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How does one connect an 80mm Antec 3-LED case fan to the PS?

brigden

brigden

Diamond Member
How the hell does one connect an 80mm Antec 3-LED case fan to the PS if the 4-pin connector from the fan is female and all the 4-pin connectors from the PS are also female?

I suppose I need a double male adapter, but where does one find such a product?
 
Interesting PSU. All the PSUs I've used have male 4-pin plugs. Are you sure you're not overlooking something? :camera:'s?

Ahhh, and I see we are cross-posting today? You should know better, with 800+ posts now.
 
Ah, mechBgon, where would I be without you. You truly are a savior. And, you are right, I should know better, but I'm very annoyed with the issue.

Anyway, the PSU is an Antec SmartBlue 350, within an Antec Lanboy. (Don't get me started on this poorly designed case...)

The PSU's molex power connectors are all female, which is typical, right? If all devices (HDD, CD-ROM, etc.) have male connections, then it only makes sense that the connectors are female. The fan's molex is also female, which strikes me as retarded, especially as there was no adapter included with the fan.

I can't provide pics as the PC is at the my friend's home.
 
The plastic plug on the PSU's connectors is 4-pin male (it fits inside the receptacle on a hard drive, CD-ROM drive, or fan). The metal pins inside these plugs are female pins (they fit over the pins in the hard drive, CD-ROM drive, or fan).

Since the system is working, it's clear that your PSU doesn't have female plugs. If your fan's plugs look like the ones in this photo then they should plug into your PSU just like a hard drive does.
 
I would call the molex from the PSU female, but I suppose you're call the molex male, and the pins female. Confusing. Obviously, a device like a HDD would have male pins, hence that's why I called the molex female.

Anyway, apparently the Antec fan we bought is missing it's adapter. It has the opposite connection as the one you linked.
 
So let me get this straight 😀

  • The fan's metal pins are pointy male pins? or hollow female pins?
  • The fan's plastic plug is male like the ones on the PSU? or female like the power receptacle on a hard drive?
Bottom line, if your fan's 4-pin plug doesn't look like the one in the Newegg photo (female plastic plug, male metal pins) then it's mis-manufactured. A 4-pin fan doesn't come with a 3-pin-to-4-pin adapter because it has no need of one, it's 4-pin already.
 
The fan's metal pins are female, the plastic plug is male.
The PSU's metal pins are female, the plastic plugs are male.
 
I'm not sure they did. Read the instructions for installing the fan:

1. Connect to a non-variable power connector only. For best performance, Antec recommends that LED fans only be connected to a standard (steady-voltage) 12V DC power connector. If your motherboard or power supply supports fan speed control, DO NOT connect the LED fan to that variable-voltage header or output.

2. The LED fan comes equipped with a 3-pin power connector. It also includes a 4-pin power connector adapter (installed) with power pass-through feature. To connect to a motherboard header, remove the adapter and use the 3-pin connector. To connect to your power supply, leave the adapter attached and plug the 4-pin connector into an available connector. You may plug another device into the other side of the adapter connector and power it, so you don't lose a power plug with the LED fan.

3. The LED fan supports fan speed monitoring through the 3-pin connector. If you choose to connect the LED fan to your power supply but your motherboard supports fan speed monitoring, you may connect the signal wire adapter (3-pin connector with only one wire) to your motherboard header. The fan speed signal wire does not need to be connected for the LED fan to function properly.

Seems like the fan is supposed to come with an adapter.
 
The LED fan comes equipped with a 3-pin power connector
Click to expand...
Those sound like the instructions for a 3-pin version of your fan. If the fan were natively wired with a single 3-pin plug, then the 3-pin-to-4-pin adapter with the RPM bypass would be a logical accessory to include. But the fan in the photo would have no need of one, since it's wired that way natively already. Looking at the Antec LED fans at Newegg, I don't see any of them coming with such an adapter, and all of them appear to have female 4-pin plastic plugs so that they can plug directly into the power supply, which is an entirely logical way to make them. I think whoever makes these fans for Antec goofed up on a batch.
 
The fan has both a 3-pin mobo connector and a 4-pin female power connector. This below statement leads me to believe we are missing an adapter:

To connect to your power supply, leave the adapter attached and plug the 4-pin connector into an available connector. You may plug another device into the other side of the adapter connector and power it, so you don't lose a power plug with the LED fan.
Click to expand...
 
I think those instructions are outdated. Note that they refer to the fan as having a 3-pin power connector, which it doesn't... it has a 3-pin/1-wire RPM connector plus a 4-pin power connnector. I'm done fretting about a $9 fan for today 🙂 but if anyone else wants to comment, go right ahead 😀
 
The instructions are somewhat outdated but still apply. The molex you are describing is the pass through. If you select a couple of the fans on the newegg link and choose view you will see that one side accepts the pins and the other has pins meaning you can plug the power supply lead into one side and another four pin device into the other side. You are not missing anything. I could be wrong but if you look closely I don't think I am.
 
The fan has one 3-pin RPM motherboard connector, and one 4-pin molex (with female pins). That's it. No other connectors. Nothing.

The PSU, like all PSUs, has molexes with female pins. Therefore, the fan cannot be connected to the PSU.

I have never seen a fan like this before.

I am very, very annoyed this is causing me such grief.
 
I don't want to irratate you any further but are there any holes on the side of the molex opposite the pins?
 
LOL. I'm not THAT irritated.

The female pins are in a male molex housing. The molex is not female and the pins are NOT male.
 
Does the molex look at all like this. Notice the holes in the back for plug in and also that the wire does not enter the molex in the normal fashion. This is the view of the other side which seems to be what you are describing.

.
...............................-l--l--l--l-......P T
................................l PINS l.......A H
..........Wires in ----->-------- ........S R
................................l NO l........S U
................................l PINS l
............................... 00000

I f this isn't it you must have a mutant fan.




 
Originally posted by: fredtam
Does the molex look at all like this. Notice the holes in the back for plug in and also that the wire does not enter the molex in the normal fashion. This is the view of the other side which seems to be what you are describing.

.
...............................-l--l--l--l-......P T
................................l PINS l.......A H
..........Wires in ----->-------- ........S R
................................l NO l........S U
................................l PINS l
............................... 00000

I f this isn't it you must have a mutant fan.
Click to expand...

That's the kind of connection I was expecting, but it's not. We've got a mutant fan here, folks. Antec buggered up, and I'm going to return the fan on Monday.

Thanks a lot, guys. Especially, you mechBgon.

Cheers.
 
my antec led fan is like the one pictures
it has a dual connector...the front is female/back is male....i just plugged it to the back of a hdd and then plugged the PSU to the back of that
 
I am with sman. I just installed an Antec case fan and it had a single plastic plug with male on one end and femail on the reverse end so it didn't matter which you needed (but it looked like one single plug). I think you are:

1. Missing a piece.

2. Overlooking a connector.

3. Using the wrong type of fan that just isn't made standard.

Good luck!
 
All this talk about weather the molex plastic piece is male or female, the metal pins are male or female is driving me crazy. I am with Huesman on this one. The pins are all that matter. If the connector looks like it has little penis' coming out of it, it is male. If there are HOLES in the connector, well then it is FEMALE. I hope I don't get banned because I used the p-word. Unfortunately, it is the only definition I could come up with to adequately describe the situation. Sorry if I offended anyone.
As to the original question, does look like your buggered. Eother your missing the adapter, the fan must be hooked up using the little connector and the molex is only a power pass-thorugh, or antec screwed up. I highly doubt it is the latter, but you never know.
 
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