Simple voltage limiter
I recently added a 180MM computer muffin fan to my intake window. The fan, a silverstone FM181 which employs a variable speed 10k ohm potentiometer, has an operating voltage from 5v to 13.2v. ht...
Forum Discussion
OP here. I appreciate all the responses and info, and encourage thread drift within this topic.
I wish there were more than just a few 180mm fans available. This one is the highest CFM Fan, and is also variable speed. I purchased it some time ago, before I acquired 10 amp PWM motor speed controllers. This is the biggest fan I can use in my intended window. I have made an acrylic shroud with a 180mm cutout. I wish I had tested it longer when I first acquired it, as I might not have kept it nor employed it, nor made a shroud designed around it. But I didn't and I did. Done and done. Moving on....
The Drok LM2596 Voltage Regulator Experimental Power Buck Converter+LED Voltmeter arrived today.
I hooked it up and when fed 12.2 volts, the max it can put out is 11.3 volts. That is with the fan at full speed. At lesser speeds on the Silverstone Potentiometer, the difference (headroom?) is less.
My Sears 82369 clamp on meter ( clamped after the Drok), says it draws 1 amp at full speed.
I fear the fan itself is a dud, as the hub motor is still getting quite warm even when fed sub 13.2 volts, warmer than I remember from a few days ago when I first put it into service and voltages were in the mid to low 12's at the battery and 0.05 less at the fan.
When I switch all my loads from the ~12.2v battery to the 13.0 volt battery, the max output voltage of the Drok unit also rises, so I will need to dial it in when I have 15.3v available.
The Little toggle button toggles between input and output voltages. There is a green light for the output voltage screen and a red light for the input voltage. Both voltages can be calibrated in +/- 0.5 volts, and I did so to match my Sears clamp on Ammeter.
The voltage adjustment screw is a very small slot and changes voltage slowly, about 1.2 volts in a full 360 degree turn.
I am noticing the Drok unit gets barely warm when fed 12.2v and allowing 7.1 out.
When I switch batteries from the ~12.2 to the 13.06 one, the 7.1 volt output remains.
One can turn off the voltage display by holding down the toggle button for 2 seconds, but the input red light stays on.
It came with no instructions. It was wrapped well and came with a business card advertising www.wonmeter.com
It appears this unit will work to keep excessive voltages from reaching the fan.
Whether the fan will live a long happy life is another matter.
I linked the wrong model fan in the original post. I'll go back and change it to the AP 182.
The AP182 has a rated voltage of 12v, not the 5 to 13.2v that I stated in the original post.
I wish there were more than just a few 180mm fans available. This one is the highest CFM Fan, and is also variable speed. I purchased it some time ago, before I acquired 10 amp PWM motor speed controllers. This is the biggest fan I can use in my intended window. I have made an acrylic shroud with a 180mm cutout. I wish I had tested it longer when I first acquired it, as I might not have kept it nor employed it, nor made a shroud designed around it. But I didn't and I did. Done and done. Moving on....
The Drok LM2596 Voltage Regulator Experimental Power Buck Converter+LED Voltmeter arrived today.
I hooked it up and when fed 12.2 volts, the max it can put out is 11.3 volts. That is with the fan at full speed. At lesser speeds on the Silverstone Potentiometer, the difference (headroom?) is less.
My Sears 82369 clamp on meter ( clamped after the Drok), says it draws 1 amp at full speed.
I fear the fan itself is a dud, as the hub motor is still getting quite warm even when fed sub 13.2 volts, warmer than I remember from a few days ago when I first put it into service and voltages were in the mid to low 12's at the battery and 0.05 less at the fan.
When I switch all my loads from the ~12.2v battery to the 13.0 volt battery, the max output voltage of the Drok unit also rises, so I will need to dial it in when I have 15.3v available.
The Little toggle button toggles between input and output voltages. There is a green light for the output voltage screen and a red light for the input voltage. Both voltages can be calibrated in +/- 0.5 volts, and I did so to match my Sears clamp on Ammeter.
The voltage adjustment screw is a very small slot and changes voltage slowly, about 1.2 volts in a full 360 degree turn.
I am noticing the Drok unit gets barely warm when fed 12.2v and allowing 7.1 out.
When I switch batteries from the ~12.2 to the 13.06 one, the 7.1 volt output remains.
One can turn off the voltage display by holding down the toggle button for 2 seconds, but the input red light stays on.
It came with no instructions. It was wrapped well and came with a business card advertising www.wonmeter.com
It appears this unit will work to keep excessive voltages from reaching the fan.
Whether the fan will live a long happy life is another matter.
I linked the wrong model fan in the original post. I'll go back and change it to the AP 182.
The AP182 has a rated voltage of 12v, not the 5 to 13.2v that I stated in the original post.
