Harold Posted November 11, 2013 Posted November 11, 2013 I have the need for the control of 2 fan motors. 5A is enough, but 10 would be better. The problem is getting a "dimmer" that will handle that kind of inductive load. The power control module needs to be controlled remotely. Insteon would be very nice. But even using a remote potentiometer would be fine for this one. All of the 120VAC speed controls I have found are either a very expensive variable frequency drive (which may not be compatible with the motor) or a simple TRIAC with a built-in pot. All the TRIACs I have seen use essentially the same simple cheap circuit. It results in the wire to the pot carrying line voltage which is not compatible with my low voltage wiring. I would really appreciate being pointed to such a device. The second fan is worse. I need to control the speed with a PID function (short description - keeps it from oscillating around the correct speed in real time). That is a PLC (industrial Programmable Logic Controller) sort of function. And it all needs to be driven from a 20MA or 0-10V input signal. I could build some of this stuff, but I want to use commercial as much as I can for things like insurance. I figure there are enough people out there that there may be someone that can help. Hey, posts are free.
oberkc Posted November 11, 2013 Posted November 11, 2013 The closest Insteon device that I know of would be the fanlinc.
Brian H Posted November 11, 2013 Posted November 11, 2013 Fanlinc would not work in this application. Has a one amp rating for the fan motor output and 300 watts for the light output.
jgorm Posted November 11, 2013 Posted November 11, 2013 You might be able to adapt something like this. http://www.vhipe.com/product-private/SuperPID.htm For this kind of control, and with any type of user PID settings required, you are going to need a real PLC and frequency controller. You can get stuff cheap on ebay. I sold a number of old allen bradley PLCs for ~$30. Frequency controllers are more expensive, but you should be able to get one for about $100. The software is more difficult to get, but there are some more DIY friendly PLCs. I was going to use a PLC for HVAC and fan control based on temps, but I have it almost working with the ISY and it's way way easier!
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