Add RC capability to a fan? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: risshuu
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2016, 04:20:31 am
content: I have been wanting to see if I can add RC capability to a fan that I have. My mother just got one of her knees replaced. This would help her out quite a bit. I can't exactly go out and buy a new fan for her. I have parts (433MHz receiver, IR, Atmel chips), but I don't know how to start or if it would be possible with this fan.Any suggestions are welcome.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2016, 04:28:59 am
content: Depends on what you want to do. Just turning it off and on is really easy. Just use your radio link to control a relay (mechanical or SSR) on the power cord. Set the fan to the desired operating mode and then turn power off and on. Or purchase BSR-X10 or one of the many other systems that do this pre-packaged.If you want remote control of the fan speed you would need to control a set of relays to replicate the three or four switch contacts in the switch. More complicated and much less available as a commercial product though you might want to look at using one of the remote control modules intended for an overhead fan.The final degree of difficulty would come if you also wanted to switch the oscillation function off and on. That is done with a moving cam, and you would have to set up something like a double acting solenoid or a linear servo to move the cam.

author: risshuu
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2016, 04:34:55 am
content: Thanks for the reply. The fan would likely be oscillating all the time. At the very least I wanted to power on/off and hopefully fan speed too, if not too difficult.Would I be able to get the power for my atmel / RC component from the plug that is already connected?

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2016, 05:30:14 am
content: many times I had an idea. only to discover its cheaper to buy it. uther then make it.particularly if the idea is not new, or original.

author: risshuu
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2016, 05:43:40 am
content: But then I wouldn't learn anything.

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2016, 05:49:43 am
content: QuoteTrue.

author: danadak
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2016, 11:43:50 am
content: Consider using ESP8266https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4M-4FLASH-NodeMcu-Lua-WIFI-Networking-development-board-Based-ESP8266/32551536028.html?spm=2114.01020208.3.81.b028KP&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_4_10065_10068_10084_10083_10080_10082_10081_10060_10061_10062_10056_10055_10054_10059_10099_10078_10079_426_10073_10102_10096_10052_10050_425_10051,searchweb201603_9&btsid=0918c1a6-f888-4f81-928c-98485dcd121eLots of videos on youtube to do control. Software pretty easy, most tools no cost.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESP8266There is a version that has module pins easily spaced for

author: risshuu
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2016, 07:47:25 pm
content: Sounds good. I actually have one of these I can use.Now I just need to figure out how to power it.

author: danadak
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2016, 08:19:36 pm
content: This might help as well -http://cache.freescale.com/files/microcontrollers/doc/app_note/AN3471.pdfRegards, Dana.

author: risshuu
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2016, 09:05:42 pm
content: Thank you for the idea. I will look into this.

author: risshuu
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2016, 12:25:58 am
content: Cool! I hadn't thought of this. I will definitely have to look into this. Thanks

author: Ammar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2016, 11:00:41 am
content: I did a very similar thing. I used an old 27MHz RC car, an old DVD power supply, a PIC micro and three relays. The RC remote would signal the micro to change relays to increase the speed. The DVD power supply had a 12V and 5V rail for both the relays and the power supply.