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H150i Capellix, 6x QL120. How can i make this work together?


Goatfarmer

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Hi. I have bought a H150i Elite Capellix and two 3-packs of QL120's. This is a total of 9 fans. Do I have to buy a commander pro to replace the commander core I've already paid for to make this setup work?

 

Or can I somehow use one/two of the lignting node cores to run the QL fans, while the commander core takes care of the cooler fans?

 

I will connect this stuff to a MSI MAG x570 Tomahawk.

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You cannot replace the Commander Core. The pump gets it's power, lighting, control, and data along the special cable at the end. It is required at all times for basic operation. However, you don't need to replace it.

 

The RGB lighting part is fairly straightforward. Use 1 Lighting Node Core from the QL multipack. That will take the 6 QL fans and make their lighting controllable. The 3 ML-Elite fans can connect their RGB wire to the Commander Core. The lighting will be into two groups, QL x 6 on one and ML-Elite x 3 on the other. There is no way around splitting 9 fans into two groups, regardless of your hardware.

 

Fan speed control - You have 6 PWM ports to use on the Com Core. A few options here. 1) 3 two-way PWM splitters and pair off 6 of the fans. This should be under device limits, but it is not officially supported and the Elite is new. We don't have any long term data on the Com Core's behavior. 2) Get an inexpensive powered PWM hub. This connects to one PWM port on the Com Core and has it's on SATA connection for power. You can then offload 3+ fans onto the hub. They will all run the same speed, but you often don't need individual fan speed control for every case fan. For example, if you were running an O11 with 3 banks of 3x120, neighboring fans in the bank of three don't need individual control. You could offload the 3 radiator fans onto this or 3+ case fans. Likely depends on where you set up the radiator and the function of the other fans. 3) Connect the remaining 3 fans to the MB like everyone else. Obviously this will remove them from CUE as controllable elements.

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Thank you for the detailed reply. Much appreciated :)

 

Based on what you have explained here, my path forward will be:

- Use the commander core for the ML fans, with 3 PWM splitters to control the speed of all fans.

- Use both of the lighting node cores, each with 3 fans connected, so i get 3 controllable groups.

 

For this I guess will need 3 USB connections. One for the commander core, two for the lighting node cores.

 

Do both of the lightning node cores need individual connection to the motherboard? Do they have some kind of passthrough through either the modues or connection cables? Or do I need 3 usb slots from the motherboard? If so, could I use some kind of USB splitters?

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You will only need 1 lighting node core. Each controller/hub can handle up to 6 fans per channel. All "Core devices" are 1 channel and thus 6 fan max. The only reason to use 2 Node Cores would be to deliberately separate them into two lighting groups, something you can already do within the software on a per effect basis. No normal reason to do this except for very specialized lighting coordination.

 

So it should be a 2 count on USB 2 internal ports (Com Core and 1xNode Core). The other thing to be aware of is some x570 owners have trouble with USB recognition. It's not universal and seems to affect some devices more than others. The two you are using not among them. However, it is something to be aware of. A lot of users end up getting a powered USB hub for this, which will probably be needed anyway if you have anymore required internal USB 2 needs.

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Ah, one lighting node it is then. Didn't know that we could split through software. My last build was 8 years ago, so my RGB knowledge is ~0.

 

I see that my motherboard has 5 internal USB headers. I'll use 3 USB 3+ headers for front I/O, so that leaves 2 USB 2.0 headers free. Perfect for the Corsair modules :)

 

Looks like the only thing I need is 3xPWM splitters. If I have some unforseen issues, I'll look into buying a powered PWM hub.

 

Thanks for your assistance :)

Edited by Goatfarmer
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Try to avoid the triple splitters, even if mathematically useful. For whatever reason they behave inconsistently on the Commander. It's not just works or does not, but it can vary from day to day which is infuriating. Typically no issues with dual PWM splitters.

 

Within the software, each LED is individually addressable and you also can apply a lighting effect to part one fan or parts of the group. Right now I am running an O11 XL with 6 QL and 6 LL fans. The 6 QL are top and bottom and are on 1 lighting channel together. However, I can still apply one effect to the top 3 and a different or identical one to the bottom 3. This allows me to easily make preset lighting effects mirror each other top/bottom. A key thing to remember is to hold CTRL and Left click or left click drag to add/remove LEDs from an effect. If simply left click in the field, it will deselect all LEDs. You are going to unintentionally do that a few times before it become instinctive.

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