SWAFAN EX12 RGB 120mm - All Fans Stopped Spinning with LEDs Still On, Unknown Cause

[AccountUsername]

I recently experienced a very specific issue I haven't been able to definitely figure out, even though I remedied it: 

Long story short, I have two sets of SWAFAN 120mm fans (6 fans total, configured on three ports on the controller, in arrays of 3, 2, and 1). I started getting a Fan Controller Warning pop-up while specifically playing a video game. I looked up that issue and saw that many people get it without a known cause, and nothing was out of place. Everything looked good on the case, I ignored the error. After a day of seeing that error while playing games, and in the middle of a game, I looked over to my computer case where all 6 of the SWAFANs were stopped, yet all of their LEDs were still on-- the LEDs were even still configurable in TT RGB Plus, but their fan speeds all reported as 0 rpm. Resetting and rescanning the controller did nothing to get the fans moving again.

When I restarted the computer, the fans STILL were not moving, with the LEDs on-- TT RGB Plus would even load the profile the same. I tested this with 5+ restarts, unplugging the power supply and draining the remaining power, etc, and every time it came up with no fan movement. The Fan Controller Warning also displayed once TT RGB started each time.

Since I bought two sets of SWAFANs, I remembered that they both came with fan controllers. Assuming first that this problem was localized to just the SWAFANs (all other fans on the computer including the fans on my Thermaltake TOUGHAIR 510 were fine), I swapped out the controller with the extra one. On reboot, the fans came up just fine and the issue was solved. So if you're having this very specific problem, swapping out the controller is probably the solution.

I can assume that I was getting a Fan Controller Warning ahead of this happening because there was something wrong with the original controller, but it's frustrating that these warnings don't actually cite what the actual issue is-- it would be great if that information could be made available? I don't know what the cause of my original issue is other than that the controller was maybe bad.

So my question to the forum here: Does anybody know what would cause an issue like this, is this an issue with the SWAFANs specifically that other people have experienced, and would Thermaltake consider making the Fan Controller Warnings actually log what's triggering that popup?

Also, can I plug the SWAFANs directly into my motherboard fan headers instead of using the controller? I value fans working more than I value clean cable management. If I could make sure this issue never happens again that would be preferred.

[TT Hank]

Dear AccountUsername,

Please refer to the following feedback:

1. Does anybody know what would cause an issue like this, is this an issue with the SWAFANs specifically that other people have experienced, and would Thermaltake consider making the Fan Controller Warnings log what's triggering that popup?

It's hard to directly tell what type of error the controller is facing through our TT RGB PLUS Software. We usually collect the logs of the PC from the user and then forward them to our Software Team for further investigation. 

On the other hand, we recommend replacing the malfunctioning software controller through our RMA service, please visit https://support.thermaltake.com/RMA_Agreement.aspx 

2. Can I plug the SWAFANs directly into my motherboard fan headers instead of using the controller?

You are able to sync the SWAFAN EX12 RGB fans through our TT Sync Controller (CL-O015-PL00BL-A) to the motherboard software, the package will include motherboard signal bridge cables for you to connect to the 5V ARGB Header on your motherboard.