DC Fan & Motor Speed Controls
Control Resources offers off-the-shelf fan & motor control and alarm products for 2, 3, and 4-wire fans that operate at 12, 24, and 48 VDC, as well as, a DC brush motor drive for high-voltage (up to 280 VDC) motors. SmartFan DC controls to regulate speed based on temperature, analog (voltage or current) control signal or I2C communications link and trigger alarms based on temperature or fan fail (Hall Effect) signal. Standard products are shown by fan and motor type below.
- SmartFan DC Speed Controls for 2-wire or 3-wire Fans & Motors
- SmartFan DC Speed Controls with built-in Alarms for 3-wire Fans & Motors
- SmartFan PWM Speed Controls with built-in Alarms for 4-wire Fans & Motors
- SmartFan Fan Monitoring & Fan Failure Alarms
SmartFan DC Speed Controls for 2-wire or 3-wire Fans & Motors
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SmartFan Model |
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Supply Voltage |
10 – 58 VDC |
10 – 75 VDC |
10 – 72 VDC |
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Current Rating |
4A @ 55°C |
4A @ 55°C |
6A @ 55°C |
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Fan / Motor Voltage |
12, 24 & 48 VDC |
12, 24 & 48 VDC |
12, 24 & 48 VDC |
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Control Options |
Temperature (Thermistor) |
Temperature (Thermistor) , 0 – 4VDC PWM |
Analog (0-5V, 0-10V, 0-20mA) Remote Potentiometer |
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Programming Options |
Jumper Settings or Factory Customization |
SmartFan Navigator Programmer, I2C Bus or Factory set-up |
Factory Customization Only |
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Control Resources specializes in customizing existing designs as well as providing all new custom controls to meet your specification. For more information visit our Custom SmartFan Controls and Alarms page or talk to one of our engineers. Email: sales@controlres.com or call 978-486-4160. |
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1Models above are compatible with SmartFan TachScan-3 and Tachscan-9 Fan Alarms for 3-wire fan applications:
SmartFan DC Speed Controls with built-in Alarms for 3-wire Fans & Motors
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SmartFan Model |
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Supply Voltage |
9.6 – 14.4 VDC |
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Current Rating |
5A @ 75C |
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Fan / Motor Voltage |
12 VDC |
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Fan/Motor Connections |
Up to 4 |
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Control Options |
Temperature (Thermistor), I2C Bus |
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Control Resources specializes in customizing existing designs as well as providing all new custom controls to meet your specification. For more information visit our Custom SmartFan Controls and Alarms page or talk to one of our engineers. Email: sales@controlres.com or call 978-486-4160. |
SmartFan PWM Speed Controls with built-in Alarms for 4-wire Fans & Motors
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SmartFan Model |
|
|
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Supply Voltage |
10 – 60 VDC |
10 – 60 VDC |
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Current Rating |
10A @ 70C |
12A @ 60C |
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Fan / Motor Voltage |
12, 24 & 48 VDC |
12, 24 & 48 VDC |
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Fan/Motor Connections |
Up to 2 |
Up to 6 |
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Control Options |
Temperature (Thermistor), Analog (0-10V, 0-20mA), Remote Transducer |
Temperature (Thermistor), I2C Bus – Single or Dual, Control Signal (PWM, DC), Dual IPMB for ATCA |
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Programming Options |
|
|
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Control Resources specializes in customizing existing designs as well as providing all new custom controls to meet your specification. For more information visit our Custom SmartFan Controls and Alarms page or talk to one of our engineers. Email: sales@controlres.com or call 978-486-4160. |
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SmartFan Fan Monitoring & Fan Failure Alarms
SmartFan TachScan-3 and TachScan-9 fan failure alarms can be used to monitor between 1-9 AC or DC fans/motors equipped with a built-in hall effect devise. TachScan-3 and TachScan-9 can be used as standalone fan monitors or used in conjunction with most of the 2 wire controls listed above.
For details, visit Fan Monitoring & Fan Failure Alarms Page.
2, 3 and 4-Wire Fans/Motors Explained
2-wire fans/motors are basic DC fans/motors with positive and negative power leads. SmartFan 2-wire controls regulate fan/motor speed by varying the voltage to the fan/motor. Several SmartFan models offer a temperature alarm output. Multiple fans/motors can be connected in parallel up to the current rating of the model.
3-wire fans/motors have a tach pulse or alarm (rotation/locked rotor) lead in addition to the positive and negative power leads. SmartFan 3-wire controls regulate fan/motor speed and monitor tach pulses to provide pass/fail signals. Some 3-wire fans have an alarm output for the third lead instead of a tach pulse. Standard alarm products can be easily modified for use with these fans. 3-wire fans are very common, so qualifying fans from different fan manufacturers is typical.
4-wire fans/motors have a speed control lead as a fourth wire. SmartFan 4-wire controls pass the supply voltage directly to the fan/motor, and then regulate fan speed by providing a control signal. The controls monitor tach pulses from the fans/motors and provide pass/fail signals.There are three significant advantages to using 4-wire fans.
- If you have a regulated supply voltage, the speed of the fan/motor can be adjusted by the speed control signal eliminating the need for a buck or buck/boost voltage regulator on the control board greatly reducing control board cost and size.
- A 2-wire or 3-wire fan/motor can typically operate down to about ½ speed without concern for the fan/motor stalling. A 4-wire fan/motor can be operated at less than ½ speed and can even be turned off using the speed control signal.
- Fan manufacturers are offering these fans with significantly higher performance features (RPM, pressure, flow) compared to 2- and 3-wire fans.
Disadvantages for these fans include availability, price and compatibility between fan manufacturers to allow qualifying of multiple fans.
Applications for DC motor speed control and fan speed control
Electronics Cooling
All of Control Resources’ DC & AC Controls can be used in electronics cooling applications for fan speed control to regulate temperature and reduce acoustical noise. Typical OEM applications include file servers, ATE products, storage subsystems, medical devices and telecommunications equipment.
Medical Instruments & Power Supplies
Telecommunications Equipment
Control Resouces specializes in fan speed control for telecommunication applications. The SmartFan Multi SD, and Vortex, were specifically designed for telecommunications cooling applications. Features available with the Multi SD, and Vortex, include:
- Accepting diode OR’d dual power feeds from 10 to 75 VDC
- Soft start and current limiting
- Speed control for 12, 24, or 48 VDC fans
- Speed control based on temperature (thermistor), PWM DC signal or via a serial communication (I2C) bus
- Multiple programmable alarm and fan status outputs
- Voltage boost circuit that will maintain required voltage to the fan even when the supply voltage drops below what is needed
- Managed or intelligent FRU ATCA compliance
Benefits of using SmartFan DC motor speed control and fan speed control include acoustical noise reduction, energy savings, environmental (humidity, temperature, pressure, flow) regulation, greater system reliability and improved safety.
