How do Antec Tricool's change their speed?
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How do Antec Tricool's change their speed?
I want to extend the cable and change the switch on the antec tricool i have.
A black, red and yellow wire join the switch to the fan (sleeved in white as seen in the picture below). I thought it might change between voltages to alter the speed but it only gets plugged into the 12v line.
Any ideas? A PWM chip inside the fan's motor maybe? I opened the switch up and couldn't find anything.
This is what it looks like:
A black, red and yellow wire join the switch to the fan (sleeved in white as seen in the picture below). I thought it might change between voltages to alter the speed but it only gets plugged into the 12v line.
Any ideas? A PWM chip inside the fan's motor maybe? I opened the switch up and couldn't find anything.
This is what it looks like:
I'm sure somebody will be around really soon who knows this stuff better than me, and I'm also sure it's been explained in the forums and probably on the site - but: it's probably some sort of variable inline resistor. That is, it changes the voltage, but not by switching between some input voltages, but by running the 12V through a resistor. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer
Hey, that's an £8 fan over here, I've ones half the price with PWM inside.Aleksi wrote:An individual PWM circuit is out simply due to the cost...
Main reason for a PWM-style control is the lack of waste heat in a confined space, small transistors, no heat-sink required. It can be done cheaply by delaying the switch-on of the motor coils as the rotor magnet passes by - I'm not saying that's how Antec do it, but using a custom-made IC as Panaflo and others do it works out cheap in bulk.
Can you at least tell which wires are joined together in the 3 switch positions, and a photo of the inside?Bobendren wrote:I opened the switch up and couldn't find anything.
That's actually what i'm asking. I don't want to take the metal off until i find a decent looking switch to replace it with. (i.e i don't want to break it)Can you at least tell which wires are joined together in the 3 switch positions, and a photo of the inside?
Here are some pics of the switch without the platic cover (The switch is in the "Low" position):
And what one can see of the fan internals:
Last edited by Bobendren on Fri Feb 17, 2006 11:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html; just search for the patent number.Where does one start? Google?
That patent is related to putting LEDs on a cooling fan. Does that one have LEDs? I didn't think it did.
Yeah it's the LED version.TomZ wrote:http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html; just search for the patent number.Where does one start? Google?
That patent is related to putting LEDs on a cooling fan. Does that one have LEDs? I didn't think it did.
From the above mentioned site: "The rotational speed of the impeller is controlled by the drive circuitry on the circuit board"
And that means?
"Each LED projects light towards the impeller and to the frame so the light will reflects and bounces all over the fan to produce a fantastic visual effect."
Haha...they tried to be so technical but failed miserably.
"The LEDs can be made to twinkle based on the rotational speed of the fan to increase the visual attractiveness."
I haven't noticed this "increase in visual attractiveness" when increasing the rpm. Maybe it's just me
My guess is that the fan has 2 resistors in series with the fan.
In low mode, the two resistors in series limit the power to the fan to the "low" level.
In medium mode, one of the resistors is shorted out by the switch, but the other is still in series with the motor, limiting the power to the fan to a "medium" level.
In high mode, both resistors are shorted out by the switch, and the fan runs at "full" power.
I'm pretty sure the above would work, but there are probably other possibilities. 2 resistors are pretty cheap, however, and it's hard for me to believe that there would be a cheaper way to get the job done.
In low mode, the two resistors in series limit the power to the fan to the "low" level.
In medium mode, one of the resistors is shorted out by the switch, but the other is still in series with the motor, limiting the power to the fan to a "medium" level.
In high mode, both resistors are shorted out by the switch, and the fan runs at "full" power.
I'm pretty sure the above would work, but there are probably other possibilities. 2 resistors are pretty cheap, however, and it's hard for me to believe that there would be a cheaper way to get the job done.
Both conclusions seem reasonable to me.. It would be very cheap to make and its pretty much fool-proof..TomZ wrote:My guess is that the fan has 2 resistors in series with the fan.
...and it's hard for me to believe that there would be a cheaper way to get the job done.
Someone would need to open up the fan hub to make shure though.
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