Detecting When Computer is Working

kiltman67 · 4 Oct 2006 at 20:27

How do devices, like Fan Controllers for example, detect that a computer is "working"?

I know the HDD Busy LED is connected to the Motherboard but in reading the manuals for these devices (one of which being the Aerocool GateWatch) it makes no mention of connecting the device to the same connector on the motherboard, so how do these devices know when all they seem to have externally are connections for fans and temperature sensors.

wizardmaxx · 5 Oct 2006 at 06:27

Surely you got to connect a molex to it for power? When you press the power switch, psu kicks in and starts supplying the controller.

rpstewart · 5 Oct 2006 at 08:43

kiltman67 said:
How do devices, like Fan Controllers for example, detect that a computer is "working"?

I know the HDD Busy LED is connected to the Motherboard but in reading the manuals for these devices (one of which being the Aerocool GateWatch) it makes no mention of connecting the device to the same connector on the motherboard, so how do these devices know when all they seem to have externally are connections for fans and temperature sensors.

In the case of automated fan controllers it's quite simple - they don't know what the PC is doing. All they do is control the speed of fans based on the temperature reported by their sensors.

kiltman67 · 5 Oct 2006 at 21:20

wizardmaxx said:
Surely you got to connect a molex to it for power? When you press the power switch, psu kicks in and starts supplying the controller.

I may have misunderstood the description but the AeroCool Gatewatch seems able to report when the computer is busy in the same way as the HDD Busy LED on the case.

daven1986 · 5 Oct 2006 at 21:39

well it would then just be plugged into that i think. the way the computer does it is to monitor the bus i guess and when data is travelling then the light flashes.

daven