Kolink Observatory Case with Asus Board - LED Colours

liamtech

Hi All

Built a nice gaming system with the following Specs

AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 8C/16T

Asus Prime B450M-A II

32GB 3200MHZ DDR4

Radeon RX7600 8GB GDDR6

M.2 500GB SSD

Kolink OBSERVATORY HF GB

It works perfect, but i cannot seem to get any control of the Colours of the LED Fans. They seem stuck on a kind of Yellow/Green colour - And the case itself has no control button to change this. The board is an Asus Prime B450M-A II, which supports Asus Auro sync - but i cannot connect this to the board as far as i can see

Mainly i just want to have some way of changing the colour of the LED Fans to something a bit more palitable - Really appreciate the help, if anyone has any ideas - Thanks again, sincerely

Coyler

https://kolink.eu/onewebmedia/Cases/OBSERVATORY/OBSERVATORY%20RGB%20MANUAL.pdf

How far did you get with this process?

liamtech

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123279838#Comment_123279838

that didnt come with the case - no control unit for the fans was provided - and there is no button on the case to change the LED cycle

minitrue

Kolink don't list a case by that exact name on their site that I can see. I was going to guess it was a non-argb one but perhaps it is the following or at least works the same way?

https://kolink.eu/Home/case-1/midi-tower-2/observatory-series/observatory-hf-plus-glass.html

"Fan control can be easily managed via the reset button or the 3-pin ARGB cable on the lead fan. These fans support chain-link connections and can sync with your motherboard for a unified lighting scheme."

liamtech

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123280042#Comment_123280042

yea i saw that but the pinouts dont match at all - 4 pins on the board - different situation on the case - im finiding it hard to find info on these kolinks

Coyler

Sounds like you need a generic ARGB controller. RGB is not standardised at all. It's gotten better but B450 boards have the older 4 pin RGB headers. Look for a 3 pin ARGB contoller on Amazon

They start for next to nothing

https://www.amazon.co.uk/JZK-Controller-Motherboard-Without-Lighting/dp/B0BWF48KWN?crid=8LRGVNNQON0F&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hBI9zoxzeFoFpasraeK7DT995RBO2vVl3xcJeZR2_78TT3_2qVSpdBsG4D1tMx40W5bKhnc5sfy7UxRS6osSotF0dWtdhv_bCY7MbPH1midDG07B_fMnOM1drukXeBOeNZhFtwAAV8UNcM6_-4Zzpb6ZZOG6YNGLuayrOhIAT5pcY6z4hbeh6uI_Vmo75zKCbvUam_uDB2W-mE1wPnEFbcMPUp3TwgTcphgeVCTuinY.3W6Es3trfXEuB9adPglZXslnyDxfCOAn4U7FYWfJCRk&dib_tag=se&keywords=3+pin+argb+controller&qid=1742427958&sprefix=3+pin+argb+controler%2Caps%2C70&sr=8-4

K.O.Kiki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123279838#Comment_123279838

FYI this is this spaghetti they show off on their own product listing

@liamtech

Your motherboard uses the older +12V 4-pin ARGB header; most fans have switched to +5V 3-pin now - though I suspect Kolink's case is proprietary.

Honestly the best thing you can do is… save up for a different case with more standard PWM & RGB fans (like be quiet! 500 series)

minitrue

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123280073#Comment_123280073

Does just pressing the reset button do anything though? It could at least save you from being stuck in one colour. Might be safest to reboot and try it at the bios screen ;)

liamtech

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123280159#Comment_123280159

No the reset button does nothing - well, aside from reset the computer

As for the lightening and speed of the fans i dont have any at all -

literally no control at all - I found someone who recommended i sacrafice the reset button by connecting it to the fans instead - i tried this and, i cant get it to work

Its a complete **** up -

Coyler

To be fair, it's not the worst. Just a mis-match of old and new standards. Happens quite a bit. USB headers were another one.

Just get a generic ARGB controller. Most take 4 and 3 pin fans and either have a button on them or a usb cable to control it from Windows. Simplest drop in solution.

FYI, the reset button will have a seperate two pin connector that you plug into a ARGB controller that has that connection. See the one that Kolink provides

https://kolink.eu/Home/ACCESSORIES/rgb-argb/inspire-l1-argb-controller.html

I understand what is going on here. Kolink have 2 options, one case with a controller and one without. You happened to have gotten the one without and if you had a B550 board you'd be fine. But, yes, RGB is a complete mess right now.

liamtech

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123280159#Comment_123280159

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123281051#Comment_123281051

Im gonna explain how i got it working here - because there doesnt seem to be a clear guide on doing this - and very easy pitfalls along the way. Im not making excuses for myself here, but there is such a mess of incomplete and non applicable information available. Very easy to become lost, and unable to get it to function.

Kolink used to include a spare button labled RGB - which would have been handier, even if you didnt have a control hub - but they stopped doing this. The case has a power button, and a single reset button. Its on this point that there seems to be a large amount of confusion, as users are telling people to use the 'RGB button', or the 'reset' button, and be sure to connect the 'control hub'. Im fairly certain theres a poor soul on reddit who spent hours pressing 'Reset', watching his computer crashing, and wondering why others were telling him to do so! Suffice it to say, this case (as of march 2025) does not HAVE an RGB Button, nor does it have a control hub.

Step One - disconnect the Gigabyte style 3 pin (Pin Pin Blank Pin) - from its internal mate. If the case is like mine, it will come connected directly, as a kind of pass through. In this config the case fans will light up, but you will have zero control. And this will be the situation regardless of what you do with the other steps

Step two - connect the Sata Molex connector - this powers the array of fans. There seems to be two connectors, but only one seems necessary. the case will have 3x 140mm fans, 2x 120 on top, and a final rear 120mm

Step three - You have to use the reset pin connector to the case instead of too the motherboard. Effectively you are sacraficing the reset switch altogether. This button will now act as a Fan control that you can use to cycle through the various colours. Of course you will entirely lose the ability to hard reset the machine. But this seems to be the only way to do it.

I suppose an alternative would be to get hold of a 2-jumper-pin button online, and connect it, instead of the cases built in reset

Anyway, the above seems to be the ONLY way to give this case manual RGB FAN control - and this is for the

Kolink OBSERVATORY HF GB, only - although it may work on other cases.

Just in case (no pun intended) anyone has difficulty, i must state again - step one is VITAL - without it, you will not gain control. It seems that internal pass through is designed to just get the case working with by only connecting the sata power - but you will have no control, regardless of sacraficing the Reset switch -

liamtech

I thought i would also share some of my thoughts on this case. Kind of a Pros and Cons list, for those considering buying it

Pros:

• For the price, its excellent. No question, getting that amount of case fans in an organized fashion. There is even room for up to 3 more believe it or not
• The cooling is actually functional, not just for show. Although u lack actual control over the fans, they provide enough air flow to push a system like mine. The 5700X with an RX7600, using OCCT at full 100% load shows no signs of having thermal issues. i ran it for an hour, and the 5700x didnt rise above 71 degrees, which for a 5700x is actually rather decent (mine runs a bit hotter, as does my GFs) - this is with a artic seven air cooler btw - the general system temperature was also very adequete - no issues
• For what it is, i cant help but admit its a good looking case. Find a colour scheme that suits you, and you have a nice interior lit view of your system. The Tempered glass side is especially nice, and opens out like a cabinet - so much so, that if upgrading ram, you dont even need a screw driver
• Seems to be space for up to 4x 2.5" drives, and 2x 3.5" which is more than iv seen listed - thats a total of 6 HDDs or SSDs - 2 rear mounted 2.5s, and two front mounted ones so

Cons:

• Without the aforementioned hub, you wont have proper control over fan colours.
• Or you must sacrafice the Reset Button. I suppose its elementary, we can always do a hard power down instead of reset, especially if you dont have a HDD.
• I am not entirely certain there is a way to control fan speed at all - and by fan speed, im referring only to the case fans of course. Suffice it to say, they are proprietary. - Iv learned the hard way never to attach a questionable accessory to a mainboard. The connectors for each fan, show now similarity to a standard case fan (beit old or new). There remains a question as to whether the 'control hub', or something similar, would offer either Software or Manual control over fan speeds. I can state this as a definite Con, but my confusion relates to the final points below
• Having spent 12 hours browsing around this case, there seems to be an alarming number of variants of the Kolink Observatory. Its not merely that one has a Control hub - i have identified 3 variants (and 3 sub variants of the same case with a differing Mesh Front) - listed below as A, B, and C
• (A) Case has spare RGB Button, and control hub, which could (in theory) allow software manipulation of the fan colours and speeds. (B) Case has RGB Button, with a two pin connector, allowing manual only control using this button to cycle colour schemes. (C) Case has no controller, and no extra button. Control is impossible unless u give up the Reset Button.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123281051#Comment_123281051

I really appreciate you getting back to me. I am entirely unsure if having a B550 Board would have made a difference. I encountered numerous complaints from users with far higher end boards, and for more recent hardware, and they too seem unable to get control of the fans. Certainly, i cant find anyone who can confidently claim to have control over speed. I suspect this case is Older, rather than Newer, in terms of how it controls RGB Lighting!

Anyway, my general write up is meant in a sincere way. Im more than happy to stand corrected here. I used to do a lot of system building, back as far as Socket A, and Super Socket 7 (when we could stroll into peats, and examine the hardware) - i got back into it 6 months ago, and this is my 5th ryzen build. Lovely chips, and i love the RX7600 - it seems faster than my GFs 3060 - this build is for a friend who is now having 'second thoughts' and wondering aloud about a laptop solution for gaming (crazy IMHO) - might just sell it - But the parts all come with my stamp of approval (even the case, although its stamp comes with some small print and caveats)

https://www.paradigit.ie/kolink-observatory-hf-gb/80066361/product

Love to hear peoples thoughts, and like i said - happy to stand corrected on anything

Coyler

Ah, good to know. It's what we call a "band-aid" solution in my line of work. But good work getting it solved. I can only begin to understand the research involved getting this solved.

As for as making excuses for yourself, you 100% are not. PC building is not a perfect science by a lot shot and RGB lighting is a special kind of mess with nowhere near the same recorded knowledge as basic building does. It is a bear trap of a solution right now.

And just buy a simple ARGB controller. They are around €5-10. But if you are going to sell just get a proper usb ARGB controller that can be managed from Windows.

liamtech

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123281943#Comment_123281943

Thanks pal. as it stands its a compromise for sure. Although in retrospect, im not sure having a reset button is all that important anymore. It was in the days of Mechanical Hard drives, but with everything running SSDs these days, its probably just as handy to CTRL-ALT-DEL it or Hold Power to restart.

As it stands i have full control over the RGB lighting and, yea! I was cursing this case last night. And now im kinda looking at it with some Awe - looks crackin! lol

Id be really curious if the control hub allowed for speed manipulation. I know it would get louder, but i always found something very re-assuring about my case fans speeding up during a max load. As it stands, there is no case fan connection to the mainboard, so as far as the system is concerned. It has no fans!!! The only indication you have on the software side of things, is the low temperature.

Id say for me, speed control would be worth paying extra for. But i worry about these Kolink fans being proprietory, as opposed to standard fan connectors - As it stands im out a pocket, as my 'mate' looks to be veering toward an Asus TUF 17" laptop - Il see what il do, but i dont want to spend more, if i dont have to. And if all im getting is the reset button back, id probably just leave as is and sell. Its fully functional as is. If there were thermal issues, id probably do it, but it runs very cool. Confirmed this online last night, after a max load OCCT stability test. Nothing heated up beyond what is expected. I initially had my doubts but having checked for reports online, the system is running VERY cool by comparison to others of similar spec.

But yea its actually pretty decent - that 7600 Radeon is more impressive than i expected

Il throw up a few pictures if i can!

EDIT - iv found at least three reports of no speed control, one from a Youtuber who gave the case a fairly intense burn in - and according to him - zero control for speed is possible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxAbu6jWFYo&ab_channel=HardwareBusters