Is it feasible to control a bidirectional fan using the arduino?
If so, how would I go about this?
The fan itself has already predetermined settings that we want to potentially use. But we are not sure how to go about it.
Hi davidthach
Should be do-able, the advertising blurb mentions:
Reverse the motor with a turn of the dial
So replace the switch with some adequately rated relay/s driven via a transistor.
For the software, do something like this:
int FanDirection = 13; //or any other suitable pin
void setup()
{
pinMode(FanDirection, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
}
void loop()
{
digitalWrite(FanDirection, HIGH); // or LOW depending on how you wire the relay for direction control.
//and so on
You can also use the #define to make your code more readable:
#define Clockwise LOW
#define CounterClockwise HIGH
int FanDirection = 13; //or any other suitable pin
void setup()
{
pinMode(FanDirection, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
}
void loop()
{
digitalWrite(FanDirection, Clockwise);
//and so on
}
I'd use a large servo to turn the fan knob. The fan/servo connection probably could be Velcro or similar so no real modification of the fan would be needed.
If I were to use a relay to the fan, Would I just use a single relay to control all 6 settings desired on the fan ( high, med, low ) intake and exhaust?
Also, it seems like if I were to go with the servo route, The knob of the fan feels like it takes more force then what a typical servo would give out. I might be wrong on that since I never used a servo.
davidthach:
If I were to use a relay to the fan, Would I just use a single relay to control all 6 settings desired on the fan ( high, med, low ) intake and exhaust?Also, it seems like if I were to go with the servo route, The knob of the fan feels like it takes more force then what a typical servo would give out. I might be wrong on that since I never used a servo.
Nope a relay is either on or off so you would need to see how the wiring from the switch worked - typically there will be one common and each position of the knob will activate a different setting - depending on how well/cheaply the fan is made this could be one of any number of different mechanisms - so you will need to take it apart to decide the best approach (which is why the servo option is a much nice one)
Craig