How to wire up 9x QL120's and 3x non LEd Rad fans

[Ca1ibos]

Managed to get a prebuilt in only 3 weeks with the following base specs:

 

Ryzen 9 5900X

Asus X570 Strix Gaming F

4x8gb 3600mhz Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro

Asus Strix RTX3090

Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL

 

Separately I bought:

 

Corsair H150i Elite Cappellix AIO

Corsair Commander Pro

3x Triple Fan Multipacks of the QL120's

Lian Li Strimer Plus RGB 24pin Motherboard cable

Lian Li Strimer Plus RGB Triple 8pin GPU cable

LS100 Starter Pack (only intend to use 1x 250mm strip in this PC. The rest going into another build)

 

How do I get all this connected and controlled by the iCue Software?

 

Would I be right in thinking that straight off the bat, I don't need the Lighting nodes that come with the Triple Fan packs because I'll have all the LED headers I need on the Commander Pro and the Commander Core that comes with the H150i Cappellix AIO?

 

So I plan to do Push/Pull on the 360mm Cappellix Rad mounted as intake to the side location on the O11 Dynamic XL. 3x spare Corsair PWM Non LED Radiator fans mounted to the back side of the rad not visible inside the case and 3x QL120's. I presume the Commander Core that comes with the AIO can accommodate this. ie. the 6 PWM fan cables connected to the CoCo and the 3 LED cables from the 3 QL120's. All 6 fans speeds controllable by iCUE based off of water temp.

 

Then connect the other 6x QL120 Case fans PWM and LED cables to the Commander Pro.

 

Do I daisy chain the CoCo and CoPro USB headers together to one USB header on the motherboard?

 

While I think I have that right (though maybe not) the confusion really starts to set in when I think about the Lian Li Strimer PLus RGB power cables. While I have read that they can be controlled by iCUE, I am not sure how to connect them. Do they or can they connect to the CoCo or CoPro or do I use one of the lighting nodes that came with the fans. How and what do the lighting Nodes connect to?? Or do the Stimers still connect to their own RGB controller and that connects to the Lighting Nodes or do the Strimers connect to their own controller and their own controller connects to an RGB header on the motherboard and the iCUE controllability I heard about is via the motherboards RGB header. I think I read that Asus is one of the few companies with compatibility arrangements for its Mobo RGB system with Corsair.

 

The single LS100 250mm strip I am going to take out of its diffuser and place inside the Fan shroud at the bottom of my Strix RTX3090 that I am taking apart anyway to do the Thermal Pad replacement Mod. GPU will be Vertically mounted on a bracket so Fans facing forwards out the side of the case. Should do a much better job of lighting up the GPU Heatsink and fan blades than the Strix RGB strip along the top and controlled by iCUE as a bonus so perhaps even some nifty aRGB effects possible on the Strix 3090 fan blades.

 

Does anyone know if the O11 Dynamic XL's own RGB Strip requires its own USB header (possibly taking up one of the potentially valuable 2x USB 2.0 headers on this motherboard or does it use the mobo aRGB header?

 

In case you are wondering, the 3x ML120's that came with my Cappellix will be used in another build along with 1x250mm and 2x400mm LS100 RGB strips, a Corsair A500 Tower Air Cooler with 2 ML120's fitted. So 5x ML120's in total. Any use for my spare Lighting nodes over in that build or might I be best served if I actually moved the CoCo or CoPro from the main O11 Dynamic build to be the iCUE Fan/LED hub in the other build and buying some other PWM controller for the main O11 build to replace the CoCo or CoPro that you tell me to move to the other build?

 

That other build btw will be a 12 Bay Media Server. Its 4x 3Bay Corsair 900D Hotswap Caddies in a modified Corsair Air540 case. The Cooling setup is probably technically overkill but I have most if not all the gear, overkill means being able to run it at minimum RPM's and thus quiet and Aesthetics are a major consideration for me. So effectively it doesn't matter if the chosen fan control setup is running the case/HDD fans and CPU fans all at the same speed because they are on the same controller or something like that. They'll all be running minimum RPM's anyway.

 

A cool mod I'm doing is adding a 7" Touchscreen to the front of the Case. Normally this will Display a Sensor Panel showing CPU stats like Temp/Fan speeds, load, freq etc but most importantly, HDD SMART info for each drive showing capacity, free space, drive health, temp etc. I'd like to add a shortcut onscreen button to turn off iCUE controlled Fan/LS100 Case lighting when its sleepy time (all this PC gear is in my Bedroom) Has anyone done this with a software button and scripting that can toggle iCUE lighting on/off?

 

I hope I haven't overwhelmed any potential respondents with this TLDR post. (Take it a paragraph at a time?? ;): ;): )

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

[Zotty]

Welcome aboard buddy..

 

RGB Faq

 

https://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=173880

 

Elite AIO cooler Faq

 

https://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=200186

 

prob worth having a good read of those..

 

as for the strimers and the case rgb.. you will be needing adaptors, unfortunately this is a third party situation and not supported/warrantied by corsair....

[Ca1ibos]

OMG!!

 

I thought I was ready to go with this. Looks like I have a couple of days worth of reading and processing the info before I even start....potentially need to order a few more bits and pieces to to what I want......and potentially need to order a lot more bits and pieces after starting to read that amazing guide and watching the YT videos.

 

For example, I have 10m of cheap Amazon Chinese RGB LED strips on my desk, a 3m section of which seems to be failing. Was thinking of swapping that out for aRGB 10m strip but it started to get complicated when asking about controlling it from a PC or with music etc. Seems like if I went the Corsair aRGB strip route for the Desk lighting, while still complicated, it would integrate a lot better with the PC's and do not just what I want but more than I realised I wanted! LOL.

 

Quick Question for you Zotty about the Linking of 2 PC's RGB to iCUE on one PC via a USB cable and the Corsair RGB Strip Desk lighting. I see the RGB strips can be powered by an external 12v powersupply wall plug. Is it possible to have the Desk RGB strips controlled by iCUE on my main rig when its turned on and be able to utilise all those fancy iCUE aRGB effects especially Music control.....but when that main PC is turned off have the Desk strips still be powered up via the wall plug and defaulting to a preset colour?

 

See this setup is the main 5900x/RTX3090 Rig and a 24/7 Media Server on the same desk in the same room which ultimately be a Home-Cinema/VR/Motion Simrig/Gaming room. On the one hand using the 24/7 Media Server as the iCUE controller of the Desk lighting makes more sense if I can't have the Desk lighting still on and with a static colour even if the main rig was turned off, because the Media Server is on 24/7 and I could turn on and off the Media server and Desk lighting together whenever I wanted. However, then I'd have to shift music playing over to the Media server to get the Music aRGB effects and connect it to my 5.1 Receiver....while at the same time also wanting my main Gaming/VR rig connected to the 5.1 receiver too which means my old Receiver won't cut it anymore and I'd need a new one with multiple HDMI inputs.....arrrggghhh!!! My Brain is FRIED!!!!! :D::D:

 

[EDIT] Oh, actually this diagram might answer one of my questions? Am I correct that the RGB strips can default to a preset colour when iCUE is off? In other words, the Desk strips connected to the Lighting nodes and a Corsair PSU and Alexa Smartplug can be turned on/off independently of the Main rig and display a pre-set Static colour when the main rig is off but thanks to the USB connection back to the main rig, when that main rig is turned on, iCUE on the main rig can take over control of the Desk RGB strips and give me all the fancy aRGB effects??

 

Just how much $$$$ is that many Corsair Strips to do 10m+ worth of runs on my desk and maybe even more if I wanted to light up other parts of the room with strips. Is the image in the diagram just using a stock Corsair PSU image or would one really need an 850W PSU to power that many strips??

 

Current room setup for reference but due to get a whole lot fancier....and more complicated:

 

Edited May 2, 2021 by Ca1ibos

[c-attack]

Don't dump the Lighting Node Core devices from the QL packs just yet. You are going to need some RGB channels to power the strimmers and strips. There are two on a Commander and two on a Lighting Node Pro. All Core devices (Commander and Lighting Node Core) have zero. So while that makes them not useful for that task, you can still move fans back to the Core devices for RGB purposes to free up the C-Pro RGB channels. Commander Core 6 RGB port + 3 on one LNCore would cover those. Both Commanders cover the 12 PWM fan speed connections. 2 RGB channels on the C-Pro left over. Absent that, you would probably want some left over Lighting Node Pros to handle strips and the like. There are a lot of those out there floating around on ebay and other 3rd party markets from all the earlier ML/LL fan packs.

[Ca1ibos]

I’m prone to big TLDR posts when posting at night and can over complicate things. I’ll ask questions in more bite sized chunks now. I wont over complicate things again with the media server or desk aspect of the RGB till I have the main rig sorted as thats the machine I need to get up and running sooner rather than later.

 

Some of my confusion stemmed from the fact that I thought a CoPro was exactly the same as a CoCo except for the addition of more temp sensors and USB passthrough. Now I see that while it has 6 discrete PWM fan connections it has 2 RGB channel ports.

 

I believe I can forget about the strimer plus cables for a while until I source the Corsair RGB to aRGB adapter cables from ‘Piratedog’?? On ebay? ie I can still use them with their own controller but connected to the motherboards aRGB port and controlled by ASUS Aura?? I only need the adapters if I want iCUE to take over control of them. Is that correct? Similar situation with the Case aRGB bar. ie. For the time being, sync them colour-wise manually, strimers with Aura Mobo control and Case Strip with front panel button controls, and once I get correct adapter cables, then I can integrate them into iCUE. Presumably I could use the 3 spare RGB channels on the CoCo when the time comes and keep 2x Lighting nodes from my Triple Pack QL’s for the Media Server/Desk RGB plans?

 

So to get this up and running and with minimal re-wiring required when I add to the system in the future (have my velcro cable ties and cable labels ready and waiting), is this how I wire everything up:

 

3x QL120’s and 3x 4pin PWM Non LED radiator fans connected to the 6 CoCo fan ports with the 3x QL120 LED cables also connected to CoCo. H150i Elite Cappellix AIO cables connected to CoCo. CoCo USB connected to CoPro USB passthrough.

 

6x QL120 Fan cables connected directly to the 6 fan ports on the CoPro. 6x QL120 LED cables connected to a lighting Node and that Lighting Node connected to one of the RGB channel ports of the CoPro.

 

1x 250mm LS100 RGB strip that I’m using inside GPU connected to the second RGB channel of the CoPro.

 

Last item not really related but seeing as I have some cooling experts here...

 

I know its not a good idea to paint fan blades due to fan balance issues. However, upon seeing another AIB’s 3000 series GPU where the fan blades actually ‘draw’ an RGB LED ring which looked cool, an idea occurred to me. Could I use self adhesive little white circle stickers to the tip of each fan blade which would hopefully mean that each blade has the same tiny weight affixed at the exact same place on each blade keeping the whole blade still balanced. The RGB strips inside the card lighting up those little white stickers creating an RGB Ring when the blades are spinning.

 

Typical :roll::roll: This post ended up being as long as the others after all :D::D:

Edited May 3, 2021 by Ca1ibos

[Ca1ibos]

Having re-read C-Attacks post several times again until it actually sunk in, I realised he must have read my latest post and facepalmed and asked himself, "Did this Dumbass even read what I wrote??!!??" :o::o:

 

:D:

 

I think I understand nearly everything now. Only remaining question is this. The wiring plan you outline with the 12 fans PWM control split between the CoCo and CoPro (All AIO fans on the CoCo) and the 9 fans LED control split between the CoCo and a LiCo which leaves the two RGB channels on the CoPro free. RGB Channel 1 for the Strimer connection via an adapter cable. However, when you say 'Strip' you mean the O11 Cases built in RGB Strip (via another adapter cable) into the second CoPro RGB Channel?? You aren't referring to the iCUE LS100 Strip?? I connect that to a port on the LiCo don't I??

[c-attack]

Yes, the front 30 LED strip will go directly to this little box on the floor in back. You can then connect that to either the MB 5v RGB header or with an adapter to a Corsair RGB port. I had intended to move mine over, but it's always the odd channel where I need another device for it. I leave it on the MB all the time. The buttons on front will allow you to toggle between the presets on the built in case RGB controller and setting #10 that allows the signal to go to the "other" RGB controller. You've got a lot of stuff to work and there are multiple ways to accomplish that.

 

Also if you have not seen it mentioned elsewhere, the X570 and B550 boards tend to have issues with USB connectivity. Most users with this problem solve it by using a SATA powered USB hub. Now you may not need it for the above problem, but you might need it for sheer number of USB connections. Keep that in mind. I would bet against being able to use the C-Pro passthroughs for everything else, but it's possible.

[Ca1ibos]

Ordered an NZXT USB2.0 Header splitter and should have it Wednesday.

 

Only discovered tonight by chance, that Amazon.co.uk sell an EZDIY Corsair aRGB Adapter cable and I don't have to spend $20+$20 shipping+6 weeks wait for Piratedog Adapter cables.

 

So thats the two adapter cables I need to connect the O11 Dynamic aRGB Strip and Lian Li Strimer+ to the 2 RGB ports on the Commander Pro.

 

When I was about to add them to basket in the recommended suggestions were Corsair aRGB Strips with LNPRO for £45. I decided, "Screw it!! Get it all over and done with and stop procrastinating. Order Them!! :D

 

Right. So I'll be replicating Zottys' 'Advanced iCUE Hardware setup.

 

My desk is 3m wide but with 3m upper and 3m lower room wall zones as shown in the photo earlier in the thread and I want to do a 3rd 3m run along the top of the back wall of the desk lighting that wall of the desk and the desk surface. (Already have a lip fitted to top of the desk wall though not shown in that photo that will hide this rgb strip run from direct view. So thats 9m of Corsair aRGB strip in total. 9000mm/410mm per strip=21 strips.

 

So I figure I need to order 2x Lighting Node Pro 4 strip Kits and 4x 4 strip Expansion kits which gives me 24 strips. Each of the 4 RGB Channels of the LNPro's can do 6 strips apiece if I am reading things correctly.

 

So with the NZXT USB2.0 Header Multiplier I think I have the Headers covered and I thinking I have all my Fan RGB and Strip RGB covered with my 1x CoCo, 1x CoPro, 1x LNCo(with 2 spare) and 2x LNPro.

 

I have all fingers and toes crossed that I have enough SATA Power connectors!! I'm so glad I ignored advice and overspecced the PSU for this system. Configurator was telling me 750w for a 5900x/RTX3090 but people advised me 850w. I ignored both and got myself a 1000w Corsair RM1000x. :D

 

Only during research on the RGB Strips did I learn that the LS100 isn't really designed for case interiors at all. I'm a slow learner, what can I say. Decided to test fit the full LS100 kit to the back of my monitor and if I was in any doubt that the RGB strip along the top that will shine down along the Black back wall of the desk and onto the desk surface might be absorbed by the black of the desk and nearly invisible, well those concerns were put to rest. Its actually a really cool effect. The RGB shining on the Black surface actually gives the colours more contrast and a cool shimmery glow effect. ie a very different look to the same type of strip casting light onto a light coloured wall.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Ca1ibos

[Ca1ibos]

RGB Strips and adapters arrived this morning. Just waiting on the NZXT USB 2.0 Header multiplier now.

 

Started a thread in the ambient lighting subforum but I don't know if thats the correct forum or if it gets much traffic. No replies yet.

 

Main question I asked is this:

 

Edited May 12, 2021 by Ca1ibos

[Ca1ibos]

[Zotty]

that would work.. did you decide how you was powering them yet?

[Ca1ibos]

that would work.. did you decide how you was powering them yet?

 

So you are saying that the previous edited image with 7 strips per run can't work. ie. No way to align the strips in software with the real midpoint of the desk? You are saying the only way for mirror effects emanating from a midpoint is to have the actual physical midpoint of each 6 strip run be aligned with the actual physical midpoint of the desk, which means limiting me to 6 strips per run arranged like in the latest edited image I posted??

 

Well, they are getting powered by that spare HX1050 (30amp 5v rail) no matter what. Its just a question of whether that HX1050 is mounted under the desk with a Jumper switch and Smart plug like your setup or if I use that HX1050 in the 24/7 Media Server PC with the Strips basically run off the Media Server....but controlled by the main rig via USB. The latter saves me needing to buy a separate new PSU for the Media Server Build.

[Zotty]

i am saying. lol . done correctly... 6 strips per channel.. it is possible to lie and suggest to icue you have say... QL fans connected.. but you will get voltage drop when going past 6 strips..

[Ca1ibos]

i am saying. lol . done correctly... 6 strips per channel.. it is possible to lie and suggest to icue you have say... QL fans connected.. but you will get voltage drop when going past 6 strips..

 

But I'm not physically going past 6 strips per channel.

 

I'm merely arranging 4 channels of 6 strips on the desk in 3x 3m runs.

 

Remember each strip is 410mm. Each run is 3000mm. It would take 7 strips to fill a 3000m run. Where one string of 6 strips ends is where I start the next channels string of 6 strips until I've filled the 3x 3m runs. 4 channels of 6 strips apiece is 24 strips. I'm using 21 of those strips on the 3x 3m runs and the last 3 strips of the 4th channel inside the PC. The need for me to fabricate some aRGB cable extensions in order to allow me to position the strings of 6 strips where I want them on the desk goes without saying.

 

I think I may not be explaining myself well enough. I guess I'm just going to have to clear some space in my current pig stye of a room with PC components all over the floor, in order to make room to lay out all the strips on the floor in 3x 3m runs and see if I can configure them in software to act how I would like them to act under different lighting profiles.

[Zotty]

But I'm not physically going past 6 strips per channel.

 

I'm merely arranging 4 channels of 6 strips on the desk in 3x 3m runs.

 

Remember each strip is 410mm. Each run is 3000mm. It would take 7 strips to fill a 3000m run. Where one string of 6 strips ends is where I start the next channels string of 6 strips until I've filled the 3x 3m runs. 4 channels of 6 strips apiece is 24 strips. I'm using 21 of those strips on the 3x 3m runs and the last 3 strips of the 4th channel inside the PC. The need for me to fabricate some aRGB cable extensions in order to allow me to position the strings of 6 strips where I want them on the desk goes without saying.

 

I think I may not be explaining myself well enough. I guess I'm just going to have to clear some space in my current pig stye of a room with PC components all over the floor, in order to make room to lay out all the strips on the floor in 3x 3m runs and see if I can configure them in software to act how I would like them to act under different lighting profiles.

 

was in reply to this dude

 

 

So you are saying that the previous edited image with 7 strips per run can't work.

[Ca1ibos]

Sorry for being painfully dumb Zotty.

 

When you talk about voltage drop off with more than 6 strips and telling iCUE I have fans connected instead of strips....

 

Are you saying I could physically connect 7 strips on a run, pick a fan combo in iCUE that covers the 70 LEDs contained in 7 strips thus meaning each of my 3x 3m runs is effectively its own distinct channel and is comprised of a contiguous 7 strips......and that the downside for going past Corsairs recommended 6 strips per channel is a voltage drop.

 

Is that Voltage drop across all 7 strips or only the last strip in the string. ie are all strips equally dimmed or only the last strip on the string? Is the dimming significant across all colours or is it literally only evident when running the strips at full power/brightness for pure White? (In which case NP as I don't intend to run full brightness pure white anyway.)

[Zotty]

its the LED's towards the end of the strip.. will be off color and dimmer

[Ca1ibos]

that would work.. did you decide how you was powering them yet?

 

Build still delayed. Plan was to get the bulk of it done Tues/Wed/Thurs as I was off those days this week but my 14yo dog seemed to take a turn this week and we feared the worst so it was a stressful week of vets and concern. Turned out to be something as simple as an infected tooth that some antibiotics and some doggy dentistry solved! Back to acting like a puppy instead of looking like she was at deaths door so I now have the mental space to get back into this....just not the time off, so I'm having to squeeze in a bit here and there between work and all my other responsibilities.

 

My subconscious brain was obviously working on the PSU/Desk/Case plans overnight though as I woke up this morning with a plan. I literally opened my eyes and my first thought was, "Oh Yeah, remember all the reviews of the O11 Dynamic XL case that highlighted its ability to install 2x PSU's but reviewers wondered who would ever want or need to install 2x PSU's in this case.....well it turns out....ME :D::D:

 

I can install both the main rigs own Corsair RMx1000 PSU and also install the old spare Corsair HX1050 that all the Desk RGB strips will be powered off of. Making my life harder wrt to cable management inside the case but I do love a challenge :D::D:

 

Co-locating the Desk Strip PSU in the main rigs case also makes it easier to split the 4th Desk Strip Channel between the underside of my Monitor shelf and inside the GPU Shroud. ie. 4 of the strips will go under the Monitor shelf and 2 of the strips of that channel will go inside the GPU shroud, enhancing the RGB effects for the GPU and removing reliance on the dreaded Armoury Crate/iCue integration which is still broken months later by all accounts (Half of Asus Strix GPU LED strip not lighting)

 

I guess that subconscious cogitation was triggered by my conscious realisation that using that HX1050 PSU in the 24/7 Media Server for the strips, although controllable by iCue in the main rig via a USB cable presented problems in that I could set a hardware profile for the strips of either LED's off or a default static colour when the main rig/iCUE was turned off but no way to sometimes have the desk lights on or off independent of the main rig being on or off.

 

So in effect I'm back to the Zotty setup of independent PSU (Spare HX1050) and Lighting Node Pro's with a switched jumper cable, an Alexa capable Smart Plug and I'm ordering the latest Revision of an Alexa Show 5 and some WIFI Alexa compatible Bulbs for the main room lights too. Ultimately this will also integrate with my Harmony Hub. So although the Zotty Desk RGB config with Alexa Integration is what prompted the need for an Alexa, it started my mind spinning and I realised it will be a boon for the main room lighting and eventual Home-Cinema Voice control integration too.

 

So my desk lights will be fully controllable by iCUE when the main rig is turned on, a hardware profile with a Static colour for when the main rig is off but I still want the desk lit up, but also the ability to simply tell Alexa, "Desk Lights and main lights on/off....". Co-location of the Desk PSU and LNPro's inside the main rigs case is effectively just a convenience. Not enough room behind my desk wall for the HX1050 PSU and if I mount it under the desk it would be visible from the seating position at the back of the room, so co-locating it inside the main rig case actually hides it. You'd think with the desk being 3m wide there'd be a place to hide the Desk Strip PSU but there isn't! LOL :D:

 

LS100 Question

 

Back to using the LS100 inside the Media Server case. Controllable by the main rig iCUE when its switched on by running a USB cable from the LS100 controller. When main rig is off the Hardware profile of the LS100 is set to Off as who needs the Media Server lit up when the main rig and desk isn't lit up. However I'd like to tie in the LED's of the 3 front fans of the Media Server which will be the unused ML120's from my H150i Elite Cappellix. What do I need to connect the RGB LED cables of those fans to the spare channel of the LS100 Lighting controller. A Corsair RGB Hub?

Edited May 21, 2021 by Ca1ibos

[Zotty]

The LS100 controller has no lighting setup option for fans in icue.. strips only.. you could lie and say its strips. but sequential and multi color effects will play wrong

[Ca1ibos]

The LS100 controller has no lighting setup option for fans in icue.. strips only.. you could lie and say its strips. but sequential and multi color effects will play wrong

 

Don't think that'll be too much of an issue. Primarily I just want these RGB fans on the front of the Media Server case turning on and off with the LS100 strips when the main rig RGB and Desk lights are on when I'm actually at the desk. Most of the time it'll be a static colour anyway. Only the odd time when music visualisation is on and sequences and multi-color effects are active, will they perhaps act funny but all eyes will be on the main rig and desk lights anyway. :D:

 

So what do I need to connect these 3 ML120's to the spare lighting channel on the LS100 controller? RGB Hub?? I have spare Lighting node cores from the QL120 triple packs but those connect via USB Headers not Corsair RGB connectors though don't they?

[Zotty]

yeah node cores are usb.... you mean, RGB Fan LED Hub.. not tried one my self to be able to confirm it would work with the LS100.. cant see why not. of course it's all at your own risk, operating well outside of spec lol

[Ca1ibos]

yeah node cores are usb.... you mean, RGB Fan LED Hub.. not tried one my self to be able to confirm it would work with the LS100.. cant see why not. of course it's all at your own risk, operating well outside of spec lol

 

This???

 

https://www.corsair.com/eu/en/Categories/Products/Custom-Cooling/Accessories/CORSAIR-RGB-Fan-LED-Hub/p/CO-8950020

 

Does this have the right connector to plug straight into the LS100 RGB Channel 2 or would I need an adapter cable?

 

(It goes without saying that I am extremely grateful for all your help Zotty and C-Attacks too!)

[Zotty]

yep thats the one.. would also need the 2 core cable thats normally supplied with the commander pro

[Ca1ibos]

I'd have pulled the cable management apart multiple times by now if I'd actually been able to build over the last few weeks. Its lucky I haven't had the time to build then as new ideas or roadblocks present themselves.

 

Did some measurements and an idea for the Media Server I had turns out to be doable which changes some things. I can definitely do the 'Snow-Blind' Mod to the clear side panel of the Air540 case I am using for the Media Server. This requires a lot of bright LED strips so the LS100 will not suffice, so thats back to needing a new home. 6 Lighting Node Pro Strips (no diffusers like LS100) should work.

 

[ame=

]

[/ame]

 

I can also fit the Corsair A500 Tower cooler (buying for Aesthetics and modding it too. Its poor cooling performance compared to competitors does not matter for my Media server use-case) Because I am modding the Air540 case It'll be viewable from more angles than normal through the side panel and top of the case (replacing top and front fan grilles with Acrylic panels like a 680x) and I've decided to use QL120's on it.

 

Also going to use QL120's for the 3x120mm Fan mounts on the front of the case so will buy 2x Triple packs. 6th QL120 will go in Rear Exhaust position.

 

Will buy another single non LED ML120 to add to the 2 unused ones from the A500 and those will be my 3x Push fans along with the 3x QL120's on the Push/Pull H150i Elite Cappellix in the main rig in the O11DXL case. The 3x unused RGB ML120's from the Elite Cappellix will end up in a Wind Mod for my Kickstarter Yaw2 Motion SimRig coming in September.

 

This is the important bit:

 

Remember that I want the RGB fans and strips ON/OFF and Lighting effects in the Media Server controlled by iCUE in the main rig or Alexa and not the Media Server. Just like the Desk Strips and all powered off the HX1050 co-located inside the O11DXL case. I don't want to have to interact with the 'most of the time' headless Media Server to do that.

 

In other words, Lighting Node Cores and their USB2.0 Header connection to the Media Server motherboard are out.

 

So it looks like its Lighting Node Pro's I need. I'll need to buy more RGB Strips anyway so will order the full kit with a LNPro. However, I think I read that 6x QL120's pull so much current that if I have the 6x QL120's on an RGB Hub thats connected to Channel 1 of a Lighting Node Pro, then Channel 2 of that Lighting Node Pro will be disabled.

 

Does this mean to run 6x RGB strips and 6x QL120's in the Media Server case, I will need to buy an extra standalone Lighting Node Pro. 6x Strips connected to Channel 1 of one of them and 6x QL120 on the RGB Hub connected to Channel 1 of the second Lighting Node Pro. Both USB cables from both LNPro's connected to a USB Hub (Does the USB Hub need to be powered??) with a single cable then running behind the desk wall from the Media Server on one side of the desk to the Main O11DXL rig on the other side.

Edited May 22, 2021 by Ca1ibos

[Zotty]

the plot thickens... 6 QL's = Maxed Node Pro....