RGB Fans w/No RGB Mobo Question

Okay so I bought the Corsair LL Series LL120 RGB 120mm and LED hub, not even realizing my motherboard didn't have an RGB header. That's fine, figured I would upgrade my motherboard or just build a new PC in the next year or two. It's about that time.

 

But after a few days the fan just started lighting up by itself and very slowly changing colors (maybe once a day). On the initial boot it wasn't lit. It's not the entire fan. It's like exactly half of it now that I'm looking at it.

 

What's happening here and is it possible to light up the entire fan and/or control the color? icue does not recognize anything.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/poorpc/saved/Zx3nTW

 

That's more or less my build. tl;dr ASRock H97 mobo, Windows 10, Corsair LL120 RGB.

 

Thank you.

You don’t want or need a “RGB motherboard” to make the RGB fans work. They have their own control system, but you need the hardware. See here: http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=173880

 

I am a little concerned you fan is lighting up. That should not be possible without connecting the separate lighting wire into the appropriate Corsair device which is then connected to the psu via SATA.

That's what I have done. The fan connected into the Corsair RGB Fan LED Hub, which is connected to the psu via sata.

 

But I thought there needed to be an rgb header on my motherboard for it to work properly? Right now it's connected to a 3 pin fan connector. On this layout (page 6)

 

http://asrock.pc.cdn.bitgravity.com/Manual/Fatal1ty%20H97%20Performance.pdf

 

from the fan it's connected to #3. And the to rgb hub wire is connected to the rgb hub. With the rgb hub connected to the psu.

 

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Also changed around the cpu cooler with the fan since I for some reason put it like that. 4th pin is the controller, right? Anyway, now the light is completely off, so yeah. Although that's how it started last time and then it randomly turned halfway on.

 

I was looking at older threads and it doesn't show on USBDeview, nor under my Universal Serial Bus controllers in Device Manager. The fan works. Just not the lighting.

You need a software interface/lighting controller. That is the Lighting Node Pro or Commander Pro (LNP with fan control). The little matchbox 6 slot RGB Lighting Hub is just a power conduit for the lighting current. You still need to be able to talk to it from the software. You can't see it in USB section because it is not connected to the board via that route. RGB Lighting Hub plugs into LNP, that plugs into internal MB USB 2.0. I don't know what it does absent a control signal, but erratic sounds about right.

 

A few motherboards (MSI) have a J_Corsair header that offers some control, but nothing like having the real controller. I guess with 1 fan it wouldn't make much difference, but you don't go out an buy a new motherboard for this.

 

The LL series is a PWM fan. The fatter 4 pin connector coming off the fan is your fan motor speed control. This is separate from the lighting current on the small flat connector. Lighting current is pretty big on the LL fans. They had to split them so you could use in a on 1.0A fan header.

I'm an idiot. I realize where I screwed up and now I have everything working as intended. I wouldn't have come to that realization without you guys so thanks!