Slowing down a FantasticVent

[shoeman]

Well well well.... awesome research Aggie and Star!! Looks like I am not alone in thinking slower speeds would be beneficial. And now I do not have to call the factory for a fix. Heck, I can do this mod in a bout 10 minutes I bet. I'm going to my local electronics supply house today to get a resistor and put it in this afternoon.

We need to add this thread to the sdtripper list or make a sticky for it in the electrical section. I bet more folk will be interested in this mod.

[jdarkoregon]

Just in time, I came home from camping and using my fan for the first time (finally got it connected to the DC) and I thought it was noisier then I wanted it. But on low it really moved the air,

I'm thinking of doing this just to modify the productivity of the fan for the small size of the "coach"

Thanks for the thread

John

[Arne]

since the fan has an off/on, how about replacing the 3 speed switch with a rheostat and forget about the resistor?

maybe buy one from the other company that uses it in their model?

[shoeman]

If you can find one rated for 10 watts it should be fine. I have not found one to that spec yet though.
I got a 5.1 ohm resistor today and spliced it in as directed in the tech bulletin and it seems to work fine. I'm going to try a slightly higher impedance and see if that is better yet. The 5.1 ohm is still a bit faster in the lowest setting than I'd like to have. I took some pictures of the install but left the camera in the garage tonight. I'll get it tomorrow and post them. It's a real simple mod to do and is easily reversible if you do not like the results.

[shoeman]

Here is how I have it so far. You can see I used some spade connectors I had lying around that I crimped to the cut wire. The resistor leads push right into the female spade end. This will allow me to swap resistors easily until I get the fan speed I want. Once I get that settled I think I can simply crimp that one half of the spade and have a good solid hold on the resistor. I bent the leads to get the required offset from the fan support leg to hang it out in the airflow.

[shoeman]

Tried a 10 ohm resistor yesterday and honestly I can't tell much of a difference between it and the 5 ohm. Both are a big improvement though for anyone looking to quite the hovercraft like sound of a stock Fantastic Fan in a little camper. Our next trip is a few weeks away so a field test will have to wait.
They cost me a buck each, so it's a cheap mod too.

Enjoy!
Geoff

[aggie79]

Thanks Geoff for experimenting.

I saw the article but was hesitant to hack into my $140 investment. Looks like I'll give it a go when I get to that point of my build which at the rate that I'm (not) going that'll be late 2009.

[Arne]

are the resistors available at radio shack?
----------
The spades are a good idea... found one online.... 38 cents.... 9 dollars shipping..

Seems funny, but if I have to drive too far to find one, might as well get it delivered.... can buy a few different sizes....

Too many trips to the store (and they might not have what I want) and the shipping is cheaper..... what a weird world I live in.

[shoeman]

are the resistors available at radio shack?
----------
The spades are a good idea... found one online.... 38 cents.... 9 dollars shipping..

Seems funny, but if I have to drive too far to find one, might as well get it delivered.... can buy a few different sizes....

Too many trips to the store (and they might not have what I want) and the shipping is cheaper..... what a weird world I live in.

I'd bet they are sold at Radio Shack. I have a dedicated electronics parts store much closer to me so I did not try the Shack.

[shoeman]

Thanks Geoff for experimenting.

I saw the article but was hesitant to hack into my $140 investment. Looks like I'll give it a go when I get to that point of my build which at the rate that I'm (not) going that'll be late 2009.

Go for it when you are ready. It's not a permanent mod and it requires no dis-assembly at all.

[Toytaco2]

Ok Shoeman. It sounds and looks easy enough. I'm going to go for it as well. The resistor should be 4 ohms/10 watts. Correct? Is there anything special about the resistor or is this a standard type electronic item?

Thanks for checking this out as I think this will be a real improvement.

[Mary K]

Way to go!!! Sweet!! Thanks for the pictures and the details. I'll be doing this sometime before camping season.


Mk

[mikeschn]

We are going to try that as soon as company goes home!

Mike...

[jeep_bluetj]

A PWM controller _would_ be superior. BUT a simple resistor is fine.

I just want to reiterate the "hang it out in the airflow" comment -- that resistor is going to get really quite hot - it's a ~6 watt electric heater. So don't let it stick to the plastic, etc.

In the airflow it'll be fine.

[Gerdo]

Sounds like my next project!