Mike, There are certain companies that are just THE standard by which everyone else wishes they could emulate. Steele Rubber for Rubber Products for our vintage trucks, and Ron Francis Wiring for the Electrical system. I am an admirer of Ron Francis.
Yes. That is exactly what I am going for. But, as you know from the Critical Systems Warning Circuit Thread here that you are aware of, I have been working on this problem now for quite a long time, and completely SEPARATE from Ron's research, I came up with the exact same conclusion.
An Automotive Grade NTC Thermistor Circuit, and the one that I created on my own here:
http://devestechnet.com/Images/Projects/WarningSystem/WaterTempSchematicFinalc.jpgwhich was augmented by a friend to include something Ron's solution didn't incorporate, a Supervisor Circuit is in operation and in quality everything Ron did and then some, really proves WE CAN!
That basic circuit is better because with Ron's solution, if a wire was broken or the circuit was broken in some way, the only time you would know is if you noticed the fan did not come on when it was supposed to. My circuit monitors the health of the circuit and ensures all wires and components are working correctly. When they are not, an Amber LED on the box lights to tell us a wire is broken (the most likely) at the Sensors lug housing. Of course, it is NOT necessary in some people's mind because you SHOULD know there is something wrong if the Fan does not come on as expected. But, it's the little things.
So, without being critical of Ron's work, which I am always amazed at, and they know it, how can we make that just a little better? (We already have.)
Mike, what do you think of the idea of an 'Interrupt' Switch as stated above? (off being normal op, On being an override so the occupant can turn on the fan by hand?)
Fan speed control? The AC override is something we would also need to add. Even AutoWires web site shows how to add that feature with their old Thermal Sensor technology.
I am not annoyed by it, but I am not emulating Ron's System, rather doing something completely separate and without any consideration for what is out there already. It's nice to see what's out there, but it should in no way change our minds as to what we can do to make THE ultimate Fan Controller. I learned about the Automotive Grade Thermistor direct from Vishay, the manufacturer's Engineering team when researching the CIS circuit. I then went about making my very own Lug Mounting for Vishays Thermistor. I have room to put about four of them inside one Lug Housing, so we can give each fan their own sensor very easily. YOU were instrumental in guiding the thought process, then months of playing with other peoples designs led me to an even better idea. Make it from scratch!
I am thinking we could easily make each fan have its own sensor, fully adjustable, complete with the supervision circuit, and an Interrupt Switch with AC compatibility.
I am thinking of mounting the box near the Fans. Two 40 amp Relays would be inside the box with the rest of the circuitry. I am a fan of redundancy, so I am designing this circuit to use two 20 amp relays that are soldered direct to the PCB, THEN use those two relays to fire the two 40 amp ones. The 20 amp ones will be very solid and unlikely to ever die, but the 40 amp ones would be mounted in the box separate so they are easily replaced.
Sorry for the novel, but this is EXCITING!!
