H115i Platinum No Pump LED / Bad Sensor Indicators

Just installed my new H115i Platinum. Immediately noticed no pump LEDs on bootup. Updated iCue and pump firmware to 1.01.15 and still no dice on pump LEDs.

 

Also noticing that pump and fan RPMs are way off. Example: indicating 450 fan RPM while running a bench test. I assume it's a problem with the USB interface. Attempted multiple ports including an external.

 

Motherboard is a Asus Rampage V Extreme.

Please advise.

Edited June 2, 2019 by Flyprdu

It might still run 450 if the coolant was in the low 20s at the start of the test and the fans were in Quiet mode. Also beware of running multiple monitoring programs, especially grabby things like AI Suite. Garbage fan and temp readings are a common result.

 

Not sure on the pump LED. Maybe a screen shot of the lighting configuration for the pump would help. Beyond that, the lighting should not be affected by other sources so that is a concern.

I'm pretty sure the controller is borked on this AIO. iCue shows the lights are operating but the pump is dark.

 

 

The fans will surge from 400 to 2000 RPMs inconsistently. There's no fan curve to adjust. The fluid temp will fluxuate between 19 and 29C, even during high-intensity benchmarking. That's colder than ambient.

 

I've already ordered a replacement. I'm hopeful that the next one isn't as bug-ridden.

Edited June 4, 2019 by Flyprdu

To adjust the fan curve, you'd need to create a new one. Untick "All Devices" and you'll be able to add a custom fan curve.

What additional monitoring apps are you running? Would HWInfo be one?

Thanks for the instructions on the custom fan curve. The fans and pump speed seem to respond accurately to a manually set RPM. Regarding other monitoring apps, I use CPUID HWMonitor. But the temps read off whether or not HWMonitor is running. The H115i is currently reading 22.40 degrees C.

 

 

 

 

That said, the temperature gauge is completely broken and the pump lighting hasn't worked since I installed it.

 

 

 

 

I guess it's irrelevant now since a replacement is coming. But it's good for others to know that this is a potential failure point for this model.

Edited June 5, 2019 by Flyprdu

Yeah DO NOT update the firmware on the new cooler you're getting. I just got my RMA for similar issues with the CPU block rgb kicking the bucket and not showing up in iCue post firmware update. My new cooler is running fine thus far and I have NOT updated the firmware on it because that is likely the issue here.

So the replacement came today. Took my time uninstalling and packing up the original. Then assembled and gingerly installed the brand new H115i RGB Platinum into my case. Wires neatly folded and zip-tied. My 750D case cleaned, closed, and looking like new. Power on.

 

and LO AND BEHOLD!!

 

 

The exact same problem. No pump RGB LEDs are working. And the temp sensor is wacky. This happening once can be chalked up to defective hardware. Two means it's systemic. So what's causing it? My thoughts:

 

1. There's a batch of defective H115s that are sitting in the warehouse at Amazon right now.
   
2. There's an incompatibility with the ASUS Rampage V Extreme series motherboards.
   
3. There's a software or firmware bug that is causing these issues in some H115s.
   

 

I upgraded to 1.01.15 firmware on both, and neither show signs of being bricked. These failures are strictly contained to the Pump LED lights and the pump temperature sensor. Everything else appears to be operating normally. But for this to happen on 2 different coolers, then there's a larger problem going on.

 

Please advise.

Turns out the answer is none of the above.

 

After tearing apart the power wiring in the back, it looks like I was drawing my power from an ADAPTED MOLEX to SATA extension. Apparently this is not enough power to drive the pump and the lights.

 

Rewired to SATA and now everything is working perfectly. RGB lights on the pump are damn near blinding and the temp sensor seems to be working now as well.

 

If you are having symptoms like mine, you need to check what your power source is for the pump.

Turns out the answer is none of the above.

 

After tearing apart the power wiring in the back, it looks like I was drawing my power from an ADAPTED MOLEX to SATA extension. Apparently this is not enough power to drive the pump and the lights.

 

Rewired to SATA and now everything is working perfectly. RGB lights on the pump are damn near blinding and the temp sensor seems to be working now as well.

 

If you are having symptoms like mine, you need to check what your power source is for the pump.

 

That issue will also effect power to commander pro's. I was using a molex to sata splitter and only receiving 1v on the 3v MCU. Switched to sata to sata splitter and lo and behold, proper voltage and all running as expected.

BTW, @Flyprdu - the fan curve that you have posted there is based on the H115i temperature but looks to be designed for CPU temperature. Expect your cooler temp to max out around 40C - so your curve will be narrower.

And yes, the correct control source is the pump temperature.

BTW, @Flyprdu - the fan curve that you have posted there is based on the H115i temperature but looks to be designed for CPU temperature. Expect your cooler temp to max out around 40C - so your curve will be narrower.

And yes, the correct control source is the pump temperature.

 

Yeah I caught that. Initially, I put the curve to read the package sensor. I'm curious why fluid temp would be the "correct" way to manage your fan profiles. I understand that it would help the fans stay on longer to bring the rad back to normal, but wouldn't the fans lag behind the load significantly?

If only there was a way to have the fans spike with the load, and then stay on with the fluid temps.

 

 

Here's what I have so far. Thanks for your input!

 

 

Neither air or water cooling really work like that. There are two stages to the cooling. The first is conductive. Socket pins supply voltage, cpu and physical material around it heat up as a result, heat is then conducted somewhere else through the metal to metal contact from the cold plate. Fan speed has zero effect on the rate of conductivity. This rate is locked and based on the cpu’s design and the properties of the metal.

 

The second stage is what happens to heat after it goes through the cold plate. In a water system, that’s the coolant stream which then transports it to the radiator for dissipation. This rate is affected by fan and pump speeds and the measure of how much heat there is to get rid of is measured with coolant temperature change. The big plus to water cooling is it has a much higher heat capacity than air. You can put more watts in without as large a penalty. A+1C rise in coolant results in +1C to the cpu. Air cooling does work the same way, but without the ability to hold as much heat in the system, you have to keep the fans more reactive. When you initiate a full 100% load, the next temp you see on cpu package will be the same whether you are at 400 or 4000 rpm. You cannot reduce this value without reducing Vcore. However, if you leave the test going you’ll see that CPU temp shift up +1C every 30 seconds or so. That is the coolant temp rise and added heat effect. Heat goes across the cold plate both ways, so coolant temp is effectively minimum possible cpu temp (with zero voltage).

 

If you like the sound of your fans at 2000 rpm, then just set them at a fixed speed and be done. Maximum possible heat dissipation ready to go. However, most people can’t stand that and you don’t have to. Coolant deltas are usually single digit, so the +- on end cpu temp is small too. Each fan has unique characteristics, but typically 140mm models will have enough airflow at 750 rpm to keep air moving when at load. Beyond that is small steps, like +200rpm reduces coolant by 1C. The higher you go in speed, the lower the return in coolant temp reduction — at least on standard thickness radiators. You’ll probably want to do your own noise vs temp valuation. For me MLs are rather soft, right up to around 1100 rpm. That’s usually where I stop them. I can live with myself and the extra 2C.