Exasperated. Bit of help please with my QL/H100i setup.

[jtuds]

Hi everyone,

 

I currently have a H100i with 2 LL fans and I have 4 QL fans.

 

I plan to top mount the cooler, put 3 QLs at the front, and put 1 QL at the rear.

 

I would like to be able to use lighting effects that go to each fan sequentially, starting at the bottom front, across the top, and to the back. I have been told that using different Corsair fan models in the same build can cause problems, so here are my questions (if you don't want to answer the questions and already know what I need to do, that's cool too):

 

1. If I get a lighting node core, can I plug QL fans into ports 1, 2, and 3 then put LL fans in ports 4 and 5, and have another QL fan in port 6 and have it all work together?

 

2. If I plug the LL fans on the H100i into a node core, how will the RGB on the pump be controlled?

 

3. If I get a commander pro and 2 RGB LED hubs or node cores, could I plug all 4 QLs into one hub/core, 2 LLs into the other hub/core, and connect them to the 2 lighting channels on the commander pro and still get the fans to light up from bottom front, to top, to back?

 

4. Would I be better off to just buy 2 more QLs and put them on the H100i instead of the LLs, then use a node core for all 6 QLs?

 

Oh by the way...in Canada you can't buy a standalone node core or RGB LED Hub....you can only get them in 120mm 3 packs or 140mm 2 packs...

 

Thanks all...I think that's all the questions.

[kndll]

The easiest option is #4 , that's the set up i have , QLs and LLs have to be on separate controllers to work

[c-attack]

1) Sort of. All fans will light up and you will be able to control every LED, but it will not be the perfect one-click and done kind of management. The lighting programing uses a base LED count (or fan unit) to make these sequential fan effects work. The LL fans are 16 LEDs. The QL are 34, but effectively act like a double sided LL. If you were to set this up as QL-QL-QL-LL-LL-QL, you would need to tell CUE you have "QL Fans x 5". This would make the 2 LL fans either side of QL #4. No problem for static or non-fan to fan effects, but it means sequential presets like arc, visor, gate, etc. will display on both top LL fans at the same time. There isn't a way around this. I assume you have a H100i Platinum, so the other option is to leave the two LL on the pump controller and QL only front/back. Each would act like a separate lighting group.

 

2) The pump will still show as a separate device in CUE for fan speed control, pump lighting control, coolant temp, and everything else it does now. There just won't be fans LEDs.

 

3)The Commander Pro will give you fan speed control for the case fans, but it won't change the sequential lighting situation. It's still one fan type per channel. You cannot hop between channels in the sequence. The Lighting Node Core connects via USB. Connecting them to the Commander is just another way to get to the MB/software side. It does not make the device part of the Commander's control scheme.

 

4) If you really want simple to apply sequential effects that are the same on every fan, then replacing the two LL with QL120s is the best solution. They would go on the Lighting Node Core with the other QLs. All 6 would be one group and act as unit. BTW, you can break up fans with in a group into their own separate groups. You just can't take random fans from various controllers and splice them into a new lighting control group.

 

5) No, lighting node cores are not generally sold separately. There might be some stock at Corsair. Do you not have one from the 4 QL? It does not have to be a Lighting Node Core and there are ways to use other RGB controllers. However, I am not certain any of them would be less expensive than buying a triple pack and saving the extra fan.

Edited December 30, 2020 by c-attack

[jtuds]

C-attack thanks so much this is the help I needed!

 

Unfortunately due to supply issues I had to buy all the QLs separately so I didn’t get a node core with them. However I bought a 2 pack of QL140s and will get a node core with them.

 

I think I’ll probably just go all QL and see if I can sell the LLs or something.

 

I’m starting to wish I’d just bought a Corsair case!

[c-attack]

You will have a Lighting Node Core (LNC) with the dual pack of QL140. One is all you need. All the fans types can run from either "Core" devices or the original "Pro" devices that are two parts (controller/software interface + RGB Lighting hub for power). That's the Commander Pro and Lighting Node Pro. Those two devices have 2 RGB channels each and can be used for other things besides fans (strips, Hydro X blocks, etc). Core devices are just for fans. The "Pro" setups are good for people that have prior Corsair RGB gear. If you just want the fans, the Core devices take up the least amount of space. You will need a USB connector and SATA plug for it. It's controller and lighting power in one box.

 

Don't beat yourself up over the case. There are no Corsair cases that come with QL and one way or another, you wind up trying to mix various components together to get what you want.

[jtuds]

:D: :D: I think going with all QL fans is going to be the best solution for what I am trying to do for sure

[jtuds]

This is so weird.....when individually setting LED colours in Icue, lights on different fans will light up....so for example if I am trying to make a specific LED on the outer ring of fan 2 blue, a LED on the inner ring of fan 3 will turn blue and nothing will happen on fan 2.

 

I was just trying to set all outer rings to blue and all inner rings to white and I ended up having some fans that looked correct, and others where the half the fan was white and half was blue, etc....its a dogs breakfast

 

I think I am going to just use the commander pro I have used yet and plug all the RGB into the node core, connect the PWM to the commander, then plug the node core USB into the commander and the commander USB into the motherboard and hope it all works.

 

So frustrating....

[c-attack]

What fan combination and set-up did you decide on?