Ceiling Fan Control

Having searched the forum, there seems to be a divergence of opinion on the manner in which ceiling fans should be controlled by C-Bus.

Rather than using 3 relay channels per fan, I was hoping to be able to do this by using spare dimmer channels I have and wiring them directly to the fan. Obviously one would need to program a min and max level at which power is applied to the fan.

Has anyone had first hand experience doing this and was it successful or would the consensus be to simply hide the standard switch and run it off of a relay?

Maybe the Engineers have a preference in this regard?

 

Your first option with the dimmer channels will end in tears.
Your second option will work, it will be simple and fuss free, just the way life is meant to be

 

Hi There. About The Ceiling Fans, I Have 2 Clipsal Airflow 1.4m White Ceiling Fans Connected To A Channel on a 1 Amp Dimmer Each And No Problem. Except its A Bit more Noisy Thans On the 3 position Suplied Switch. They Have Been Running For About 2 Years now And Still No Prob. But to Be Safe i Have Fitted 1 Amp Circuit Breakers On All the Channels. Cheers . Clinton South Africa

 

Rexel Product

Went into Rexel today and found a device that you can use to convert a standard ceiling fan to a Remote Operated fan. It is a Chinese product UC-7067 but there is no other branding. Key point is that it comes with a control unit that is mounted in the fan shroud or ceiling and this operates the fan.

Now I am no sparky nor engineer but if this product can be hidden in the fan housing I would suggest it would be RF. Strangely there are no frequency allocations/authorities on the packaging.

Has anyone else seen these units or even better, had a play to see if it can be hardwired into a CBUS installation and keyed from DLT or the like?

Conversely, I guess another remote in the bedside cupboard and a relay channel would be the best option.

How about some constructive thoughts rather than dissing guys?

 

Made in China???

Sounds like a quality product, you can't go wrong...

 

I'm by no means the guru but...

Most of these units are IR or FM. They are designed to be retro-fited to a light on the roof (so the sparky dosent have to run control wires down the wall). Bu i dont understand your comment:

"Key point is that it comes with a control unit that is mounted in the fan shroud or ceiling and this operates the fan."

All fans have the control inputs in the roof??? why is this one special?

 

controllers in roof

I guess the attraction is the ability to fit an RF controller that could then be controlled via the cbus RF Gateway.

This one is definately RF and yes it is made in China as per the pointless flame. Tell you what PSC, in the absence of a better idea find me an Australian made one that you are comfortable with and I will consider putting that into the fans we want (which can't come optioned with RF remotes)

I can't help but want to run our fan from the DLT's beside the bed in the master bedroom. The kids can have the cheaper units running off of a relay channel and dig for the remote for all I care.

 

Sure, how about I come over and install it as well + do all your electrical for $50 per hour.

Sounds like a great idea Phoneman...

 

Where did the per hour come from pete.
Just a straight $ 50 all up seems fairer !!!!!!!!!

 

It seems that we are trying to re-invent the wheel again. Why not buy a fan complete with wireless controller be it rf or ir at the beginning, or do you think that adding a controller to a standard fan makes you an automater. There are a multitude of fans on the market already that fit bill. Do your research and you will find. Try using the KISS principle.

 

Welcome to the New Year

Seems the flaming Sparkies are hunting in packs again.

I guess I could purchase an I/R system and put emitters in every room but seems like a waste in my most humble opinion.

I also mentioned that the fan we like does NOT come with remote option but I guess you missed that point.

Now did you mention the non-Chinese option you alluded to?

Seems a lot of energy was wasted yet there was no response!

 

American Alternative

I went to Bunnings today and purchased a Hunter Fan Company RF fan control unit. It was $79 but I am sure they are the same as available on Ebay for $50.

Short story is it is not chinese made, it is from Memphis Tennessee no less. It does allow one to control a fan by RF (434mhz) and dim up to a 1A load. There are also 4 frequency dip switches so I guess this provides a fair range of choices. Now I just got to hope that the 6mhz difference between that and the CBus RF Gateway won't prevent it operating.

Has anyone else had a play with this as yet because I don't have an RF Gateway?

Is the RF Gateway simply a repeater? Can it learn commands?

And on another, more controversial point, surely such a cheap and appearingly functional piece of technology (from the USofA) should be cause for some concern in a world whose topographical requirements are antithetic to 99 percent of its target market?

 

I think you have the wrong end of the stick with regard to the RF gateway.

The RF gateway is a connecting/converting device between C-Bus RF units and a wired C-Bus network, so it only speaks C-Bus.

As far as I'm aware it's not a general purpose RF unit like an IR type of thing.

I'm no expert on the wireless stuff, but I'm pretty sure I'm correct.

Cheers

Rohan

 

CBus speak

I think you may be correct.

My hope is that when the appropriate key on the DLT is triggered, cbus would tell the gateway to transmit a (programmable or learned) frequency trigger to the fan. I guess like the I/R learning remote capability.

Looks like it's another remote in the bedside cabinet for me!

PM

 

Phoneman,

I have 4 ceiling fans directly plugged into dimmer channels and I just set the provided (cheap) three speed setting to full and I change the speed with the dimmers. I use DLT and standard switches.

I have had this working with no problems for a year and my electrician has also installed this setup into other projects.

I am sure someone will mention that it voids the fan warranty but given they were cheapo fans I did not care and it has not mattered.

Cheers
Glen

 

Phoneman,

What functionality are you trying to achieve by powering remote controlled ceiling fans from C-Bus?

 

For the record I have also done this.

In my previous house I had series 1 C-Bus and ran several fans directly from dimmer channels.

I'm not sure about now, but back then it was written into the documentation as an allowable setup.

Of course the sharp edges of the resultant dimmes waveform made the motors noisy when slowed down, but there was no problem with anything running out of tolerence.

Cheers

Rohan

 

functionality

What functionality would I hope to achieve?

I would suggest having a movement detector in each of the kids rooms. If they don't move for say 5 minutes the light flicks or a beep. They move items remain on. If there is no response the system would assume there is noone in the room and the relay to the fan, the dimmer to the lights and the HVAC Vent will close. Mabye even a UPS command to the PC to save and shut it down. Its real automation.

Why remote fan, simply because it appears dimmer circuits clip the signwave and make the fans buzz. I don't want to tie up 3 relay circuits by attaching directly to the capacitors and in the absence of any better ideas, I will leave the remote in the bedside cupboard so the 2 gang beside the bed can turn lights on and off and fan on and off and lets face it most of the time the fan is on one speed only so the remote is not that critical.

 

Fyi

If you connect remote controlled ceiling fans to C-Bus and you cut the power (via a C-Bus switch) the fan does NOT retain the previous speed settings.

So you will have to turn the fan on via the C-Bus switch and then use the remote control to set the speed. Which is kind of pointless...

The best way to control ceiling fans is to use a standard 3 speed controller (located in a cupboard) and set the speed manually. This way when you apply C-Bus power to the fan it will always start; as long as the controller is not off.

In my experience fans make too much noise when connected to a dimmer and set to a low speed. This is most noticeable at night when it is quite and you are trying to sleep.