PirateDog Tech RGB Adapters for Corsair Controllers
Ahoy there, matey! Thank you for purchasing the one of PirateDog Tech’s exclusive Corsair RGB Adapters. These adapters allow you to connect a wide variety of 3rd party RGB devices to Corsair’s rich and powerful iCUE ecosystem. Since you are about to sail into uncharted seas, we thought we should add a little information to help guide your way.
- Our adapters will not allow you to control your motherboard or GPU LEDs. Those are not controlled by connecting wires. They will only control 5V Addressable RGB LEDs that implement the standard WS2812B protocol.
- This will not allow you to control 12V (4-pin) analog LEDs. They operate on a different protocol and are incompatible. The Solarity ArrRGB DAC will allow you to control 12V analog RGB.
- The connections are keyed and will only connect one way. While we have tested our adapters on a wide variety of RGB devices, some third party RGB devices have non-standard connections. If in doubt, check your documentation or contact us and ask! We are happy to help.
- You will have to configure your devices in iCUE based on the number of LEDs. You may select any of the Corsair devices except for the SP-RGB fans! You will need to count the number of LEDs on your devices and then configure the lighting channel to have the same (or slightly greater) number of LEDs. Example: 1 Phanteks Aura-compatible ARGB Strip has 30 LEDs. This is then configured in iCue as 3 RGB Strips (30 LEDs). It could also be configured as 3 HD Fans (36 LEDs) or 2 LL fans (32 LEDs). Experimenting with the setup can lead to some interesting effects. See the other side for a handy chart to help guide you.
- If you are using ARGB splitters, you will need to count the maximum number of devices on one connection. However, count ALL LEDs when calculating your power budget!
- If you are using the Commander Core that comes with the Capellix Elite AIO coolers, you will need to update to firmware 2.6.201 or higher and run iCUE version 4.16 or higher. The release version of the Commander Core XT supports this functionality.
Adapters for 3-pin Corsair Lighting Channel
- These will connect to the 3-pin Lighting Channel connection on the Lighting Node Pro, Commander Pro, Commander Core XT (3-pin), and LS-100. They also work with some MSI motherboards that have the JCORSAIR header.
- If your device does not have its own power source, you need to make sure that the current draw on a single Corsair Lighting Channel is limited to approximately 2A (10W). This will come out to roughly 60 RGB LEDs however you may need to check the specifications of any LEDs that you connect. If you exceed the limit, you may blow a fuse in your Lighting Channel. Note: These are general guidelines based on typical LEDs controlled by iCUE. Some LEDs may use more power while others use less.
Adapters for 4-pin Corsair Fan Hub
- This includes the Corsair RGB Fan to Strip/Lighting Channel Adapter, which will convert a 3-pin Corsair connection to a 4-pin connection.
- These can be used with an RGB Fan LED Hub, Lighting Node Core, Commander Core, or Commander Core XT. There are some differences between the Fan Hub and Lighting Node Core and the two Commander Core devices.
- On the Fan Hub and Lighting Node Core, the Corsair 4-pin connection will daisy-chain RGB devices together. The Corsair Fans have an RGB Data Out line that is then passed to the next device on the hub. This isn’t present on the 3-pin connection, so the adapter is designed to duplicate the RGB Data In signal and pass it to the next device on the Fan Hub. For example, if you have an RGB Fan Hub with 3 HD fans and a single Lian Li Strimer, you can connect the adapter to port 1 and the fan to ports 2-4. The Strimer and the fan on port 2 will have duplicated effects. If you connect the adapter to port 4 and the fans on ports 1-3, the Strimer can be independently controlled as an HD-RGB fan.
- On the Commander Core (firmware v. 2.6.201+ and iCUE v4.16+) and Commander Core XT, each fan port is independent and can be configured using manual setup for the port. Because of this, you can address up to 34 LEDs from a single port on the Commander Core.
- You can power up to 120 total RGB LEDs (about 4A or 20W). iCUE will allow you to configure and control up to 204 LEDs on a single channel (6 QL-RGB Fans).
Let us know if you have questions about the adapter by contacting us using our contact form! If you have questions about Corsair iCUE or the iCUE system in general, we recommend that you sail on over to the Corsair User Forums (http://forum.corsair.com), Corsair Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/Corsair/), or the Corsair Case Owner’s Club on Discord (https://discord.gg/b6x8HpM).
Notes for the Motherboard (Aura/Mystic Light) Adapters
The motherboard adapter will connect to any device that supports the common 3-pin motherboard digital/addressable RGB connection!
- When connecting, line up the arrows! The PirateDog Tech adapters do come with keyed connectors so it should be difficult for you to plug it in incorrectly. As usual, if you have to work too hard to plug it in, it probably doesn’t go there! The other end will go to your Corsair controller's port.
- If your connector has male connectors (with pins), you can remove the male connector from the PirateDog Tech adapter by grabbing the base of the pins and slowly working them out. You can do this with pliers if you like tools, with your fingers if you feel lucky, or even with your teeth if you feel like a pirate. Presto! You’ll now have a female connection!
- Unfortunately, these connections can sometimes come loose since they do not have a latch. A bit of electrical tape or heat shrink can be used to keep the connection solid.
Channel Configuration Reference Chart
Use the handy chart below to help configure your channel for the number of LEDs that you want. Red indicates where they may be monsters! (Or … more power draw than a single LNP or CP channel can support.) Note that you can also now use External Strips as an option on the Lighting Node Pro or Commander Pro, too!
If you are using a Lighting Node Core, you can only select fans. However, you can use all 6 fans to increase the number of LEDs. With the Commander Core and Commander Core XT 4-pin ports, you are limited to a single fan.
|
# of Items |
RGB Strip |
ML-RGB Fan |
SP-RGB Pro Fan |
HD-RGB Fan |
LL-RGB Fan |
QL-RGB Fan |
External 250 mm |
External 350 mm |
External 450 mm |
External 1.4 m |
|
1 |
10 |
4 |
8 |
12 |
16 |
34 |
15 |
21 |
27 |
84 |
|
2 |
20 |
8 |
16 |
24 |
32 |
68 |
30 |
42 |
54 |
-- |
|
3 |
30 |
12 |
24 |
36 |
48 |
102 |
45 |
63 |
81 |
-- |
|
4 |
40 |
16 |
32 |
48 |
64 |
136 |
60 |
84 |
108 |
-- |
|
5 |
50 |
20 |
40 |
60 |
80 |
170 |
75 |
105 |
-- |
-- |
|
6 |
60 |
24 |
48 |
72 |
96 |
204 |
90 |
108 |
-- |
-- |