a8n-sli cha1 fan no go go

[Dragoncarer]

OK, so I just installed two new fans into my case. Connected one to the
'cha1' fan port and one to the 'cha2' fan port. They have LEDs in them.

The cha2 fan is working - as in, it's spinning and lit up.
The cha1 fan is not. The LEDs are on, so it's getting juice, but it's not
spinning. I think I've seen it spin - very slowly - just when I booted it up
once while the case cover was still off. Is it not spinning because the Mobo
regulates that fan? The Mobo determines when and how fast to spin the fan
based on Mobo/ CPU temp? I assume it's that, but I wanna check.

TIA.

 

[Pete M Williams]

OK, so I just installed two new fans into my case. Connected one to the
'cha1' fan port and one to the 'cha2' fan port. They have LEDs in them.

The cha2 fan is working - as in, it's spinning and lit up.
The cha1 fan is not. The LEDs are on, so it's getting juice, but it's not
spinning. I think I've seen it spin - very slowly - just when I booted it
up once while the case cover was still off. Is it not spinning because the
Mobo regulates that fan? The Mobo determines when and how fast to spin the
fan based on Mobo/ CPU temp? I assume it's that, but I wanna check.

Just to rule out a faulty fan, have you tried swapping the two fans round?

 

[Dragoncarer]

Just to rule out a faulty fan, have you tried swapping the two fans round?

No, not yet. Thought I'd see if it was a more common occurence before I go
back into that goddamned case and try fiddling around yet again.
I'm fairly sure it isn't, because like I said, I have seen it spin up a
little once.

 

[milleron]

No, not yet. Thought I'd see if it was a more common occurence before I go
back into that goddamned case and try fiddling around yet again.
I'm fairly sure it isn't, because like I said, I have seen it spin up a
little once.

On the A8N-SLI Premium, the CHA1 header is governed by Q-Fan whereas
the CHA2 header is not. If you have a voltage reducer on that fan
(like some Nexus models and some "temperature-controlled" models) AND
Q-Fan is enabled, it simply may not be getting enough current to start
(it takes more juice to start). Does any of this apply?

Ron

 

[Dragoncarer]

On the A8N-SLI Premium, the CHA1 header is governed by Q-Fan whereas
the CHA2 header is not. If you have a voltage reducer on that fan
(like some Nexus models and some "temperature-controlled" models) AND
Q-Fan is enabled, it simply may not be getting enough current to start
(it takes more juice to start). Does any of this apply?

Ron

It's an Arctic Cooling PRO 2L...and has a little switch to select low,
medium, or high fan speed. I guess this could be something like a voltage
reducer, if that is how it would regulate the fan speed.

If I plug it into the PWR_FAN slot, will it work? Or cause my computer to
explode in a fantastic, albeit expensive, display of razzle-dazzle sparks?

Many thanks.

I can't turn Q-Fan off. If I do, the CPU fan runs at max and sounds like a
small jet is preparing to take off in my computer case.

 

[milleron]

It's an Arctic Cooling PRO 2L...and has a little switch to select low,
medium, or high fan speed. I guess this could be something like a voltage
reducer, if that is how it would regulate the fan speed.

If I plug it into the PWR_FAN slot, will it work? Or cause my computer to
explode in a fantastic, albeit expensive, display of razzle-dazzle sparks?

Many thanks.

I can't turn Q-Fan off. If I do, the CPU fan runs at max and sounds like a
small jet is preparing to take off in my computer case.

Yes, that little switch is exactly what I was talking about, and if
you have it set on any position other than HIGH, it probably explains
your problem. I'd suggest not plugging it in anywhere else. Just
make sure that its 3-position switch is set on HIGH. That should
allow enough current through to get it going. After that, Q-Fan can
throttle it down. In theory, if that fan were set to low and then
Q-fan throttled down the input voltage to 5V, you could be getting
less than 1/4 of the maximum current to the fan at startup, and that
may not be enough to overcome inertia and get it started. You should
be able to test if this is the cause of your problem, though, simply
by flipping the blades with your finger. If the fan continues to
spin, you've established the cause. If that doesn't work, and the PWR
header is the only one left, it should work fine there. If you have
to plug it into PWR, then you DO want to use the fan's switch to
regulate it's speed. On CHA1, leave it on HIGH (might work OK on MED,
too) and leave the regulation to Q-Fan.

As an example, in my rig, I have an Antec TriCool connected to a
"fan-only" plug on my Antec TruePower II PSU. Even with that fan set
on HIGH, it doesn't always start because the PSU, in trying to
regulate it, isn't giving it quite enough current to start some of the
time.

Lastly, if your CPU fan at full speed sounds like a "small jet," I'd
deduce that you have an extremely low-quality fan in that position.
You might want to look into putting a Panaflo, Nexus, or Yate Loon fan
in that position.

Ron

 

[Dragoncarer]

Yes, that little switch is exactly what I was talking about, and if
you have it set on any position other than HIGH, it probably explains
your problem. I'd suggest not plugging it in anywhere else. Just
make sure that its 3-position switch is set on HIGH. That should
allow enough current through to get it going. After that, Q-Fan can
throttle it down. In theory, if that fan were set to low and then
Q-fan throttled down the input voltage to 5V, you could be getting
less than 1/4 of the maximum current to the fan at startup, and that
may not be enough to overcome inertia and get it started. You should
be able to test if this is the cause of your problem, though, simply
by flipping the blades with your finger. If the fan continues to
spin, you've established the cause. If that doesn't work, and the PWR
header is the only one left, it should work fine there. If you have
to plug it into PWR, then you DO want to use the fan's switch to
regulate it's speed. On CHA1, leave it on HIGH (might work OK on MED,
too) and leave the regulation to Q-Fan.

As an example, in my rig, I have an Antec TriCool connected to a
"fan-only" plug on my Antec TruePower II PSU. Even with that fan set
on HIGH, it doesn't always start because the PSU, in trying to
regulate it, isn't giving it quite enough current to start some of the
time.

Lastly, if your CPU fan at full speed sounds like a "small jet," I'd
deduce that you have an extremely low-quality fan in that position.
You might want to look into putting a Panaflo, Nexus, or Yate Loon fan
in that position.

Ron

It's the stock CPU fan. I've just disable Q-Fan, and both of my case fans
are now running. And the CPU fan is not as loud as it was when I first
installed everything...but it is quite loud.
This morning has been cold. When I started up the computer, jsut before,
Q-Fan had disabled the CPU fan entirely! My system was 27degC and my CPU was
about the same!

I'll try your recommendations regarding the high position for the case fan
and Q-Fan.
But, does the CPU fan always need to be on, even when the Mobo is detecting
such coldness?

 

[milleron]

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 09:11:00 +1000, "Dragoncarer"

snip

It's the stock CPU fan. I've just disable Q-Fan, and both of my case fans
are now running. And the CPU fan is not as loud as it was when I first
installed everything...but it is quite loud.
This morning has been cold. When I started up the computer, jsut before,
Q-Fan had disabled the CPU fan entirely! My system was 27degC and my CPU was
about the same!

I'll try your recommendations regarding the high position for the case fan
and Q-Fan.
But, does the CPU fan always need to be on, even when the Mobo is detecting
such coldness?

It has to be on unless your BIOS can be set not to check for a
spinning CPU fan in order for POST to continue. On my motherboard,
you can set the BIOS that way, but I certainly wouldn't ever do it.
It's there for a reason, and that's to assure that you don't turn on a
computer with a dead CPU fan. Most modern CPUs will disable
themselves, but perhaps not until the temps have approached dangerous
levels.
Whether you're using Q-fan or a hardware fan controller, if you're
controlling the speed of your fans, you want to use non-adjustable
fans. If you already have adjustable fans, you'll probably find it
best to disable that feature by setting them on high -- i.e., use only
one device at a time to control the fans. Otherwise, they might not
get enough current to spin up..
I don't know what kind of CPU heatsink you have, but if you can switch
fans -- i.e., if it's not a Zalman with a built-in fan -- get a
Panaflo or Yate Loon WITH rpm monitoring to replace the one you have.
Then I think you'll be good to go with a well-cooled but silent PC. As
a case in point, you'd want to avoid a Nexus fan because it has a
built-in current reducer. It's a great fan for uncontrolled
installations, wonderful cfm/dba ratio, but not for your CPU fan which
is going to be dynamically controlled.

Ron