Zimaboard 2 - Fan wiring

Hardware
1

My Zimaboard 2 is at my leaving room and I want to keep it as quiet as possible. So, I want to use a Noctua fan to cool it. Similar to this topic. However, I didn’t find the fan wiring scheme.

I checked its fan wires but I’m not sure what it means:

PXL_20260213_201443401~2
PXL_20260213_201443401~2907×1485 334 KB

The “+” should be 12v and “-” should be GND. I have no idea about the others, which is PWM and which is RPM. Does anyone knows where I can find the wiring scheme?

Thanks

2

ZimaBoard 2 uses a standard 4-pin PWM fan header. The wiring follows the Intel PWM fan spec (same as most PC motherboards).

Standard 4-pin PWM pinout:

Pin 1 – GND
Pin 2 – +12V
Pin 3 – Tach / RPM (sense)
Pin 4 – PWM control

From your photo:

  • “+” = 12V
  • “–” = GND
  • The remaining two are:
    • one is RPM (tach output from fan)
    • one is PWM (control signal from board)

Typical color reference (Noctua standard):

  • Black → GND
  • Yellow → +12V
  • Green → RPM (tach)
  • Blue → PWM

Important:
Do NOT swap PWM and tach. It won’t usually damage anything, but the fan won’t behave correctly (either full speed or no speed control).

If you want to verify instead of assuming:

  1. Power on board.
  2. Measure between “–” and each pin with a multimeter:
  • The one reading ~12V is +12V.
  • PWM will read around 5V (control signal).
  • Tach will fluctuate (pulse output when fan spinning).

Noctua 4-pin PWM fans are fully compatible with this header.

If you want absolute certainty, tell him to:

  • Confirm header orientation (check small triangle marking on PCB for Pin 1)
  • Do not rely on cable color alone

This is standard PC PWM layout, nothing proprietary on ZimaBoard 2.

3

Thanks for your reply. I checked the wires with a multimeter and it is indeed the standard 4-pin PWM fan header. The symbols in the wires can be ignored.

I sacrificed my included fan to use it’s wire, I’m sorry but managed to make it work.

Not the most beautiful soldering job you is going to see today, but it does the job:

PXL_20260215_192525403~2
PXL_20260215_192525403~21920×1446 865 KB

1 Like
4

Hi guys,

I’d like to find a solution quickly. I purchased a Noctua 80mm NF-R8 redux 1800 pwm and a 3d-printed adaptor. I have to rewire the connector since it’s seems it’s nowhere available.
I cannot solder. :frowning:
Is there a chance to use the Noctua OmniJoin Adaptor Set? Anyone managed to use it?
I hope someone can answer to this topic.

Thanks in advance guys.

5

I don’t know the adapter, juts googled it. As I understood you got cut the wire and remove the insulation anyway.

I know it may seems overwhelming but wire soldering like this is pretty simple. My skill is very low, I only do that once each 2 years. I would suggest buy an iron soldering and learn it. Watch a couple videos on YouTube, practice a couple of times in a spare wire and you are good to go. If you fail you can always cut ot more and start again.

6

If you strictly cannot solder any wire, your best options would be to either (a) use a USB powered fan or (b) to use a splitter cable from the SATA power connector. There will be trade-offs either way and you will have to make a call on that unfortunately.