Fan Controllers' Maximum Power / Lian Li TR-3A

Can anyone tell me in general do fan controllers such as the Lian-Li TR-3A get their power (for itself and the fans) directly from the PSU or does it connect to a header on the motherboard? Also what is the maximum power rating per channel for the TR-3A. I can't find the specifications anyway.

The CPU fan I want to use is the Panflo FBA12G12H1 which is has a power consumption of 5.52W. Am I right in assuming that if I connect the fan to the controller I don't need to worry about the maximum power rating of the fan header on the motherboard since I don't need to connect it to that? (I don't need to monitor with software).

Many thanks!

For multiple fans, it'll have to do it through the PSU I'd imagine. 1x molex normally does it. :)

That said, it could in theory get it from the motherboard and essentially work as an in-line resistor, but it would all be a bit backwards.

//edit: looking this pic of the TR-3A, it looks like it gets powered through a 4-pin floppy connector.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. My main concern was that I didn't want to burn out the header on my motherboard and/or the one on the fan controller. However, since its getting its power for itself and the fans from the PSU this isn't a problem.

The CPU fan I'm going to be using is a Panaflo FBA12G12H1BX which has a power consumption of 5.52W and then there are the case fans. I'm actually going to need two TR-3As because the case I'm going to be using (Lian Li PC-A10A has four 120mm fans).

Can I just check that you can adjust the speed of each fan with the TR-3A? There are just two buttons from what I can see so I'm wondering how well it works.

Many thanks!

In my experience (admittedly with a zalman controller) thatll be far too much power, i used to use a 92mm delta FFB fan on my cpu, and after about 4 weeks it got stuck on full power.

If i were you id question the need for such a powerful fan, most coolers nowadays will perform very will with low speed/noise fans. WHich one are you planning on using? And what are you cooling?

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I have a MSI K8N SLi motherboard with a AMD FX-60 in a Lian Li PC-A10A case. I know the fan is more powerful than most needs but with a controller I'd like the option of being able to turn it up. Also Panflo are excellent and reliable fans.

The heatsink I'll be using is Thermalright Ultra-120.
My main concern is the maximum power rating per channel for the Lian Li fan controller. The fan I'm getting has a power consumption of 5.52W.

Many thanks!

Someone has told me that the TR-3A cannot adjust the fan speeds manually but does this automatically according to temperature. Can anyone confirm this please? If so can you set a temperature target for each fan individually?

Many thanks!