3-speed fan motor

I notice that a lot of fans, including all I have recently bought, have

3 speeds controlled by a switch. So I was wondering how they manage to control the speed (yeah, I know ... via the position of the switch :-) Latest one I bought has parts more visible (I don't want to take them apart). There are 4 wires to the switch. So it would seem likely that one wire is common and the other 3 are selected by position, and none are selected for off. There's a 3uf capacitor and what looks like a shaded-pole winding in the motor itself.

The motor type that seems to fit is "permanent split-capacitor", also known as "capacitor start and run".

If the starting winding is permanently connected, is there any design change over that of a switched winding that is needed because it will be permanently powered? For example would the number of winding turns need to be greater? Or maybe different capacitor? Or at at different angle in the stator?

I read that the switch selects taps in the main winding for speed. But is this just a selection that affects slip, or does it change the way the winding is slectrically configured? Could more taps allow more steps in motor speed? Is there a low end limit on the speed that can be set this way?

I have noticed that it always is the case that the first position next to the off position is the highest speed position. Is this done because that is the best for starting the fan from a not-running state?

I tested a couple of fans I have (the circulate air in the computer room by getting them spinning in the wrong direct by driving the backware with another face facing into it. Then I flip the switch and notice that the fan has no trouble getting started by quickly slowing down the rotation that's going in the wrong direction, to a stop, then going in the right direction. This works fine even which quickly switched to the slow speed.

My father has a ceiling fan with a pull chain that increments the speed in steps with 3 speeds possible, and also has a wall switch with 3 speeds. Turns out there there are more than just 3 speeds possible based on the combinations of both switches. How does this happen? I have not looked at the wiring, but I assume there are as many wires as the wall switch needs to have going between the fan and the wall switch. Could the pull chain switch be selecting different taps on the other end of the winding?

The ceiling fan has a reverse switch. I'm guessing that simply reverses the permanent start winding.

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phil-news-nospam
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Yes, these seem to be PSC. With the cap removed, they will not start. If already runing and the cap removed, the will continue runing, but current draw will increase. They are less efficient in this mode.

I guess it is a matter of economics. Sizing the cap for each speed position might maximize efficiency, extra capacitors and more complex switch.

Lower speed switches in more windings which means lower current thus less torque.

I always thought this as well, but not positive.

I noticed that some PSC motors will run backwards if power is applied while the shaft has been rotated at nearly full running speed backwards.

Not sure.

Not sure, but it would seem logical that this is what is being done. John

Reply to
JohnR66

|> I read that the switch selects taps in the main winding for speed. But |> is this just a selection that affects slip, or does it change the way |> the winding is slectrically configured? Could more taps allow more steps |> in motor speed? Is there a low end limit on the speed that can be set |> this way? | | Lower speed switches in more windings which means lower current thus less | torque.

So that lower torque plus the drag on the blades results in the lower speed. If operated in a vacuum, the speeds might be a lot closer with only the mechanical drag?

I notice the full speed on most of these fans seems to be about 1 rps different than the power frequency, or some multiple thereof. The observation is that there is a slight change in the timbre of the sound emitted by the motor that cycles around 1 per second, but can vary a lot, including with variation in air flow around the fan. That's at full speed setting. At lower speeds the sound is more like a flutter and does not seem to change as much.

Some day I might take one of these fans apart and substitute a sync motor and see what happens :-)

|> I tested a couple of fans I have (the circulate air in the computer room |> by getting them spinning in the wrong direct by driving the backware with |> another face facing into it. Then I flip the switch and notice that the |> fan has no trouble getting started by quickly slowing down the rotation |> that's going in the wrong direction, to a stop, then going in the right |> direction. This works fine even which quickly switched to the slow speed. | | I noticed that some PSC motors will run backwards if power is applied while | the shaft has been rotated at nearly full running speed backwards.

I used to have an electric clock that would go backwards about half the times it would be plugged in. I would guess the shade winding has been broken or the cap disconnected/loose.

It was a fun clock to have.

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phil-news-nospam

Hello, and years ago many of the better quality box-type fans were intended to be used on the floor or in a window. For window fan use they had an "in/out" switch that would reverse the direction of blade rotation. Most of these fans had a special type shaded-pole motor with two sets of externally-connected shaded windings. Other than that the motor construction was conventional. With the shaded pole windings open-circuited you could cause the motor to rotate in either direction by manually spinning the fan blades in that direction. Although the motor would continue to run in this mode it produced minimal torque compared to having one of the shaded-pole windings in the circuit. Sincerely,

John Wood (Code 5550) e-mail: snipped-for-privacy@itd.nrl.navy.mil Naval Research Laboratory

4555 Overlook Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20375-5337
Reply to
J. B. Wood

On Mon, 04 Jun 2007 07:04:57 -0400 J. B. Wood wrote: | In article , snipped-for-privacy@ipal.net wrote: | |> |> I tested a couple of fans I have (the circulate air in the computer room |> |> by getting them spinning in the wrong direct by driving the backware with |> |> another face facing into it. Then I flip the switch and notice that the |> |> fan has no trouble getting started by quickly slowing down the rotation |> |> that's going in the wrong direction, to a stop, then going in the right |> |> direction. This works fine even which quickly switched to the slow speed. |> | |> | I noticed that some PSC motors will run backwards if power is applied while |> | the shaft has been rotated at nearly full running speed backwards. |> |> I used to have an electric clock that would go backwards about half the |> times it would be plugged in. I would guess the shade winding has been |> broken or the cap disconnected/loose. |> |> It was a fun clock to have. | | Hello, and years ago many of the better quality box-type fans were | intended to be used on the floor or in a window. For window fan use they | had an "in/out" switch that would reverse the direction of blade | rotation. Most of these fans had a special type shaded-pole motor with | two sets of externally-connected shaded windings. Other than that the | motor construction was conventional. With the shaded pole windings | open-circuited you could cause the motor to rotate in either direction by | manually spinning the fan blades in that direction. Although the motor | would continue to run in this mode it produced minimal torque compared to | having one of the shaded-pole windings in the circuit. Sincerely,

I'm also curious why it seems to common that the first speed right after the off position is the highest speed. Could it be that this speed was necessary to counter the fact that the blade may be rotating in the wrong direction due to airflow through the window or such? I have tried all the fans I have ever owned by putting them in the lowest speed position while unplugged, the plugging them in to start. They always start OK, unless the fan is generally dead (after many years of service a couple of them have pretty much frozen up with all kinds of dust and gunk in the motor, which I should have cleaned out, but didn't). So it seems the first position being high isn't to start the fan from a stop, but maybe it needs it to start from reverse rotation.

Also, it seems to me if a motor of this type is going to have 4 wires to the winding, it could achieve 4 speeds instead of just 3 speeds, with the taps being in different positions. Two of the wires would be on one end of the winding, and the other two on the other end. I'll label them as A, B, C, D. It could look like:

A---B-----C------D

Connect to B and C for high speed. Connect to A and C for medium high speed. Connect to B and D for medium low speed. Connect to A and D for low speed.

It would be no more cost on the motor than redesigning for different tap positions on the winding. The switch would cost a bit more to have the extra position. But maybe it's not worth it in the market.

Long long ago my grandfather had a fan that had a smooth speed adjustment. This was around early 1960's. I have no idea how they did that. I do not recall there being a zillion wires from the knob to the motor.

Reply to
phil-news-nospam

Could be to give a reasonable speed acceleration. And to give a high enough torque to start against all kinds of dust and gunk. (I had a gunked up fan that would start on high, but not the other speeds.)

-- bud--

Reply to
Bud--

The taps are not designed to work that way.

Its VERY simple. It used a variable inductor in series with the motor, rather than one with fixed taps.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

On Thu, 07 Jun 2007 09:55:02 GMT Michael A. Terrell wrote: | snipped-for-privacy@ipal.net wrote: |> |> Also, it seems to me if a motor of this type is going to have 4 wires to |> the winding, it could achieve 4 speeds instead of just 3 speeds, with the |> taps being in different positions. Two of the wires would be on one end |> of the winding, and the other two on the other end. I'll label them as |> A, B, C, D. It could look like: |> |> A---B-----C------D |> |> Connect to B and C for high speed. |> Connect to A and C for medium high speed. |> Connect to B and D for medium low speed. |> Connect to A and D for low speed. | | | The taps are not designed to work that way.

Then how are they designed to work?

|> It would be no more cost on the motor than redesigning for different tap |> positions on the winding. The switch would cost a bit more to have the |> extra position. But maybe it's not worth it in the market. |> |> Long long ago my grandfather had a fan that had a smooth speed adjustment. |> This was around early 1960's. I have no idea how they did that. I do not |> recall there being a zillion wires from the knob to the motor. | | | Its VERY simple. It used a variable inductor in series with the | motor, rather than one with fixed taps.

It was a rather small one, then.

Reply to
phil-news-nospam

To be used exactly they way it is being used.

How big did you expect it to be?

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

| Could be to give a reasonable speed acceleration. And to give a high | enough torque to start against all kinds of dust and gunk. (I had a | gunked up fan that would start on high, but not the other speeds.)

Today I found a 3-speed fan that has LO as the first speed and HI as the last speed. There went the trend I had seen for decades. I bought it ($13) to see if it would work (Chinese made in Wal-Mart). It actually did work. No idea how long that will last, though.

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phil-news-nospam

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