[Rastajedi]

Decided to build my own fancontroller, the only problem now is that i can only find maplins that stock these variacs and there web site says there out of stock and mybe re-stocked with the next 28 days which is a nearly a month!, anybody know where i might find these things ? proving harder to find than rockin horse shit, must say all this fan controlling lark is becoming a royal pain in the arse, ho and i've tried ebay before anyone asks, any help welcome
Rj
e2a: just checked rs components they have em in but there nearly half as dear again as maplin.... just cant win

This post has been edited by Rastajedi: 05 December 2007 - 12:42 AM

[Scribb|e]

Here's one of my posts from another related thread, here.:

The place the description and price quotes are from is here. [www.dealec.co.uk]

Scribble, on Nov 9 2007, 01:38 PM, said:

Hmm - the WAC-1 does look to be a good choice - nice price, too.

Quote

WAC1 Single Sweep Fan Controller - 21852AW
Provides on/off and five speed control. Can be connected at the time of installation to provide downward air movement or upward air movement. Surface Mounted. 2 year guarantee (UK)

Order Online for:£19.23 (Excluding VAT at 17.5%)

The WAC-6 looks to be an interesting one, too, for those who have more than one fan that they want to control:

Quote

WAC6 Sweep Fan Controller - 21853AW
Provides on/off and variable speed control for up to six fans of any size. Can be connected at the time of installation to provide downward air movement or upward air movement. 'Fan Running' indicator. Surface Mounted. 2 year guarantee (UK)

Order Online for:£29.48 (Excluding VAT at 17.5%)

[Rastajedi]

Ebay saves the day again got me 2 of these for £67 brand new and rated to 1 amp...sorted

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[burstbud]

just remember to put them in an ip56 rated box... coz the suckers CAN KILL...

[Rastajedi]

A big thanks to Scraglor for his advice on fan control and electrics, credit goes to him for the diagram, what he doesnt know about motors and switches probably aint worth knowing mucho karma to you sir, the only thing i need to clarify and were unsure about is the switching from high to low regarding the relay on the thermostat, i've included 2 diagrams one switches the wrong way round meaning when it gets hot it will go to minimum extraction, and the other is the correct way ie switching to maxium extraction when it gets hot, my gut feeling is that its the one with the live out on the LEFT handside of the variac, any chance some one with this thermostat can confirm it please, Rj

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[Rastajedi]

And the winner is....the one i didnt think it was, always pays to ask , thanks to Ot and Scraglor for their advice, when i get all my bits and bobs together i,ll post up the final results,
Rj

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[Rastajedi]

Actually this will only work correctly with a relay as terminal 1 needs a permanent 240, it will work to some degree but the temperature range will be huge inbetween switching, so its back to the drawing board and off to bnq for a different stat, again many thanks to ot and scraglor for their pm,s , eventually i,ll post a winning diagram when i get a stat that will work, Rj

[Rastajedi]

Cheers Sheriff, i,ll get there eventually, i've considered all the different set ups and it would seem for the money that this method is probably the most tunable without all the effects of buzzing fans etc, the 5 step and wac1 all seem to be good methods that will serve well, but i like the flexibility that the variac offers and the silence they employ, certainly wouldnt advise the primair type controllers or dimmer switch methods theres just too much bad feedback about the fans buzzing and the potential to burn them out or worse, there are inherent risks with the variac but if used properly and they're set so they dont exceed the max volts that the fans require everything should be fine, its basically the same control method as the one that airforce fans use on there controller but with the added thermostat , but at a considerably cheaper price, i believe there charging just short of £100 for a basic contoller with no thermostat overide, good mind to start makin them, i'm sure theres a market for a decent variac fan controller at a reasonable price, Rj

[Rastajedi]

Cheers Sheriff, good read indeed, thanks ,Rj

[scraglor]

does your thermostat have a spare terminal? if so you can disconnect the anticipator from terminal one/common and connect it to the spare, then connect mains live to it, then run with the original circuit, unless you've already got the other thermostat.

[Rastajedi]

i havent bought one yet mate, i suppose it would be easier for me to just pick one up from bnq, if the thermostat is accurate then i,m not too fussy, the more idot proof the better really, never seen the honeywell one so i dont know if you can tbh, thanks anyway Scraglor, Rj
e2a:if it will fit could i just put a piece of terminal strip in ?

This post has been edited by Rastajedi: 11 December 2007 - 08:39 PM

[scraglor]

well you can connect it any which way, as long as it's safe, i've never seen a honeywell stat closely so i dunno how easy it would be to do, i thought you already had the honeywell stat? if not just get the b&q one without the resistor. those resistors are designed for large areas where the heat takes a long time to get from your rad to the stat, or cold air from your ventilation if cooling, so in a smaller space a standard stat will do anyway

This post has been edited by scraglor: 11 December 2007 - 09:03 PM

[Rastajedi]

No mate still doing the homework/research so to speak, i thought it may have been ok to adapt since other people have used it successfully , but i,ll follow your recommend saves fannying about ,Rj