How To Connect 3 PIN RGB To a 4 pin Header?
Making the switch from a three-pin RGB connection to a four-pin header can seem confusing at first, but it can be a breeze with the proper guidance. This tutorial will show you how to make the switch and highlight some benefits. So if you’re ready to breathe new life into your old tech, keep reading!
You can connect a three-pin RGB header to a four-pin RGB header. However, you will not be able to control the full range of colors available with a four-pin header. Additionally, it is essential to note that motherboards require specific pin configurations for RGB to work.
Most motherboards have both 3-pin and 4-pin headers on them. There are few with only 4-pin headers. These motherboards are made explicitly for the RGB fans and mostly are the gaming motherboard. It would be best to connect a 3-pin to a 4-pin converter to use these 4-pin headers.
How To Connect 3 PIN RGB To a 4 PIN Header?
To connect a 3-pin RGB header to a 4-pin header, you must use an RGB adapter. It will allow you to connect the 3-pin jack to the fourth pin on the header. It is the easiest way to connect the header and provide the best connection for your RGB devices.
Here are the 4 ways & tips for you to do it. Each method has its benefits, so read on to find out which one is right for you:
4 Best Ways To Connect 3 PIN RGB To a 4-pin Header
1. By Using 3-Pin to 4-Pin Adapter:
There are a few different types of adapters available, but the most common is the 3-pin to 4-pin Adapter. These adapters are available in a wide range, from a multi-hub to a single adapter. If you want to connect multiple 3-Pin RGBs, you must use a multi-pin hub. These hubs are safe and reliable to use.
These hubs will allow you to plug your 3-pin RGB lights into a 4-pin header on your motherboard. Here is how you can set up a hub:
- First, you have to connect the Adapter or hub with the power source. Plugin the power cable of the Adapter into the power cable of the power supply.
- Connect the 3-pin heads of wire with the hub point.
- Now connect the other end with your 4-pin header.
Using these connections won’t change the current or voltage but will affect the control over RGB lights. One 4th head of RGB is always used to transfer data which allows you to control and customize your RGB through different software.
2. By Using Splitting Cables:
Another option is to use a splitter. It is essentially a 3-pin to a 4-pin wire cable that allows you to connect multiple 3-pin RGB lights to a single 4-pin header. This is a great option if you want to add more than one light to your system.
- Locate the 3-pin header on the motherboard of your computer.
- Plugin the 3-pin side of the splitting cable and connect the other 4-pin end with the fan or light.
- Now turn on your computer to ensure all the connections are correct.
3. By Using USB Controller:
If your motherboard does not have a 4-pin RGB header, you can use a USB controller.
First, you will need to connect the 3-pin RGB header to the controller using jumper wires. Once that is done, you can connect the controller to an available USB port on your motherboard.
This is the best method if your motherboard lacks 3 Pin headers and an extra power cable. The hub will convert the 3-pins, and the USB will provide the power to the hub.
4. By Making Your Adapter:
If you are feeling confident, you can make your own Adapter using some jumper wires. It will require a d
- Cut three pieces of wire that are about 10 cm long.
- Remove each strip of ½ cm of insulation from each end of the wires.
- Now, take the black wire and connect it to the ground (GND) pin on both the 3-pin and 4-pin headers.
- Next, connect the red wires to the +5V pin on both headers.
- Lastly, connect the yellow wire to the D- pin on both headers.
- You don’t need to connect the green wire of the 4-pin header, it is because is an extra ground wire in this case.
The biggest difference between a 3 and 4-pin header is that a 4-pin header has an extra ground connection. This extra ground connection can also be eliminated. This is often a green color wire. In the 4-pin header, it serves as a data wire but in the 3-pin header, it is an extra ground.
Is It Safe To Use 3 Pin RGB To a 4 Pin Header?
If you use a good quality converter or make your own Adapter using good quality jumper wires, then it is perfectly safe to use a 3-pin RGB header to connect to a 4-pin header. However, if you use a poor-quality converter or make your own Adapter using cheap jumper wires, then it might damage your motherboard.
The simple answer is yes, it is safe to connect a 3-pin RGB to a 4-pin header. Using converters and controllers is the best and safe way. However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind in order to ensure that everything works correctly and safely.
- Don’t use low-quality adapters, converters, or USB converters.
They may damage your motherboard by causing overheating. - Converters or controllers consume extra power from the motherboard or power supply, they may cause voltage shortages.
- Some motherboards don’t support multiple RGB connections. Using multiple 3-pin t 4-pin wires may damage their hardware.
Drawbacks of Using 3 PIN RGB to a 4 PIN Header
The main drawback of using a 3-pin header to connect to a 4-pin header is that you will not be able to control the speed and customize the RGB lights. The 4-pin header allows you to control the speed of the RGB lights, but the 3-pin header does not.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if you are using an RGB controller, then it might not work with a 3-pin header. So, if you want to use an RGB controller, make sure that it is compatible with a 3-pin header.
USB-based RGB hubs or controllers occupy one of your crucial USB slots. If you have limited slots, then the best option is to buy power supply supported RGB controllers or adapters.
Connecting multiple fans on a single header may cause overheating and damage your hardware. The connector attached to the fan and supply may overheat and cause damage.
The last and the most important point is the control over RGB. 4 pin headers allow complete control over RGB, whether it is light or fans. It means you can control color, sequence of colors, and fan speed in the case of RGB fans. The 3-pin RGB are basically 5v ARGBs that do not support such features.
Key Differences Between 3-Pin and 4-Pin RGB Header:
The 3-pin and 4-pin RGB headers are different in terms of their pin configurations. The fourth pin is used for configuration and control of the color and fan speed in the case of 4-pin RGB headers, while the third pin is used for power supply in the case of 3-pin RGB headers.
Another difference is that a 3-pin RGB header can support up to four LED devices, while a 4-pin RGB header can support only two LED devices. This difference is because 3-pin RGB headers transfer power as well as data while 4-pin RGB headers just transfer data.
The other notable difference between 3-pin and 4-pin RGB headers is that the 4-pin supports digital control whereas the 3-pin doesn’t. This means that you can use software to control the color of an LED wired to a 4-pin header, but you can’t do so with an LED wired to a 3-pin header.
| 3-Pin RGB Header | 4-Pin RGB Header |
| The third pin only controls power. | The fourth pin is used to control data |
| It can support up to 3 multiple RGB devices. | It can support up to 4 multiple RGB devices. |
| You can’t configure color combinations or fan speed. | You can configure color combinations and fan speed using software. |
| It is 5v ARGB supported. | It is 12v RGB supported. |
So, if you’re looking to add some color to your PC, you’ll need to decide whether you want to use a 3-pin or 4-pin RGB header.
Final words
I hope these 4 Best methods will help you safely connect 3 PIN RGB to a 4 PIN header.
All these methods, including Adapter and controller, are testified methods. Though there are some drawbacks, provided methods are safe. There are a few key differences between 3-pin and 4-pin header connectors that are important to know when selecting the right one for your application.
The number of pins is the most obvious difference, but there are also some slight variations in pin configuration and spacing that can make a big difference in how well the connector performs.
What’s the Difference? (RGB vs ARGB)
What is the difference between Addressable vs Non-Addressable RGB LED lighting (RGB vs ARGB)? What is 5V vs 12V? What are 3-pin vs 4-pin headers?
When I was first searching for RGB fans and lighting for my gaming PC, I had a lot of issues finding a good explanation of these questions. There wasn’t a very good guide or easily understood post about this topic.
So, today we’re going to explain these concepts.
And whether you’re a new or experienced PC builder, hopefully this will help if you’re in the same situation I was!
Topics Covered:
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Addressable vs Non-Addressable RGB LED’s
So, what is the difference between addressable and non-addressable LED lighting? To answer that you have to understand what is going on in an RGB LED strip or fan.
In these devices, there are individual LED light sources. LED stands for light emitting diode. So, you have sometimes 10-100 LED chips (or sources) on each light strip, fan, or whatever RGB gear it is.
Addressable LED (AGRB)
With addressable RGB, each one of these individual LED chips can be programmed on it’s own. So, you can individually control what colors are showing up (Red, Green, Blue, or White). You can also control that individual chip’s brightness, whether it’s on or off, and other aspects of it’s lighting as well.
Non-Addressable LED (RGB)
With non-addressable RGB, whatever commands you provide to the LED’s will affect every LED on the circuit.
Each LED chip is not individually controlled. So, if you want one LED to be Blue, then every LED will be Blue. If you want one LED to be off, then all the LED’s will be off.
What Does This Mean for You?
What does that mean for you? Well, you have a lot more customization options when it comes to addressable RGB LED’s. You are able to individually control the effects for each individual LED. The effect of this can be super cool for your gaming setup.
But, if you typically only use one or two colors for your gaming setup (without any effects), then it really won’t matter which one you go with. Another issue is that you have to consider which RGB headers your motherboard has.
When it comes to the difference of 3-pin vs 4-pin motherboard headers, you have to look at a few different factors. For one, they are different connections, so if you directly plug on into the other, you could cause a short on your motherboard (so be careful!).
The 3-pin header, which is 5V, can also be referred to as the “digital RGB header”, or “addressable RGB header” (DRGB, ARGB).
This header uses separate pins for power, data and ground. This data pin is why it’s referred to as “digital”, because it sends a data stream across the pin.
For you, this means that each LED can be individually addressed (or controlled). When you send information through this pin, the first LED uses the first part of the data, then passes the right along and so on.
The 4-pin header, which is 12V, can also be referred to as an “typical RGB header” or “non-addressable RGB header”. This header has the 4 pins used for red, blue, green and ground. So, there is no data stream in this setup. When you send information through the blue pin (0 = off, 1 = on), you either turn that color on or off.
For you, this means that every LED on the same strip or circuit will be the same. There is no individual control over the LED’s because there is no “data” stream. While this isn’t the most in-depth explanation of how this works, it does give a decent explanation of why they are different.
Can You Use a 4-pin Connector with a 3-pin Connector?
While it might seem like if your motherboard has a 4-pin connector, you could just connect a 3-pin LED strip to it (and vice-versa). But, this isn’t the case. Other than being a literally different connection, they run different voltages. You are at a risk for shorting parts of your motherboard or your LED strip.
Make sure you know what RGB connections your motherboard has and the LED strips or fans you’re using have. It is possible for your motherboard to have BOTH 3-pin and 4-pin connectors!
What’s Better: Addressable or Non-Addressable Lighting?
When it comes to RGB LED lighting, what is better: addressable or non-addressable (RGB vs ARGB)? Well, that is up to you and your lighting purposes.
Typically, we recommend using addressable lighting because it just gives you more options for lighting effects. Because each individual LED node is customizable, it gives you a lot of adjustability.
You can easily match your gaming setup and other RGB lighting to each other.
However, if your motherboard doesn’t support 5V addressable RGB, then you might have to use non-addressable LED’s so that you still are able to have RGB lighting! Non-addressable RGB’s have been around for a while now, so you don’t loose out on a whole lot. And, especially if you only use one or two colors for your gaming setup, you don’t really need a lot of addressable effects!
In the end, it comes down to your personal preferences, what you need and what is in your budget! While addressable RGB fans (RGB) look awesome, you might find some non-addressable ones (ARGB) that look great too.
How to connect RGB lighting?
What is RGB?
These are 12 volt connectors and usually have 4 pins. One of the pins is 12 volts and the other 3 controls the green, red and blue levels of our backlight. All sections of RGB strips and RGB fans can only light one color at a time.
A
RGB device can shine in different colors and at different intensities, but at one time, ALL of its LEDs will show ONLY ONE color.
The standard RGB fan and RGB strip connectors are a 4-pin female connector. The pin labeled «triangle» or «arrow» corresponds to the 12 volt pin on the motherboard.
What is ARGB?
ARGB connector has 3 pins instead of 4. The standard ARGB connector is a 3-pin female connector. The pin labeled «triangle» corresponds to the 5 volt pin on the motherboard.
ARGB backlighting is when the device’s LEDs can simultaneously glow in different colors in different areas.
How to synchronize RGB and ARGB?
RGB and ARGB controllers and devices are not compatible with each other. You cannot connect a device with an addressable ARGB connector to a non-addressable RGB controller, and vice versa.
What to do if your motherboard does not have ARGB connectors, and you have already bought such fans and you really want a beautiful iridescent backlight with all the colors of the rainbow?
In this case, you can use external ARGB controllers, which, as a rule, are included in sets of 3-5 ARGB fans.
They usually have built-in backlight modes and provide connection of additional fans.
To control the lighting of RGB and ARGB devices using the motherboard, use special software from your motherboard manufacturer.
This is RGB-Fusion for the Gigabyte brand, ASRock Polychrome RGB, MSI Mystic Light, Asus Aura, etc. case. It already depends on the specific device.
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1. RGB — four-pin 12-volt connector. All sections of RGB devices can be lit at the same time ONLY in one color.
2. ARGB — 3-pin 5-volt connector. ARGB devices can simultaneously glow in different colors in different areas
3. RGB and ARGB devices and controllers are not electrically and logically compatible with each other
4. If your motherboard does not have RGB or ARGB connectors, then you can use external controllers from third-party manufacturers.
5. You can control the backlight of devices connected to the motherboard using special software
6.
When using third-party controllers included in the case or fan kits, backlight modes can be controlled both using software and using the remote control or a button on the case. It already depends on the specific device.
7. To avoid compatibility issues, I recommend that you check your motherboard’s lighting control capabilities before buying, think about how you will connect fans and ribbons, and what RGB devices are needed for this.
How to connect LED strip for home to 220V network. Do-it-yourself connection of the LED strip to 220.
This article will discuss various options for how to connect an LED strip to a 220 Volt household electrical outlet with your own hands.
LED strips are powered by direct current with a voltage of 12 or 24 Volts, so they cannot be connected directly to a 220V socket, an appropriate power supply is required.
LED strip is usually sold in 5m spools.
A simple diagram for connecting 5 meters of LED strip to a 220V network will look like this:
The input wires of the power supply are connected to the 220V network: brown — phase, blue — zero, and yellow-green — ground (often not used).
The output wires are connected to the LED strip. When connecting the tape to the power supply, it is important to observe the polarity: plus to plus, minus to minus.
There is always a polarity designation on the tape cable, the wires on the tape reels are also color-coded: red — plus, black — minus. If the polarity is reversed, the tape will not work.
Further, the connection diagrams will differ depending on the components used and the number of connected tape.
Parallel connection of LED strip.
When connecting more than 5 meters, it is important to remember: the coils of the LED strip are connected to the power supply of only in parallel with . Serial connection does not guarantee normal operation of the tape.
What does it mean. You can not connect the beginning of the second to the end of the first tape. With this connection, the current to power the second tape will flow through the conductive paths of the first tape,
which are not designed for this excess current. The first tape will begin to overheat, which will significantly reduce its service life.
When connected in parallel, each section of the tape is connected to the power supply independently of the others. To do this, it is enough to connect each section of the tape to the power supply with separate wires.
There is another option for parallel connection of the LED strip — stretch one line from the power supply, to which sections of the strip will be connected in the right places. The diagram of this connection method will look like this:
Voltage losses
In the diagram above, you can see that each section of the LED strip is connected to the line from two sides. This is an optional condition that will help avoid some problems..jpg)
When using a powerful LED strip (14.4 W / m and more), voltage losses occur along the entire length of its sections, which are expressed in a decreasing brightness of the glow closer to the end of the section. And when using a multi-color RGB tape, color distortion may occur. To eliminate these problems, each section should be connected on both sides.
How to connect an LED strip to a dimmer.
LED strip dimmers powered by 12/24V and connected to the circuit between the power supply and the LED strip. The dimmer input is connected to the output of the power supply,
then an LED strip is connected to the output of the dimmer. It is important to remember to observe polarity. Consider a diagram of how to connect a home LED strip to a dimmer:
The power of the dimmer should be sufficient to connect the required amount of strip. If the dimmer power is less than the total power of the connected tape, an amplifier must be used.
Wiring diagram for LED strips with an amplifier.
The power of the dimmer for LED strips is not enough, then an amplifier is used together with the dimmer. A tape is connected to the dimmer, with a total power,
not exceeding the power of the dimmer, then the output of the dimmer is connected to the input (“Input”) of the amplifier. The remaining tape is connected to the output (“Output”) of the amplifier if its total power does not exceed the power of the amplifier.
Then a 12V power supply is connected to the power input (“Power”) of the amplifier. This can be a second separate power supply or a connection to the first power supply if it has enough power to power the entire tape.
Consider the scheme for connecting an LED strip to an amplifier with your own hands:
Thus, with the help of amplifiers, you can connect any number of tapes to one dimmer.
Multicolor RGB LED strip connection.
A prerequisite for using an RGB tape is the presence of an RGB controller. Unlike a single-color strip, the RGB LED strip is connected with four wires, not two.
This is due to the specifics of the operation of such a tape — in each diode there are three crystals of different colors: red (R — red), green (G — green) and blue (B — blue).
Three wires are responsible for controlling the corresponding colors, the fourth one is responsible for power supply. By mixing these three colors in different proportions, you can achieve almost any shade.
This mixture is handled by the RGB controller. RGB LED strip wires are usually marked with colors: red — R, green — G, blue — B, black or white — power «+».
There is also always a marking on the ribbon train. Four wires of the RGB tape are connected to the corresponding RGB connectors of the controller, the controller is connected by two wires to the power supply.
It must be remembered that the power of the RGB controller, as in the case of dimmers, must be sufficient to connect the required amount of LED strip.
RGB amplifier connection.
If the RGB controller does not have enough power to connect all the necessary tape, an RGB amplifier is used.
The connection principle is the same as in the case of a single-color amplifier,
but adjusted for 4 contacts in RGB tape. An LED strip is connected to the RGB controller, with a total power not exceeding the power of the controller, then the output of the RGB controller is connected to the input (“Input”) of the RGB amplifier.
The remaining tape is connected to the output (“Output”) of the RGB amplifier, if its total power does not exceed the power of the amplifier. Then a 12V power supply is connected to the power input (“Power”) of the amplifier.
This can be a second separate power supply or a connection to the first power supply if it has enough power to power the entire tape.
Thus, with the help of RGB amplifiers, you can connect any number of RGB tapes to one RGB controller.
Managed SPI tape connection.
A dedicated SPI controller is required to use an SPI controlled tape. There are 4 contacts on the controlled tape: DIN+ (control signal), +12V (power «+»),
and two GND contacts (ground, power «-«).
