I recently set up 9 Lian Li Wireless SL Fans that come with a wireless USB receiver. The fan cluster cable has two PWM connections: one 4-pin and one 2-pin. I'm connecting the fans to a SATA cable from my power supply using the PWM to SATA splitter that came with my fan pack, and I prefer not to connect anything to the motherboard. My question is, do I need to connect both PWM ends (the 4-pin and the 2-pin) to the SATA splitter, or can I just use one? If I can use just one, which should I choose: the 2-pin or the 4-pin?
2 Answers
The 2-pin PWM connector is mainly for power when connecting to the motherboard, while the 4-pin is used for fan control. If you're using the SATA splitter to power the fans, you only need to connect the 2-pin PWM cable for power. The 4-pin can just be left unplugged since it won't control the fans in this setup. So, go ahead and plug in the 2-pin to the SATA cable and leave the 4-pin alone!
You got it! The extra 2-pin cable is for drawing additional power if you were connecting directly to a motherboard header. Since you're connecting via SATA, you only need one PWM cable, so use the 2-pin. It doesn't matter which you use because the setup will just provide power. You're doing great for a first build, no worries!
Thanks! So it really just doesn't matter which PWM cable I connect then? That makes me feel a lot better about it. Appreciate the help!
Okay, so just to double-check: I should plug the 2-pin into the SATA and the 4-pin just hangs there, right? I'm new to building, so I want to make sure I don't mess this up.