Corsair C-Link Cable to fan controller jury rig...

GNJSundae · 10 Dec 2015 at 12:36

Hey Overclockers!

I got a Corsair RM650 earlier this year and I love it!
Recently I built my own rig and have really started monitoring temperatures.
I'm interested in whether the fan ever spins up and and any other information about the PSU.

I am NOT going to pay :eek:

£10

for one silly little "CorsairLink to USB" cable and was wondering if there was any jury rig I could do?
I've got a Lamptron Touch FC fan controller and was wondering if I could get it to read the fan speed cable?

I'm very happy taking the C-Link cable apart and rewiring it if necessary.

Many thanks,

GNJSundae

snips86x · 10 Dec 2015 at 12:41

Not sure about the cable but the Corsair website says:

The Corsair RM650 is fully modular and optimized for silence and high efficiency. It’s built with low-noise capacitors and transformers, and Zero RPM Fan Mode ensures that the fan doesn’t even spin until the power supply is under heavy load. And with a fan that’s custom-designed for low noise operation, it’s whisper-quiet even when it’s pushed hard.

Tealc · 10 Dec 2015 at 12:41

What sort of cable is this CorsairLink to USB? Does it have any active electronics at any point on the cable?

GNJSundae · 10 Dec 2015 at 13:13

Thanks for the amazingly quick reply's guys!

Tealc said:
What sort of cable is this CorsairLink to USB? Does it have any active electronics at any point on the cable?

The cable is: http://www.corsair.com/en-gb/corsair-link-analog-to-digital-bridge-cable-for-rm-series-psu
That's what I'm trying to work out, it does say analog to digital so there may well be electronics. But the speed feedback into the controller I imagine is analog?

Thanks again!

Tealc · 10 Dec 2015 at 17:55

Hmm well that certainly has some active electronics stuff going on there, possibly some sort of USB bridge. Either that or they put those big blocks on the cable for fun, or just to put people off modding. It could also be just a rather elaborate encapsulated cable joining mechanism, but I doubt it.

I'm afraid without probing around on the output connector and internally with a good multimeter and an understanding of PCBs and electronics you will struggle to identify what data leaves the PSU and how you could interpret and use it for your own means. An intriguing project for a budding electronics hobbyist but perhaps a bit of a stretch otherwise.

You may be lucky and have an untouched tach signal coming direct from the fan on one of the pins, which when referenced to the ground of the supply will give you a pulse every 1/2 a turn which could be fed direct to a motherboard header.

I

GNJSundae · 10 Dec 2015 at 21:53

Tealc said:
Hmm well that certainly has some active electronics stuff going on there, possibly some sort of USB bridge. Either that or they put those big blocks on the cable for fun, or just to put people off modding. It could also be just a rather elaborate encapsulated cable joining mechanism, but I doubt it.

I'm afraid without probing around on the output connector and internally with a good multimeter and an understanding of PCBs and electronics you will struggle to identify what data leaves the PSU and how you could interpret and use it for your own means. An intriguing project for a budding electronics hobbyist but perhaps a bit of a stretch otherwise.

You may be lucky and have an untouched tach signal coming direct from the fan on one of the pins, which when referenced to the ground of the supply will give you a pulse every 1/2 a turn which could be fed direct to a motherboard header.

I

Thanks a load for this!

I'll give the multimeter a go, any idea on the strength of the signal i.e what to set the meter to?