LED issues in RGB fans/Commander Pro

[Natini]

Hey, I have an odd issue with my RGB fans. I'm not sure what else I can troubleshoot so I'm hoping someone could give some advice as to whats sort of happening here. 

The computer was pre-built, al I have done is take out a plain fan and replaced them with my corsair commander pro setup with iCue, which is two fans, and 4 LED strips (with the thing you need for that I forget the name) I have been using this Com. pro set up for several years as I bought it for my previous computer. I've had this new computer since Nov 2020
Now maybe about two years ago I started getting an intermittent issue with this fan, where one of the bottom right LEDs would flicker, and the 3-4 surrounding LEDs would flicker with it. It slowly got less intermittent and the only solution I could find was by going into the lighting profile and turning off that one LED, and it would stop the surrounding ones from flashing. Recently my fan has been like this: 

The 5/6 maybe? LEDs of the bottom right of the fan do not light up, and the bottom left one flickers intermittently, and it also flickers in random colours, not one related to any lighting profile. 
I thought LEDs weren't really prone to breaking? 
The LEDs also don't work even when theres no software running them (so not logged in, or software uninstalled) 

• I've done the uninstall/reinstall ritual
• Unplug/replug
• Make sure its all clean and plugged in properly
• Made sure fans arent overworking
• reset hardware/firmware where possible
• made sure theres no conflicting software
  
  Temperatures are fine, everything else responds as it should. 
   

I was hoping someone here might have a couple more suggestions before I replace the fan. I've not really got the spare funds to be replacing components to risk being met with the same issue- although I know the fans are cheap, I just want to see if I can fix it before going down that route. Any ideas? 

 

I'm also not sure exactly what computer information you'd need that will help, so just ask and I will provide. The only changes I have made to the base build are:
-Added com pro set up (which added a second fan)

-Upgraded graphics card but the issue was present before this

-Added a hard drive and a 2nd solid state, I did this as soon as I bought it, even before I installed my compro setup so this also doesnt match to when issues began 

-Added 16gb RAM (i bought identical pairs of 8 to the ones already in computer) issues happened before I added second pair of RAM 

 

[c-attack]

The Commander Pro + RGB Lighting Hub and the fans are part of a series circuit.  You typically get two kinds of problems with this.  One if where a LED is electrically dead, no signal passes, and the lighting stops right at that LED.  Those are usually easy to pick out and obvious where to look.  The other kind is when there is an intermittent signal defect.  This normally takes the form of flickering and it can seem like it's all over the place.  That makes it harder to pin down, but it is a physical problem all the same.  If the fan continues to flicker without CUE running in HW Lighting mode, that's strong additional evidence this is physical and not a software glitch.  That's also a long time to go with one unique deviant error.  

 

You can further assure yourself by swapping the two fan RGB plugs on the Lighting Hub.  If the issue is at the controller/hub level, nothing will change and the "new #2" fan will now do the flickering.  If it's still the same fan in the other position, then it's going to be a physical fan problem and a replacement needed.  

[Natini]

On 10/12/2023 at 1:20 AM, c-attack said:

The Commander Pro + RGB Lighting Hub and the fans are part of a series circuit.  You typically get two kinds of problems with this.  One if where a LED is electrically dead, no signal passes, and the lighting stops right at that LED.  Those are usually easy to pick out and obvious where to look.  The other kind is when there is an intermittent signal defect.  This normally takes the form of flickering and it can seem like it's all over the place.  That makes it harder to pin down, but it is a physical problem all the same.  If the fan continues to flicker without CUE running in HW Lighting mode, that's strong additional evidence this is physical and not a software glitch.  That's also a long time to go with one unique deviant error.  

 

You can further assure yourself by swapping the two fan RGB plugs on the Lighting Hub.  If the issue is at the controller/hub level, nothing will change and the "new #2" fan will now do the flickering.  If it's still the same fan in the other position, then it's going to be a physical fan problem and a replacement needed.  

Well I've run through more hardware tests. Second fan lights had stopped working not long after I made this thread. Cant test nor tell if its the fans LEDS or the RGB hub, reset firmware made sure pro was up to date, unplugged both hub and pro from PSU to make sure that was all clean and the result was... 

....this. The rear fan (bottom of pic) is now stuck on this orange light, and the top fan which had no lights has two red ones. They now do not at all respond to iCue, this is their permanent state. The LEDs do not do anything regardless of what I make the settings both hardware or profile based, The only thing I can do with the lights is turn them off by unplugging them from the RGB hub. 

Soooooo yeah its hardware, but I am beyond clueless as to whats happened to cause this. A surge? But my LED strips are fine, and I can't see the RGB hub surging them even if it is connected via its own power- because why would that happen? I have checked that I've not damaged pins or connectors, the cables are in cable ties but they're not tight and the wires arent being fed through anything that would damage them. 

So I have to replace the fans, and possibly the RGB hub... and just hope that it doesnt happen again?? Is there a way to check if the PSU has .. surged? I dont know, I've got a 550W, 4 internal drives, the pro, the hub, mobo, graphics card and extra USB card. I dont feel like its taken over capacity, but while I was testing, two drives were unplugged anyway so it dont think its lack of power. 
I'm not entirely sure how to test any PSU things or what to look for. 
thanks for suggestions