17 Corsair fans, including H170i ELITE LCD. Only 5 fans detected in iCUE. Please help.

[Jimmy212]

I have 5 fans (3 on the H170i and 2 at the back of the case) connected to the Commander Core that came with the H170i.  All of this is plugged into a USB2.0 on the motherboard and of course the H170i is also connected to CPU Fan port on the motherboard.  iCUE picks these up no problem.  I can change fan speeds, RGB colour, the screen on the H170i, no issues.

The remaining 12 fans are connected to a Commander PRO (all are using a splitter since there are only 6 fan connections on the Commander PRO) and two fan LED hubs.  The Commander PRO is connected to the second USB2.0 port on my motherboard.  All power/sata connections are done as well.  iCUE does not detect any of these fans or the Commander PRO.  Is there something I am doing wrong?

- Asus Maximus Z790 Hero

- Corsair AX1600i Digital ATX Power Supply (iCUE also finds this)

- Windows 11

If this has already been addressed here, can someone direct me to that topic?  Also, if there is another way to connect all 17 fans without using the PRO, please let me know.  If I connect all 17 fans to a single USB2.0 port, wouldn't that be too much?

 

[c-attack]

10 hours ago, Jimmy212 said:

iCUE does not detect any of these fans or the Commander PRO.  Is there something I am doing wrong?

Can you elaborate on “does not detect”?  Do you mean the Commander Pro is not shown in CUE?  Do you mean the fans are missing their speed/rpm values?  Or no lighting configuration?

 

Most Corsair controllers must be manually configured for the RGB fan type in use.  This tells the software how many LEDs to generate. The Commander Core/XT auto-detect but the Commander Pro will not. Go to Lighting Setup and for each LED channel tell it fan type and number. SP-Pro, SP-Elite, and ML-Elite fans are referred to as “8 LED fan series”. 
 

12 fans (6x2) is probably pushing your luck on fan motor current for the Commander Pro. Eventually you are likely to lose some headers. While your cost on the splitters is already sunk, the better way to do that number of fans is to pair the Commander Pro with an inexpensive powered PWM hub. This is a small circuit board controller with a SATA power delivery to take the load off the Commander. They come in various sizes from 4-10 fans on the little connector board, then there is a single PWM lead that runs to 1 fan port on the C-Pro. In effect, it’s a powered splitter and all fans run the same speed. However, it is unlikely you need individual fan speed control and you put a few banks of fans on the hub. 
 

Also, in the device settings for the Commander Pro, change the fan header setting from Auto to 4 pin. This will stop the 12v power on test and resulting fan blast when you boot. That’s probably the only time you hit max power and it’s also unnecessary for PWM fans. If you do the PWM hub thing later, set any empty fan headers back to auto to eliminate the 0 rpm place holder in the data. 

[Jimmy212]

1 hour ago, c-attack said:

Can you elaborate on “does not detect”?  Do you mean the Commander Pro is not shown in CUE?  Do you mean the fans are missing their speed/rpm values?  Or no lighting configuration?

Sorry, I should have been more clear.  Apologies.  The Commander Pro is not shown in iCUE.  That's what the problem is.  The fans spin and I get the default rainbow RGB, but since they are not showing up in iCUE, I cannot do anything with them.

Thanks for the advice on the PWM hub.  If you don't mind me asking, can you recommend one?  I am okay with the sunk costs on the splitters.  They were relatively inexpensive.

1 hour ago, c-attack said:

Go to Lighting Setup and for each LED channel tell it fan type and number. SP-Pro, SP-Elite, and ML-Elite fans are referred to as “8 LED fan series”. 

I can't do this because they don't even show up in iCUE, but thank you for the reco.

[c-attack]

Device detection is all about the USB 2 path and motherboard chipset drivers.  Some recent motherboards have issues with steady USB 2 voltage (AMD x570 or newer, some Intel Z690), but the Commander Core and XT are the common victims.  Here your Com Core is detected and the usually more reliable Commander Pro is not.  No clear indication of where the issue might be.  Try the easy way first.  Boot up and then deliberately disconnect the USB for the Commander Pro from the motherboard, then live connect it back to the motherboard.  See if this jump starts the ID process.  If it does not, you'll need to start being methodical.  Disconnect the Commander Core USB, try Commander Pro alone on USB 2 #1 and #2 and see if it works.  

 

Is there anything using the Commander Pro USB 2 passthrough ports?  Those are passive and effectively stacks all devices on the same line.  This can make detection more difficult on a lot of boards.  

[Jimmy212]

7 minutes ago, c-attack said:

Is there anything using the Commander Pro USB 2 passthrough ports?  Those are passive and effectively stacks all devices on the same line.  This can make detection more difficult on a lot of boards.  

Sorry, I am not fully articulate in computer lingo, but if you are asking if anything is connected to the two USB internal headers on the PRO, then yes, I have a Corsair RGB Hub on each header.  If you are asking if anything else is connected to the motherboard USB 2.0 port aside from the PRO, the answer to that is also yes.  I have a splitter on the USB 2.0 port on the motherboard so the PRO and the Corsair AX1600i Digital ATX Power Supply are connected.  As I am sure you already know, the AX1600i needs to connect to a USB 2.0 on the motherboard for iCUE to detect it.

I have already tried disconnecting the 1600i, so the USB 2.0 on the motherboard is not sharing, but that didn't solve the problem. 

By the way, thank you again for spending your time trying to help me.  Appreciation is all I can give, but I can assure you that you have my appreciation. 

[Jimmy212]

16 minutes ago, c-attack said:

Boot up and then deliberately disconnect the USB for the Commander Pro from the motherboard, then live connect it back to the motherboard.

Do this while the computer is on? If this won't cause any permanent damage/issues, then I will definitely try this.

[c-attack]

Yes, for THIS type of issue only.  Don't live connected things like SATA cables or most other types of hardware.  

4 minutes ago, Jimmy212 said:

I have a splitter on the USB 2.0 port on the motherboard so the PRO and the Corsair AX1600i Digital ATX Power Supply are connected. 

An actual 2->1 USB splitter?  Or using the passthrough ports?  If there is a Y splitter, definitely drop that and try by itself then with the AX1600i.  PSUs generally work through the passthrough ports just fine (very low load) but the Y splitter may not be getting on well.

 

LED ports are fine and not relevant here.  Once the Commander is detected, then you will be able to tell it QL x 6 and 8 series LED x 4 or whatever configuration is in play.  

[Jimmy212]

5 minutes ago, c-attack said:

An actual 2->1 USB splitter?  Or using the passthrough ports?  If there is a Y splitter, definitely drop that and try by itself then with the AX1600i.  PSUs generally work through the passthrough ports just fine (very low load) but the Y splitter may not be getting on well.

9pin USB Header Male 1 to 2 Female Extension Splitter Cable Connector Adapter (Male 1 to 2 Female) : Amazon.ca: Electronics

Hopefully that link works.  I have this splitting the USB2.0 on the motherboard, so I can connect the PRO and the AX1600i to a single motherboard USB2.0 port.  

Sorry, you're going to think I'm dumb, but what passthrough ports are you talking about?

[c-attack]

I don't think we have a specific list of going of 'good vs bad' USB splitters.  However, a lot of the new motherboards simply don't recognize devices on a splitter or stacked on a single powered line.  

 

The Commander Pro (not Com Core or XT) has two USB passthrough ports on one side of the controller.  You can see them below from this Corsair product page image.  Those should work for the AX1600i or other "i" PSUs.  This effectively the same as using a splitter, but you have removed one piece of gear in between the critical elements.  *Correction - the Com XT does have 1 USB passthrough as well.  

 

Edited November 25, 2022 by c-attack

[PJH]

Hey, hey!

It is recommended not to exceed 9 fans on one Commander Pro using splitters. Resident iCUE Specialist Zotty mentions this in a thread somewhere on this forum.

[Jimmy212]

26 minutes ago, c-attack said:

The Commander Pro (not Com Core or XT) has two USB passthrough ports on one side of the controller. 

I am currently using these two USB passthrough ports for two LED Lighting Node Cores (the ones that come with the 3-pack QL series fans).  I also have 12 fans connected, not 9, so there could be a lot wrong with what I did.  I am going to try a few things and let you know how I made out.  Thanks again for all the advice.

[c-attack]

OK, getting a better picture.  That's Commander Pro, AX1600i, and 2 Lighting Node Cores all trying to share a single USB 2 path.  That's not going to work.  Those USB passthroughs are just like the splitter and not device to device direct communication.  You've got 4 on the line.

 

Most immediate solution is to get yourself a powered USB 2 hub.  They are about $20 USD and it needs to have a supplemental power method like a SATA connection.  Most users needs this regardless but no board has more than two USB 2 headers.  

 

If you temporarily unload some of the USB connections, you probably can get the Commander Pro recognized and set up.  If nothing is connected to the LED ports, then there will be no RGB settings on the Commander Pro.  Those two Lighting Node Cores will appear as 2 individual devices in CUE menu.  If you had a couple of RGB Lighting Hubs (this is the actual LED hub for use with Pro devices), you could drop both LNCore controllers.  However, those are hard to come by these days and quick search suggests they are selling at $20-30 each instead the $10 MSRP.  The QL, SP-Elite, and ML-Elite that are the last three fan releases now come with the simplified Lighting Node Core, but it's not integrated with older Pro controllers.  

Edited November 25, 2022 by c-attack

[Jimmy212]

Okay, so I got it figured out and wanted to close this off and follow up with you @c-attack, since you were kind enough to try to help me.  You are a good person.

Perhaps you know why this solution worked?

1) First thing I did was remove the USB2.0 splitter and only kept the Commander PRO plugged into the second USB2.0 port on the motherboard.  Nothing changed with the fans (still had 12 fans, Commander PRO and two Lighting Node Cores not being detected).  Did a restart and all.

2) Then I swapped the Commander Core and the Commander PRO on the USB2.0 ports on my motherboard and suddenly 6 of the 12 fans were detected.  I can see the Commander PRO in iCUE and one of the RGB Lighting Node Cores showed up in iCUE as well.  Progress.

3) Lastly, I swapped the two RGB Lighting Node Cores plugged into the Commander PRO and boom, all fans are detected, both Lighting Node Cores are showing in iCUE.  I have full control. 

Again, sincere thank you for troubleshooting with me.  I will close this off soon, but before I do, do you have any idea why this worked?

Edited November 27, 2022 by Jimmy212

[c-attack]

It's a puzzle game when using multiple controllers across splitters and passthroughs.  Some devices are more needy (Commander Core/XT) and some boards are more difficult.  There are differences between motherboards in how they route and manage their USB traffic and USB 2 has been getting squeezed out for newer protocols.  It's trial and error sometimes.  If you run into detection problems later, disconnect and reconnect the offending device while the system is powered on.  That should help force recognition.