I figure this stuff is too basic for our audience, but plenty of people searching for answers to things like this. Really trivial content, but it's more similar to what we used to do on GN like 8 years ago. Figured I could put some of those older style videos here on occasion, just in case it helps someone searching on Google.
G'day Steve, I like these "how to fix it" videos, although basic there are still people that are just learning electronics or want to service/repair their own parts, P.s. I hope you get paid ad revenue by the minute of advertising as I watched 9min of ads before the 5min video started 🙄
personally i apply a tiny bit of solder after i insert the wire, just to make sure in time oxidation doesn't degrade the connection. Also sometimes i attach 3pin headers to PSU fans in which case i usually just solder the wires to an existing header that has all the wires in. For that heat-shrink tubing comes in handy.
Now I need to search for "The Verge tweezers" lol. Steve, I have over 10 years experience in Repair/Networking, and I really appreciate this video. I am learning about fans and airflow for my personal PC, but I don't think this is in any way too basic. If you or GN hasn't covered this topic, then I wouldn't consider it trivial at all. Either way, the current production quality is always welcome. I'm 1:16 into this this video and I wanted to comment saying thank you, because I have a Phantek fan controller that forces me to use some sort of tool just to loosen the fan header. I usually have to pull on the wires a little bit. I also didn't realize that you had your own channel, lol. I'm a huge Steve fan, of course I'll follow. More Steve Content is always a good thing right?
I saved the video because I bought a Cooler Master fan hub that has tight fan headers if I try to pull out the cables. I had to wrap adhesive tape around the exposed plastic end of a fan cable if I wanted any friction to pull the fan cable.
Helped me :). I would most likely figure it out myself, but I don't like to waste time on simple stuff, so it always better to watch someone else do it first.
Steve, I would put this stuff on the main channel unless there is some algorithm based reason I don't understand not to. With a proper title this kind of content will draw people to your channel from search engine results. Also you are giving your audience too much credit for this kind of stuff. I follow the main channel mostly for your reviews and cool projects. Despite being a pretty handy guy, I didn't know how to do this because I've never had to (I always pull on the connector, not the wire.) I'd bet most of your subscribers would just buy a new fan if they pulled a wire out of the connector instead of fixing it because they didn't know it was that easy. Despite your obvious depth of knowledge with hardware, I'd bet most of your subscribers would balk hard at having to solder something in their system. This was a really good informational piece and I'd like to see you do more stuff like this on the main channel.
I did buy a new fan and I still have to disassemble the connector/crimps to get it to work! I also agree that he gives us too much credit 😁 To your main point, I think it's exactly as you suggest: the algorithms. Ever notice all the stupid faces Linus on LTT makes for his video thumbnails? Thank you YT algorithms (and MrBeast)!
I had a wire break off of a small two-pin connector on a garage door safety sensor. This tutorial was exactly the same. Now we're back in business. Thanks, brother!
Awesome Video Steve! Ive ripped a few out my self with my big clumsy hands inside a small case. Never thought of repairing it like that, Pretty interesting to be able to pull the pin out and re-insert it . Its a quick fix for something minor. Thanks for the content !
these Fan & USB ones are much easier to fix/modify than the PSU ones, I thought I give it a go at making braided cables for my PSU & I thought I'll just reuse the original plugs, but man getting them all out was a pain in the butt 🤬, next time I will get new plugs too, but I'm getting there, not like I have anywhere to go with CV lockdown
Thanks Steve! Yes it's basic but it's good to have this stuff from a trustable source, instead of searching the same thing in the web and maybe find an incorrect or incomplete explanation. Love this secondary channel.
I put the 240mm radiator on it and one of the pins separated. GND got loose, I was already prepared to solder it back when I decided to watch your video. Solved the problem without soldering 👍😁
@@jarodatkinson5306 you can tell it's a excelsior refit like the B because of the added pieces near the deflector dish. That's what gets blown up and "kills" cpt Kirk in generations. But it could also be that ship that battled the Defiant in ds9, who's to say
@@N7Trekkie I bow to your encyclopedic knowledge of Trek, Sir.... The Enterprise B story certainly was a cool scene in Generations... ST Beyond was on tele last night... and Enterprise "In a mirror, darkly pt2" is on in 15 mins.... I'm enjoying lock in lol....
That was awesome.... They used so many brilliant guest actors from other ST series in that episode....(and Lt Reid gets to say.. "It's a trap!" lol)...
Thanks Steve! I got a little too anxious with my angle cutters as I removed a zip tie. I was so glad when I googled how to fix it and I saw that the result came up from GN!
thank you, all these years later, for showing how depinning works. this video came in handy and useful when depinning some fans so I can swap fans in a server.
This applies to any cable that plugs into a header as shown. Was able to follow this to fix the cable to a remote receiver for a gas fireplace. So thanks for the great tutorial!
Just did this 5 minutes ago doing a late night rebuild and was gonna go buy a brand new fan because of it but im glad i searched this up because you just saved me like $30
I kept coming up with very ugly solutions for mounting some 80mm fans to the outside of an itx case cover, and this reminded me that I can just run the wires through the cover vent holes, thanks!
Great video, good camera for close up shots... I had dislodged the ground wire out of the header there on my car stereo and I was wanting to fix it and you helped me out a lot appreciate it ..many thanks
This is awesome thanks so much! saved me $25 buying a new fan because the one that came with my brand new case (open box special) came with a wire pulled out.
thanks very much GNSteve. This encouraging howto, which makes it look easy, gave me the confidence to tackle a broken yellow-wire connector on a laptop cpu cooling fan. Helped by a powerful magnifying glass on a 'third hand' soldering iron stand. Michael
Great content! Small side note on the control not being connected: If Control does not receive any signal at all then it should just spin as if it was on full force. Source: Tinkered with far too many fans already ;)
Super helpful, thank you! I was looking all over for how to do this. I had to fix a wire that snapped off the PCH fan connector. OMG, what a pain! Those connectors are tiny, I had to use a magnifier to see what I was doing and it was super finicky. Got it done, but sadly it seems maybe the fan's burnt out or something as the BIOS still just shows "N/A" for that fan :(
I know it is basic. But I appreciate it. If there is other basic repair things you can think of I would be interested. Sometimes you see people throw stuff out instead of spending the 5 mins it would take to do this
Tfw you stay up late on a workday setting up a Minecraft server and playing cause all ur quarantined friends are bored, and when you finally decide to log out and sleep, Steve uploads
@@MegaHellstrike actually pretty fun. Got a nice dockerized setup for bedrock and java. And smaller image sizes than the popular images on docker hub :)
Just yesterday I pulled my aio connector through the wire and fortunately it didn't give out. Thanks for showing me that even if it did, it's not the end of the world lol
Working in electronics production myself I do have to say that this is a bit crude of a fix, but I have done this myself out in the field. (since it honestly does work as a quick short term fix) In production on the other hand one would normally just have new pins on hand and the tools needed to crimp them properly. But if one doesn't have any new pins, nor the crimping tools for them. Then looping the wires through the insulation retention and squeezing down on them with a pair of pliers works. Not going to have the strain relief any more though. And will likely break in "short order" again. (Might though last just fine for years, or it dies within minutes. Depends on vibrations and tension on the wires and such...) I would though not try to force the insulation itself into the holder, that only risks introducing plastic into our "crimp", this could lead to a poor connection if one is unlucky. So instead, just poke the wires through, hold the pins in the pliers, and squeeze down on it all. Though, depending on how the connection got loose to start with. For an example, the wire normally just gets ripped apart instead of sliding out from the crimp itself. If the wire were to slip out from the crimp, then that is a sign of the crimp tooling used to make the connection having excessive wear, or not being properly set up. (One can actually judge crimp tool wear from just looking at the resulting crimp itself. Though, most reputable factories will fix this issues before it become an issue.) In the end, one should generally only unplug cables by pulling on the connector itself, not the wires going into it. If only the connectors had a small handle on them to make them a bit easier to grip. (such do in fact exist, but they cost more. ("a lot more" due to few people buying them due to their higher price. so its a self fulfilling prophecy per see.))
@@benisrood Soldering does work. But just like the quick fix in the video, it typically defeats the strain relief that is part of the crimp. Ie, the cable will most likely break in fairly short order afterwards. (depending on how often it is flexed, if left fully stationary in a vibration free environment, it could last years. But bend it a bit 10-20 times and it is broken.)
Good video. I had to figure this out years ago on my own. Though from my experience I have not encountered a PWM fan that doesn't spin when 12v is applied only to the +12v and Ground pins. I'm currently using an Arctic F12 PWM to cool my audio receiver and its just connected using an old 6v power adapter. If wired directly to the 12.09v it spins at 100% rpm. Wired to 6v it spins much slower and completely silent. Anyway, no sense or control wired up and works great.
yeah, not having the pwm line connected will cause the fan to just run with whatever its supplied with. thats how you get "backwards"compatibility with 3pin headers (which will work just fine with w 4pin fan)
Just ripped out all four wires from a GPU as I was updating the thermal paste. I thought my GPU was ruined, will try this fix now. Thanks for the video.
Removing & reinserting wire pins like this is also great for fans that are wired differently than the consumer PC pinout. Such as some server fans, which when purchased used are a cheap way to get lots of airflow if noise isn't an issue.
@gnsteve I pulled all 4 wires out of my header and lost the orientation of which way they go back in, wires are not marked they are only marked on the header. I took a 50/50 guess on which way they went back in. Is it safe to test the fan if the wiring is flipped the wrong way?
I thought the “too basic” adjective was sarcasm. I’ve been in IT 14 years and never really had to investigate fan connectors. I did not know you could just press down on the metal connector bit to release the pin. This is great because I have a Dell Optiplex with non-standard fan headers. Hopefully I can just pull out the pins of this Noctua fan and rearrange how I insert them back into the connector so it will actually work.
If you want to go the extra mile, you can splay the crimp portions a bit for the sheath and conductor section of the pin, slip in easier, and recrimp both for a more secure contact.
Hooray for keeping serviceable hardware out of landfills! If one were up a creek with a busted blade like that, trimming down the opposite blades to balance weight might make the fan somewhat serviceable. (Falls under the "better than nothing" category.) Unfortunately efficient designs seem to stipulate odd numbers of blades, or one could simply trim off the opposite blade.
More official than I do. I strip the wire and just jam it in until it stays. Although that fan has more issues than just a fan connector, its kinda missing a blade. I remember busting a blade off a fan, thankfully it had an even pattern of blades so I just broke 2 more off to make it balanced again.
I have a Wraith Stealth that came with the wire for the ground pin completely missing so it only works at full bore. Wonder if I should try running my own 4th wire since it's too late to return it.
As Steve mentioned, in most cases the solder terminals for the wires are just under the housing label. If you're at all competent with a soldering iron, it's an easy fix. If you're not competent with a soldering iron, it's good practice, since it's relatively unlikely you'll break it more than it's currently broken. Just don't burn yourself or start a fire.
Dude.. nah, my man - wish I found yours video first, because me feeling dizzy after numerous of similar tutorials watched, and instead of wasting my time similar way, here you went, you did and explained the exact amount of info needed to repeat (in my case try repeating, lol) Just a minor, but in my opinion, quite important observation. After this video, me went to your channel to see how else you can flip my world , and you have so many content here - you have to sort them in playlists, by what field or area your guides help with, droped it as an example, at least superficially sorted. Be sure, I'll go and consume it all even if I don't have those problems, but if there were playlists - would already be slipped into a phantasmagoria of your video's usefulness, and not here writhing this preposterously long comment 🥸
When PWM wire is no longer connected, it's generally pulled up fan side so the fan will just run 100% regardless. The output on the mainboard is an open drain type with a super weak built-in pullup.
I need to do this for a 2 pin fan for another piece of electronics since the other fan I got didn't have the connector. Of course GN has a video on it.
4:00 No, typically they spin at 100%. That is a 5 volt signal that's internally pulled high inside the fan. I've personally pulled apart a lot of fans, never had one not work. Also, 3 and for pin fans are interchangable. 4 pin control let's you spin a fan slowly that voltage adjustments will typically allow. noctua.at/media/wysiwyg/Noctua_PWM_specifications_white_paper.pdf
@@gnsteve8846 Well, the dozen or so I've rewired spin at 100%. I can imagine there are exceptions. To be fare, some of those were the same model. Noctua, Fractal, Sunon, Delta, Servo, AVC and a couple others I don't remember the name of. I think your one fan is the less likely behavior.
@@gnsteve8846 I've never had a fan just stop without a PWM signal. I just tried my Arctic P12 PWM powered from a Molex connector straight from the PSU, so only 12v and GND, and it runs at full speed. Same with literally every other fan in my collection, which is probably at least 30 now. That includes one with 0 RPM modes, like my Noctua NF-F12 iPPC, and my EK Vardar EVO 120ER. Sure, there may be exceptions to the rule, but to say that stopping with no PWM signal is what "typically" happens is very misleading.
My whole fan connecter broke off... Is it just worth getting a who new fan? It’s a LL120, all 4 wires are out of the connectors. Does it matter which cord goes in which hole or can i put the cord in any hole?
I did a really getto job with this and I have no idea if I connected them in the right order (I ripped all 4 cables out of an rgb cable from a corsair fan). I connected them and duct-taped every bit of exposed wire. It it safe to plugg them back in?
Hello! I am not technically savvy at all and was cleaning out my PS5. Not for the first time, but I ran into a problem this time. Accidentally nicked one of the fan wires, and it left a small bit of wire exposed. Kind of panicked in the moment and just wrapped a small bit of electrical tape around it and reassembled. It seems to be running fine for now, but is this an OK fix? Whether short or long term? Not expecting a response, but great videos regardless.
I had this happen to the same type of connector for the RGB header on my EVGA 3080 TI while I was changing its thermal paste. It's too small for me to attempt to fix, but at least it's a simple enough repair.
I have some case fans which I want to change the power at the pin connection rather than removing the fan and flipping it around. the wires are White, Red and Black, which do I have to switch to change the rotation of the fan, or can you do that? Please and thank you.
Can you do the same but for a 3-pin aRGB cable? My EKWB GPU block (out of warranty) somehow got it's female 3-pin connector broken off, so now I'm looking at splicing on a new connector and not sure exactly how to do it.
Hey Steve, I know this is an old video, but I was wondering if I could use the same method to trim fan cables for cable management's sake. My neat-freakness doesn't let me sit easy with folding cables over each other. I have around 8 case fans that I need to organize and I just had the most maddening night trying to put them all in the right place.
@@jeffb1311 well i guess it worked it's time, since it is about 20 years old... it is one of those OG fan size, 80mm or 90mm... don't know since i only started to note fan size by the 120mm and 240mm sizes...
Another way to get the insulation off the wire is to cut the insulation lengthwise with a sharp paring or crafting knife then peel it back and snip it off. This is less likely to cut the wire.
Hi, i accidentally cut of the wires for pmw connector. If after taping it and the 2 ends are touching each other, can the fall still work? Ps: i have not installe it yet.
I remember trying to disconnect the fan header from my brand new X570 board. I had the motherboard already inside the case and realized that I have to connect the fan hub to a SYS_FAN1 connector which was located... next to the CPU 12V connector - top left corner. Good luck trying to pull that thing off with your fingers - no space to grab it, no room to maneuver. Ended up having to use pliers to get a proper grip on the header. Somebody needs to figure out a better connector because sure, connecting is almost foolproof but disconnecting can be a major PITA.
I figure this stuff is too basic for our audience, but plenty of people searching for answers to things like this. Really trivial content, but it's more similar to what we used to do on GN like 8 years ago. Figured I could put some of those older style videos here on occasion, just in case it helps someone searching on Google.
G'day Steve,
I like these "how to fix it" videos, although basic there are still people that are just learning electronics or want to service/repair their own parts,
P.s. I hope you get paid ad revenue by the minute of advertising as I watched 9min of ads before the 5min video started 🙄
personally i apply a tiny bit of solder after i insert the wire, just to make sure in time oxidation doesn't degrade the connection. Also sometimes i attach 3pin headers to PSU fans in which case i usually just solder the wires to an existing header that has all the wires in. For that heat-shrink tubing comes in handy.
Good guy Steve :D
I'm actually planning to test some San Ace fans from Sanyo Denki which comes with only bare wires at the end, this is pretty well timed for me
Now I need to search for "The Verge tweezers" lol. Steve, I have over 10 years experience in Repair/Networking, and I really appreciate this video. I am learning about fans and airflow for my personal PC, but I don't think this is in any way too basic. If you or GN hasn't covered this topic, then I wouldn't consider it trivial at all. Either way, the current production quality is always welcome.
I'm 1:16 into this this video and I wanted to comment saying thank you, because I have a Phantek fan controller that forces me to use some sort of tool just to loosen the fan header. I usually have to pull on the wires a little bit. I also didn't realize that you had your own channel, lol. I'm a huge Steve fan, of course I'll follow. More Steve Content is always a good thing right?
Never thought i'd see this type of video Steve. I'm sure someone will find it helpful
It helped me :)
I saved the video because I bought a Cooler Master fan hub that has tight fan headers if I try to pull out the cables. I had to wrap adhesive tape around the exposed plastic end of a fan cable if I wanted any friction to pull the fan cable.
Helped me :). I would most likely figure it out myself, but I don't like to waste time on simple stuff, so it always better to watch someone else do it first.
I do! 😅
No not at all, there are many people that have no idea what to do with a pulled wire. Very useful video, thank you Steve 🙂.
Hello I am many people lol
since the "verge tutorial" i cant do anything with pcs without thinking about the tweezers^^
Steve, I would put this stuff on the main channel unless there is some algorithm based reason I don't understand not to. With a proper title this kind of content will draw people to your channel from search engine results. Also you are giving your audience too much credit for this kind of stuff. I follow the main channel mostly for your reviews and cool projects. Despite being a pretty handy guy, I didn't know how to do this because I've never had to (I always pull on the connector, not the wire.) I'd bet most of your subscribers would just buy a new fan if they pulled a wire out of the connector instead of fixing it because they didn't know it was that easy. Despite your obvious depth of knowledge with hardware, I'd bet most of your subscribers would balk hard at having to solder something in their system. This was a really good informational piece and I'd like to see you do more stuff like this on the main channel.
I agree!
I did buy a new fan and I still have to disassemble the connector/crimps to get it to work! I also agree that he gives us too much credit 😁
To your main point, I think it's exactly as you suggest: the algorithms. Ever notice all the stupid faces Linus on LTT makes for his video thumbnails? Thank you YT algorithms (and MrBeast)!
I had a wire break off of a small two-pin connector on a garage door safety sensor. This tutorial was exactly the same. Now we're back in business. Thanks, brother!
Awesome Video Steve! Ive ripped a few out my self with my big clumsy hands inside a small case. Never thought of repairing it like that, Pretty interesting to be able to pull the pin out and re-insert it . Its a quick fix for something minor. Thanks for the content !
these Fan & USB ones are much easier to fix/modify than the PSU ones, I thought I give it a go at making braided cables for my PSU & I thought I'll just reuse the original plugs, but man getting them all out was a pain in the butt 🤬, next time I will get new plugs too,
but I'm getting there, not like I have anywhere to go with CV lockdown
Thanks Steve! Yes it's basic but it's good to have this stuff from a trustable source, instead of searching the same thing in the web and maybe find an incorrect or incomplete explanation.
Love this secondary channel.
I put the 240mm radiator on it and one of the pins separated. GND got loose, I was already prepared to solder it back when I decided to watch your video. Solved the problem without soldering 👍😁
That's a nice Enterprise-B. Thanks for all the content despite quarantine, stay safe
Thanks.... I'm a mad trekker but I didn't recognize the ship... Was bothering me cause I thought I knew everything lol.....
@@jarodatkinson5306 you can tell it's a excelsior refit like the B because of the added pieces near the deflector dish. That's what gets blown up and "kills" cpt Kirk in generations. But it could also be that ship that battled the Defiant in ds9, who's to say
@@N7Trekkie I bow to your
encyclopedic knowledge of Trek, Sir.... The Enterprise B story certainly was a cool scene in Generations... ST Beyond was on tele last night... and Enterprise "In a mirror, darkly pt2" is on in 15 mins.... I'm enjoying lock in lol....
@@jarodatkinson5306 I love beyond. I wish they carried the ending of in a mirror darkly into the discovery mirror universe, but oh well. Enjoy!
That was awesome.... They used so many brilliant guest actors from other ST series in that episode....(and Lt Reid gets to say.. "It's a trap!" lol)...
Thanks Steve! I got a little too anxious with my angle cutters as I removed a zip tie. I was so glad when I googled how to fix it and I saw that the result came up from GN!
Thank you, Steve. This saved me a ton of hassle with RMA's and such with my new build.
Thank you for the video, really simple tutorial that teaches people not to follow the verge's way of doing things but instead do it the right way.
thank you, all these years later, for showing how depinning works. this video came in handy and useful when depinning some fans so I can swap fans in a server.
Just cut my 2 hour old brand new fan wire and was pissed at myself, so glad you made this video!
Just repaired a Corsair LL120 fan RGB connector thanks to this video, so thank you Steve and GNStaff
This applies to any cable that plugs into a header as shown. Was able to follow this to fix the cable to a remote receiver for a gas fireplace. So thanks for the great tutorial!
Just did this 5 minutes ago doing a late night rebuild and was gonna go buy a brand new fan because of it but im glad i searched this up because you just saved me like $30
Thanks, I cut it real close to the housing when I cut a tie-down trying to cable manage. You guys are awesome.
I kept coming up with very ugly solutions for mounting some 80mm fans to the outside of an itx case cover, and this reminded me that I can just run the wires through the cover vent holes, thanks!
You saved the fan of my rx 7600xt today... Ripped one of the cables of the connector out today
Great video, good camera for close up shots... I had dislodged the ground wire out of the header there on my car stereo and I was wanting to fix it and you helped me out a lot appreciate it ..many thanks
This is awesome thanks so much! saved me $25 buying a new fan because the one that came with my brand new case (open box special) came with a wire pulled out.
Good to know it's actually that easy to fix these. Thanks for the content!
It's cool that you haven't forgotten the average/beginner folks out there... nice one...
thanks very much GNSteve. This encouraging howto, which makes it look easy, gave me the confidence to tackle a broken yellow-wire connector on a laptop cpu cooling fan. Helped by a powerful magnifying glass on a 'third hand' soldering iron stand. Michael
Man people still remember the verge build. When my son has grand kids I feel that will be be a bed time story.
Great content!
Small side note on the control not being connected: If Control does not receive any signal at all then it should just spin as if it was on full force.
Source: Tinkered with far too many fans already ;)
Awesome video, thanks! Need to re-pin some PC fans to match the pinout of a Cisco router's fans, never knew it was this easy to remove and re-insert!
Using this for an rc car motor fan. Thank you for such a simple and easy video!
Super helpful, thank you! I was looking all over for how to do this. I had to fix a wire that snapped off the PCH fan connector. OMG, what a pain! Those connectors are tiny, I had to use a magnifier to see what I was doing and it was super finicky. Got it done, but sadly it seems maybe the fan's burnt out or something as the BIOS still just shows "N/A" for that fan :(
I know it is basic. But I appreciate it. If there is other basic repair things you can think of I would be interested. Sometimes you see people throw stuff out instead of spending the 5 mins it would take to do this
Tfw you stay up late on a workday setting up a Minecraft server and playing cause all ur quarantined friends are bored, and when you finally decide to log out and sleep, Steve uploads
Sounds like a pretty epic day!
@@MegaHellstrike actually pretty fun. Got a nice dockerized setup for bedrock and java. And smaller image sizes than the popular images on docker hub :)
Verge tweezers still in play. Love it.
I am not a bot.
Please reply and I may not stop replying to you.
Just yesterday I pulled my aio connector through the wire and fortunately it didn't give out. Thanks for showing me that even if it did, it's not the end of the world lol
Working in electronics production myself I do have to say that this is a bit crude of a fix, but I have done this myself out in the field. (since it honestly does work as a quick short term fix)
In production on the other hand one would normally just have new pins on hand and the tools needed to crimp them properly. But if one doesn't have any new pins, nor the crimping tools for them. Then looping the wires through the insulation retention and squeezing down on them with a pair of pliers works. Not going to have the strain relief any more though. And will likely break in "short order" again. (Might though last just fine for years, or it dies within minutes. Depends on vibrations and tension on the wires and such...)
I would though not try to force the insulation itself into the holder, that only risks introducing plastic into our "crimp", this could lead to a poor connection if one is unlucky. So instead, just poke the wires through, hold the pins in the pliers, and squeeze down on it all.
Though, depending on how the connection got loose to start with. For an example, the wire normally just gets ripped apart instead of sliding out from the crimp itself.
If the wire were to slip out from the crimp, then that is a sign of the crimp tooling used to make the connection having excessive wear, or not being properly set up. (One can actually judge crimp tool wear from just looking at the resulting crimp itself. Though, most reputable factories will fix this issues before it become an issue.)
In the end, one should generally only unplug cables by pulling on the connector itself, not the wires going into it. If only the connectors had a small handle on them to make them a bit easier to grip. (such do in fact exist, but they cost more. ("a lot more" due to few people buying them due to their higher price. so its a self fulfilling prophecy per see.))
@@benisrood Soldering does work.
But just like the quick fix in the video, it typically defeats the strain relief that is part of the crimp. Ie, the cable will most likely break in fairly short order afterwards. (depending on how often it is flexed, if left fully stationary in a vibration free environment, it could last years. But bend it a bit 10-20 times and it is broken.)
Thank you bro. You’re the only video that actually yelped
This video helped me in Dec 2022 :) Thanks Steve!
Good video. I had to figure this out years ago on my own. Though from my experience I have not encountered a PWM fan that doesn't spin when 12v is applied only to the +12v and Ground pins. I'm currently using an Arctic F12 PWM to cool my audio receiver and its just connected using an old 6v power adapter. If wired directly to the 12.09v it spins at 100% rpm. Wired to 6v it spins much slower and completely silent. Anyway, no sense or control wired up and works great.
yeah, not having the pwm line connected will cause the fan to just run with whatever its supplied with. thats how you get "backwards"compatibility with 3pin headers (which will work just fine with w 4pin fan)
Just ripped out all four wires from a GPU as I was updating the thermal paste. I thought my GPU was ruined, will try this fix now. Thanks for the video.
Removing & reinserting wire pins like this is also great for fans that are wired differently than the consumer PC pinout. Such as some server fans, which when purchased used are a cheap way to get lots of airflow if noise isn't an issue.
@gnsteve I pulled all 4 wires out of my header and lost the orientation of which way they go back in, wires are not marked they are only marked on the header. I took a 50/50 guess on which way they went back in. Is it safe to test the fan if the wiring is flipped the wrong way?
Thanks Steve. Saved my day!
I thought the “too basic” adjective was sarcasm. I’ve been in IT 14 years and never really had to investigate fan connectors. I did not know you could just press down on the metal connector bit to release the pin. This is great because I have a Dell Optiplex with non-standard fan headers. Hopefully I can just pull out the pins of this Noctua fan and rearrange how I insert them back into the connector so it will actually work.
Thank you this helped me fix my arcade machine's trackball which had a wire that had come out of the header.
Just repaired a USB 2.0 connector with this, thank you!
Extremely helpful, thank you.
Dude you just saved me alot of money thank you👍👍
helped alot more than you think thanks!
Housing = Insulation
If you want to go the extra mile, you can splay the crimp portions a bit for the sheath and conductor section of the pin, slip in easier, and recrimp both for a more secure contact.
Hooray for keeping serviceable hardware out of landfills! If one were up a creek with a busted blade like that, trimming down the opposite blades to balance weight might make the fan somewhat serviceable. (Falls under the "better than nothing" category.) Unfortunately efficient designs seem to stipulate odd numbers of blades, or one could simply trim off the opposite blade.
I got an exam tomorrow and I'm watching you solder wire instead of sleeping lol... Greetings from Argentina
Not even soldering, it's just shoving a wire into a pin.
GNSteve "It ain't much but it's honest work.jpeg"
I waited patiently for a tweezers joke. I was not disappointed.
Hi Steve can you make a video on disconnecting the wire which gives power to RGB lights in 4pin headers...
looking for some solution.
You Rewire My Heart Steve 💖
Wow was looking for a video on this thanks man
Thank you - thought I fucked up my PS5 trying to clean it but fixed it with your help.
More official than I do. I strip the wire and just jam it in until it stays. Although that fan has more issues than just a fan connector, its kinda missing a blade.
I remember busting a blade off a fan, thankfully it had an even pattern of blades so I just broke 2 more off to make it balanced again.
I have a Wraith Stealth that came with the wire for the ground pin completely missing so it only works at full bore. Wonder if I should try running my own 4th wire since it's too late to return it.
As Steve mentioned, in most cases the solder terminals for the wires are just under the housing label. If you're at all competent with a soldering iron, it's an easy fix. If you're not competent with a soldering iron, it's good practice, since it's relatively unlikely you'll break it more than it's currently broken. Just don't burn yourself or start a fire.
Never thought this would be on yt
Dude.. nah, my man - wish I found yours video first, because me feeling dizzy after numerous of similar tutorials watched, and instead of wasting my time similar way, here you went, you did and explained the exact amount of info needed to repeat (in my case try repeating, lol)
Just a minor, but in my opinion, quite important observation. After this video, me went to your channel to see how else you can flip my world , and you have so many content here - you have to sort them in playlists, by what field or area your guides help with, droped it as an example, at least superficially sorted. Be sure, I'll go and consume it all even if I don't have those problems, but if there were playlists - would already be slipped into a phantasmagoria of your video's usefulness, and not here writhing this preposterously long comment 🥸
When PWM wire is no longer connected, it's generally pulled up fan side so the fan will just run 100% regardless. The output on the mainboard is an open drain type with a super weak built-in pullup.
I need to do this for a 2 pin fan for another piece of electronics since the other fan I got didn't have the connector. Of course GN has a video on it.
4:00 No, typically they spin at 100%. That is a 5 volt signal that's internally pulled high inside the fan. I've personally pulled apart a lot of fans, never had one not work. Also, 3 and for pin fans are interchangable. 4 pin control let's you spin a fan slowly that voltage adjustments will typically allow. noctua.at/media/wysiwyg/Noctua_PWM_specifications_white_paper.pdf
Sorry Marc, you're wrong. We just had an Arctic fan have this issue and it did not spin at all. Not all fans behave the same.
@@gnsteve8846 Well, the dozen or so I've rewired spin at 100%. I can imagine there are exceptions. To be fare, some of those were the same model. Noctua, Fractal, Sunon, Delta, Servo, AVC and a couple others I don't remember the name of. I think your one fan is the less likely behavior.
@@gnsteve8846 I've never had a fan just stop without a PWM signal. I just tried my Arctic P12 PWM powered from a Molex connector straight from the PSU, so only 12v and GND, and it runs at full speed. Same with literally every other fan in my collection, which is probably at least 30 now. That includes one with 0 RPM modes, like my Noctua NF-F12 iPPC, and my EK Vardar EVO 120ER. Sure, there may be exceptions to the rule, but to say that stopping with no PWM signal is what "typically" happens is very misleading.
My whole fan connecter broke off... Is it just worth getting a who new fan? It’s a LL120, all 4 wires are out of the connectors. Does it matter which cord goes in which hole or can i put the cord in any hole?
wire cutters? snips? wire strippers? I've been using my teeth to strip wires for 25 years
I did a really getto job with this and I have no idea if I connected them in the right order (I ripped all 4 cables out of an rgb cable from a corsair fan). I connected them and duct-taped every bit of exposed wire. It it safe to plugg them back in?
Hello! I am not technically savvy at all and was cleaning out my PS5. Not for the first time, but I ran into a problem this time. Accidentally nicked one of the fan wires, and it left a small bit of wire exposed. Kind of panicked in the moment and just wrapped a small bit of electrical tape around it and reassembled. It seems to be running fine for now, but is this an OK fix? Whether short or long term? Not expecting a response, but great videos regardless.
I ripped one of the cables off (the red one) I also want to know if this will work or I have to solder it
Is the diagram on your modmat flipped from the pinout on the cable? Looks like the guides on the connector are shown in the wrong position maybe?
The Verge jokes never get old!
I had this happen to the same type of connector for the RGB header on my EVGA 3080 TI while I was changing its thermal paste. It's too small for me to attempt to fix, but at least it's a simple enough repair.
I have some case fans which I want to change the power at the pin connection rather than removing the fan and flipping it around. the wires are White, Red and Black, which do I have to switch to change the rotation of the fan, or can you do that? Please and thank you.
Can you do the same but for a 3-pin aRGB cable? My EKWB GPU block (out of warranty) somehow got it's female 3-pin connector broken off, so now I'm looking at splicing on a new connector and not sure exactly how to do it.
im assuming that this also works for rgb connectors on corsair fans
Hey Steve, I know this is an old video, but I was wondering if I could use the same method to trim fan cables for cable management's sake. My neat-freakness doesn't let me sit easy with folding cables over each other. I have around 8 case fans that I need to organize and I just had the most maddening night trying to put them all in the right place.
Will this work the same way with a Corsair AIO RGB hub for the RGB Fan connectors?
I'm currently in the process of putting my GPU back together after previously having water cooled it and broke the fan header thank you so much
thank you so much that was so helpful
Does this work for an rgb cable as well?
Electrician 101, thanks steve
I keep a large gauge pin in my repair kit for this exact type of issue, paperclip would work fine as well.
nice to know, tho i wonder if you can fix a fan once it starts doing the rumbling noise... (would putting oil in fix it or is it done?)
@@jeffb1311 well i guess it worked it's time, since it is about 20 years old... it is one of those OG fan size, 80mm or 90mm... don't know since i only started to note fan size by the 120mm and 240mm sizes...
Another way to get the insulation off the wire is to cut the insulation lengthwise with a sharp paring or crafting knife then peel it back and snip it off. This is less likely to cut the wire.
Great stuff!
Hi, i accidentally cut of the wires for pmw connector. If after taping it and the 2 ends are touching each other, can the fall still work? Ps: i have not installe it yet.
What brand of fan is/was that anyway? I've never seen a blade come off before!
Looks like a Fractal Design Venturi HP-12
Mountain biking season has started back up here now. Aren't you excited?
Well I broke every wire sooo... Can I still fix it?
How about if the pin got missing? How do you replace it?
I had a Fractal Design fan blade break and Fractal replaced it. I had the same situation with Noctua and they would not replace it.
what if the pin doesn't seperate cleanly, and there are little bits of loose wire stuck inside the pin?
My liquid freezer II came like this. Had to replace it.
Thank you steve this just happened to me haha
Thanks the fan spins but the rgb doesn’t work. But I am satisfied 👍
I remember trying to disconnect the fan header from my brand new X570 board. I had the motherboard already inside the case and realized that I have to connect the fan hub to a SYS_FAN1 connector which was located... next to the CPU 12V connector - top left corner. Good luck trying to pull that thing off with your fingers - no space to grab it, no room to maneuver. Ended up having to use pliers to get a proper grip on the header. Somebody needs to figure out a better connector because sure, connecting is almost foolproof but disconnecting can be a major PITA.
Does it still matter which way it goes in for a gpu fan?
One of my headers in my car had the clip glued, I tried to push it out with a screwdriver and ended up denting the pin any advice how to fix this?
Is it possible to remove the shield of a male connector?? I need it to connect my rgb cause it wont fit with the shield
Next up: how to repair a USB header