsation” and “constant glow” are available to the user. Also a fan speed monitoring panel is built into the interface.
The Aerocool P7-F12 is backlit by six LEDs on the rotor of the fans. So the light goes from the center to the edges to illuminate the translucent fan blades. Examples of illumination of the three Aegosol P7-F12 fans mounted on the liquid cooling system are shown in the photo below.
Test Bench Configuration
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X 12-core 3.5GHz (TB-3.7GHz)
Crucial Ballistix Sport LT DDR4-2400 4GB
To evaluate cooling efficiency of Aerocool P7-F12 Pro fan set we used test system based on AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X processor with Enermax LiqTech TR4 360. The original fans were tested for efficiency and then removed to be replaced by Aegorcol P7-F12 fans. The fans themselves were not connected to the P7-H1 controller for the duration of testing, but directly to the motherboard to be able to regulate the speed.
The configuration of the test bench
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X 12-core 3.5GHz
Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro DDR4-3600 32GB (8Gb4)
To test the efficiency of the Enermax T-fan set.B. RGB, we mounted them on theEnermax LiqTech TR4 360 liquid cooling system for AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X CPU. The Enermax proprietary controller was used as a fan speed controller. However, the Enermax T.B. RGB leaves the user with no options in this matter, since the fans use their own 6-pin connector, which is only compatible with the Enermax proprietary controller.
The Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Gaming graphics card was moved to the lowest PCI-E x16 slot to get a better perspective.
Fan Performance Evaluation
To test Enermax T fans.B. RGB we used AMD TR4 platform with Ryzen Threadripper 1920X processor running at 3500 MHz at voltage 1.175 В. Enermax T.B. The RGBs were mounted on the Enermax LiqTech TR4 360 cooling system heatsink, which allowed us to compare them with the native swirlers from the JLW. EnermaxT.B.Pressure. In the case of the Enermax T fan set.B. RGB fans and the features of their connectors, the user is only able to control their speed using the remote control. So we tested the fans at minimum and maximum speeds, which for the Enermax T.B. RGB is 500 and 1500 rpm respectively. The results obtained were compared with the performance of EnermaxT rotary screws native to LiqTech TR4 360.B.Pressure.
Together with the Enermax T.B. LiqTech TR4 360 RGB liquid cooling system demonstrates high cooling efficiency. The plus side of this replacement of native fans with Enermax T.B. RGB for the user in that they get an RGB-backlit WJO. Enermax T fans noise level.B. RGB fans set can be characterized as quiet, at 500 rpm these fans are not heard at all, and at 1500 rpm they are barely noticeable against the general background of the running system.
Review of the Corsair LL120 RGB 120mm Fan Kit with multi-zone RGB backlighting and control controller
The heavy cardboard box has a bright, eye-catching design.
On the sides of the box the fans are shown, the main features are listed, and also the technical specifications of the product and the composition of the kit. The text is mostly in English, but some information is duplicated in several other languages, including Russian.
Fan impeller is made of white translucent plastic with mat surface. Ring light diffuser made of the same material. Under it and under the central hub of the impeller there are addressable, that is independently controlled RGB-LEDs. The manufacturer indicates that there are a total of 16.
Vibration-isolating pads made of medium-hard rubber are glued on the fan frame. In the uncompressed condition the pads stick out approximately on 2 mm relatively to the frame dimensions. According to the designers’ concept, this should provide the vibration isolation of the fan from the fixing points. However, if to think about the ratio of the fan mass to the stiffness of pads, it becomes clear that the resonance frequency of the construction turns out very high, that is, there can be practically no effective vibration decoupling. Besides, the sockets where the fixing screws are screwed in are part of the frame of the fan, so the vibration of the fan will be transmitted through the screws to the part the fan is fixed to, without any disturbance. As a result such a design of eyelets can be considered only as a design element of the fan.
We didn’t disassemble the fan, because we trusted the manufacturer, that there is a hydraulic bearing in it. From the fan, the controller and the splitter go mostly simple flat cables, which is very convenient for work.
The kit includes the three fans described above, as well as four self-tapping screws for each fan, the controller (Lighting Node Pro) and the splitter (RGB Lighting hub). There are also two pads with sticky surfaces for fixing the controller inside the case. The entire lower plane of the splitter is already covered with a similar pad. The manual is a miniature brochure, which has a Russian version of the text.
Two cables with four-pin connectors come off each fan. One cable connects the fans to the standard 4-pin connectors on the motherboard or a third-party controller. The second cable connects them to the splitter, which is responsible for the functioning of the backlight.
Connect the fans to the splitter must be connected in series, starting from the first connector and without any gaps. Then the illumination will work on all fans, and animation effects will move from one fan to the next according to the number on the splitter connectors. As you can see there are a total of six fan connectors on the splitter, which means you can connect three more fans to it, which can be bought separately (120 mm or 140 mm). A separate cable connects the splitter to one of the two jacks on the controller.
Non-detachable power cables with SATA connectors come from the controller and splitter. In addition a cable with connector to the USB 2 socket.0 and a Mini-USB connector connects the controller and motherboard. Note that the controller actually takes up two USB ports, and this kit would take up two SATA power connectors, which is not very rational.
The illumination of the fans is controlled by Corsair’s proprietary Link software, which runs on Windows. This program must be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website. The program is multifunctional, and the LL series fan control is only one of its functions, but we won’t consider the others. After installing and running the program (for the one just downloaded from the manufacturer’s website an update was found) you need to find the panel signed as Lighting Node Pro, and run the configuration of the active channel.
The type of connected device is not detected automatically, as well as their number and sequence, so the user must select the right one for each link in the chain of serial connection, in this case three in a row RGB LL Fan.
Then the required effect is selected for each fan and its parameters are set, or a group effect combining all fans in the chain is selected. For group effects, parameters are for the entire group at once. It is noteworthy that the animation on this tab corresponds to the future reality, and after pressing Apply and the current.
Group effects, especially with a connected and logical arrangement of devices look very impressive. The video below sequentially selects several individual and group effects (the colors are actually much richer).
Measurement data
| 120×120×25 |
| 164 (with cable) |
| 60 |
| 60 |
| 0,089 |
| 2,9 |
| 2,8 |
| 33 |
| 42 |
| 48 |
| 30 |
Dependence of rotation speed on PWM fill factor
A good result is a smooth increase of rotation speed with a variation of the coefficient of performance from 30% to 100%. Note that at 0% short circuit the fan does not stop, so in a hybrid cooling system with passive mode at minimum load such fans will have to be stopped by reducing the supply voltage.
Dependence of rotation speed on supply voltage
The character of dependence is typical: smooth and slightly non-linear decrease of rotation speed from 12 V to stop voltage.
Volumetric capacity as a function of rotation speed
Recall, that in this test we create aerodynamic resistance, so the obtained values differ to a lesser degree from the maximum performance in the fan specifications, since the latter is given for zero static pressure (no aerodynamic resistance).
Noise level from rotational speed
Note that below about 18 dBA the background noise of the room and the noise of the sound meter’s measuring path is already much higher than the noise from the fan.
Noise level from volumetric performance
Note that noise level measurements were performed without aerodynamic load, but rotational speed of fan was only slightly higher during noise measurement with the same input parameters (supply voltage or PWM fill factor). Apparently, when controlled by PWM, it works to keep rotation speed relatively constant. Let’s compare this fan with Corsair SP120 LED Red, which is similar in performance and the same size. For comparison, we propose a simple characteristic, simply dividing the performance by the noise level, corresponding to the operation of the fan at maximum speed. The higher the value obtained, the more efficient the fan works. After rounding up we get 0.79 m³/(h-dBA) for Corsair LL120 RGB, and 1.04 m³/(h-dBA) for Corsair SP120 LED Red. With comparable performance and maximum speed the second fan is noticeably quieter, which explains the difference in these ratios.
Maximum static pressure
The maximum static pressure was determined at zero air flow, i.e. the amount of vacuum created by a fan working to exhaust from a sealed chamber (basin) was determined. A Sensirion SDP610-25Pa differential pressure sensor was used. Maximum static pressure equals 17.9 Pa or 1.83 mm of water column.
Aerocool P7-F12 Pro fan kit review with RGB illumination and controller
The box made of cardboard is strict and not brightly colored.
On the sides of the box are shown fans and controller, the scheme of connection of the fan to the controller, lists the main features of the set, as well as technical specifications of the product.
Fan impeller made of white translucent plastic. Impeller blades have a specific shape. The manufacturer writes: “The ribs on the fan blades change the direction of the air, increasing its pressure and providing the most effective cooling of the system. Besides they reduce air resistance and noise level at fan operation”.
In the corners of the fan frame in the eyelets are glued vibration-insulating pads of medium-rigidity rubber. In the uncompressed state the blades protrude about 0,4 mm relatively to the frame dimensions. According to the designers’ concept, this should provide vibration isolation of the fan from the fixing point. However, if we estimate the ratio of the fan mass to the hardness of pads, it becomes clear that the resonance frequency of the construction turns out to be very high, that is practically no effective vibration isolation is possible. In addition, the sockets where the fixing screws are screwed, are part of the fan frame, so the vibration of the fan through the screws will not interfere with what is attached to the fan. As a result, such a construction of eyelets may be considered only as an element of fan design. The marking on the fan allows us to ascertain that the AV12025 model is used.
We didn’t disassemble the fan (it can’t be done without spoiling it), so we believe the manufacturer that it has a hydraulic bearing. The manufacturer’s web-site says that the impeller is removable (it “facilitates cleaning the fan from accumulated dust”), but applying a reasonable amount of effort, we were unable to remove it.
Simple flat cables go from the fan and the controller, which is very convenient in work.
The P7-F12 Pro kit includes three of the described fans, four self-tapping screws for each fan, and a controller. There is also a sticky pad with adhesive surfaces (apparently for fixing the controller inside the case), four plastic cable ties and a short manual (mostly in pictures and English, but there are also a couple of lines in Russian).
Manual as PDF file can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website.
The bottom surface of the case of the controller is mostly flat.
There are three inseparable cables coming off one end of the controller.
Connected to the 12V power supply is a cable with a peripheral power connector (“Molex”). Connecting these pins when both parts are on the cable is not always easy, I would rather have a SATA power connector.
Cable with connector to the USB 2 socket.0 connects the controller and the motherboard. Another connector goes to the fan connector on the motherboard. As you can see there are only three pins involved. general, power (12V) and the PWM signal. To address the controller in the system, its number is set with switches on the side of the controller.
Up to 8 controllers can operate simultaneously in the system and 5 fans can be connected to each, giving a total of up to 40 controllable fans. However, given that each controller actually occupies two USB ports, it is almost impossible to connect all 8 controllers to one board. The fans connect to the standard 4-pin connectors on the controller, allowing you to use almost any fan for cases and PC cooling systems.
The two connectors on the next plane of the controller are designed to connect devices with typical RGB lighting, requiring 4 pins. plus power and one control for each color.
It can be other devices of Aerocool Project7 family that does not include controller (for example, the same P7-F12 fans individually or power supplies) as well as devices with RGB illumination of other manufacturers. RGB-cable from the complete fan is equipped with a splitter, which allows you to connect devices with lights in series, thus overcoming the limitation of only two connectors on the controller. If the plug to the next device is not engaged, it is covered with a protective cap.
The power connector for the fan is a three-pin connector, so the fan does not support PWM regulation. The manufacturer specifies that the maximum power of the fans connected to a single controller should not exceed 18W, and the maximum power of the connected LED lighting. 24W.
The fans are controlled by proprietary software running on Windows 7 and higher. This program must be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website. At the top of the program window there are the tabs of controller selection, on the left side. backlight mode selection, maximum brightness and transition speed, on the right. color selection, button of settings transfer to the controller and color cycling mode switch. Bottom left. fan selection, for which the current speed is shown.
Four backlight modes: off, always on, pulse, and breathing.
Measured data
| 120×120×25,6 |
| 139 (with cable) |
| 42 |
| 44,85,7 |
| 0,16 |
| 4,8 |
| 3,2 |
| 82 (with cables) |
| 50 |
| 49,6 |
| 50 |
Dependence of rotation speed on supply voltage
The character of the dependence is typical: a smooth and slightly non-linear reduction of the rotational speed from 12V to the stop voltage. When the PWM signal with a short circuit of 100% is applied to the controller, the rotation speed of the fan connected to the controller is just over 1200 rpm, at 50%. 800 rpm, at 0%. 700 rpm.
Volumetric capacity from rotational speed
Recall that in this test we create some aerodynamic resistance, so the obtained values differ less from the maximum performance in the characteristics of the fan, because the latter is given for zero static pressure (no aerodynamic resistance).
Noise level from rotational speed
Note that below about 18 dBA the background noise of the room and the noise of the noise meter measuring path is already much higher than the noise from the fan.
Noise level from volumetric capacity
Note that the noise level measurements were performed without aerodynamic load, so the fan speed was higher during the noise measurement at the same input parameters (supply voltage or PWM fill factor), as opposed to performance measurement. In order to bring the data into line with each other, we have conducted a non-linear interpolation of the noise level to those rotational speeds, which were measured during the performance measurement.
Maximum static pressure
The maximum static pressure was determined under zero airflow, i.e. the value of negative pressure created by a fan operating in the exhaust from a hermetic chamber (basin). Sensirion differential pressure sensor SDP610-25Pa was used. The maximum static pressure is 11.1 Pa or 1.13 mm water column.
A review of the Deepcool RF 120. 3 in 1 RGB illuminated fan kit
The heavy cardboard box has a moderately bright design.
On the box edges the fan is depicted, the composition of the kit is clearly shown (but not all) lists the main features, as well as technical specifications of the product. Text in English only.
Fan impeller made of white translucent plastic. Impeller blades have special geometry.
Vibration-isolating pads of medium-hard rubber are glued into the lugs in the corners of the fan frame. In the uncompressed position the lugs project about 0.7 mm relatively to the frame dimensions.
How to Connect RGB Fan without RGB Header On Motherboard. Cooler Master RGB Controller
According to the designers’ concept, it should provide vibration isolation of the fan from the fixing point. However if to estimate the fan mass to padding stiffness ratio it becomes clear that the resonance frequency of the construction turns out very high, that is practically there can be no effective vibration isolation. Besides, the sockets where the fixing self-tapping screws are screwed in are a part of the fan frame, that is why the vibration from the fan will be transmitted to the thing the fan is fixed to, without any noise. As a result, this eyelet design can be seen as a design element of the fan. The marking on the fan allows identifying that the model DF1202512CL-076 is used.
We did not disassemble the fan (it is impossible to do it without damaging the fan), we believed the manufacturer that it has a hydraulic bearing (Hydro Bearing). The fan cables are encased in a braided, slip-resistant plastic sheath. The fan supports PWM regulation.
The cable from the power strip is also encased, but non-slip, the other cables are just flat, which is very handy to work with. This kit includes the three fans described, four self-tapping screws for each fan, a backlight controller, a splitter for the backlight, a fan power splitter, a cable to connect the backlight to the standard RGB connector on the motherboard, and a plastic tie and pad with a sticky layer on both sides to attach the power splitter in the desired location. There is also a quick guide (mostly in pictures and English).
PDF manual can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website.
Controller controls backlight operation only. The power cable of the controller is connected to the SATA power connector, which is much more convenient than the peripheral connector (“Molex”).
Button “S” of the controller switches the speed of change in the dynamic modes, the middle button. on / off (long press) and adjust the brightness in static modes (short press), the button “M”. switching modes. Up to three devices can be connected directly to the controller and the splitter allows three more. If on the motherboard or on other controller there is a standard four-pin connector for RGB-lighting connection, then you can not use the controller from the kit and connect the backlight of all three fans by means of the included cable, though it has no loop-through connector, and therefore it will be the last in the chain of devices with RGB-lighting. To save on motherboard fan slots, the included fans can be connected via the included power splitter.
Splitter housing can be attached with either plastic cable ties or adhesive pad if needed.
Backlighting modes three: static backlight in one color (red, green, blue, orange, purple, blue or white), incremental rising then falling brightness cyclically in one of the same colors, and incremental rising then falling brightness cyclically with color shifting. The backlighting modes are shown in the video below:
How the fan looks like in the case is shown in the video below (Deepcool Gammaxx GT cooler with a similar fan in the foreground):
And pictures of the same case, but you can already see all three fans from this set:
Measurement data
| 120×120×25 |
| 147 (with cable, 1 pc.) |
| 29 |
| 40 |
| 5,0 |
| 4,1 |
| 5 (3×)10 |
| 40 |
| 42 |
| 19,5 10 10 10 |
| 28 (3×)10 |
Dependence of rotation speed on PWM fill factor
A good result is a smooth increase in rotation speed when you change the fill factor from 20% to 100%. Note that the fan does not stop at 0% short circuit, so in a hybrid cooling system with passive mode at minimum load such fans will have to be stopped by reducing the supply voltage.
Dependence of rotation speed on supply voltage
The character of the dependence is typical: a smooth and slightly non-linear decrease of the rotation speed from 12 V to the stop voltage. Note that the adjustment range is narrower than when using only PWM.
Volumetric performance from the rotation speed
Recall that in this test, we create some aerodynamic resistance, so the values obtained are lower than the maximum performance in the characteristics of the fan, because the latter is given for zero static pressure (no aerodynamic resistance).
Noise level from rotational speed
Note that below about 18 dBA, the background noise of the room and the noise from the noise meter measuring path is already much higher than the fan noise.
Cheap hack to convert 6 pin rgb controller to 3 pin 5v
Noise level from volumetric capacity
Let’s notice, that noise level measurements were made without aerodynamic load unlike capacity determination, but rotational speed of the fan was only slightly higher during noise measurement at the same input parameters (supply voltage or PWM filling factor). Apparently, when controlling by means of PWM, some maintenance of rotation speed at relatively constant level works.
Maximum static pressure
The maximum static pressure was determined at the zero air flow, i.e. the value of rarefaction, which was created by the fan, working for exhaust from the hermetic chamber (basin) was determined. Used Sensirion differential pressure sensor SDP610-25Pa. The maximum static pressure is 23.0 Pa or 2.34 mm water column.
