this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2024
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Does anyone know if there's an IR/RF dimmer available in any of the Chinese online stores (AliExpress and the likes)? (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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A simple thing like this, but premanufactured. I scoured the internet trying to find one (at a reasonable price) and there is nothing. I would make one myself, but I just don't have the time currently to do that.

I need it for a mains fan control. Doesn't have to be fancy (all of the ones I encoutered were very fancy, with touch sliders and whatnot), 5 steps is enough, on/off control as well as speed control through the remote. Nothing fancy, as I said, 5 steps is more than enough. So, basically, just 3 buttons on the remote: on/off, + and - is all I need.

Also, I don't need smart/phone/app solutions, I would like it to just have a remote, that's it.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This isn't really what this community is for. We're here to discuss circuit design and other subjects on that level.

I would avoid any 5€ solution that wasn't a renowned brand second hand. I understand that you are budget aware, I too have a very close and loving relationship with my money, but I wouldn't trust some cheap temu part to be plugged in without oversight. That's a pretty easy way to wake up dead in a pile of smoking ashes.

I'm sorry if I'm coming off as an asshole, I'm really not trying to. If you think I'm being snobby I suggest that you go watch a few big Clive videos on youtube. The chinesium stuff can be really poorly constructed.

How much power does your fan use? Is it an ordinary asynchronous AC motor? Single phase 230V?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I know what I'm doing and I know what I have to mod to make it work properly and within engineering limits (I am an engineer). I just don't have the time to make one myself, I just don't.

It's a synchronous AC motor, about 100W (maybe less, haven't measured it), single phase, 230V~, but what does this have to do with what I asked?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

This is meant for a ceiling fan, but maybe it could be retrofitted for your needs? It is internet enabled, but it comes down ith a remote, and the internet enabled controller can be flashed with Tasmota open source firmware for local only control. It does however only has three levels, high/med/low.

https://sonoff.tech/product/diy-smart-switches/ifan04-l/

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Yeah, saw these on AliExpress as well. They're not cheap, they're like $20. I was looking for something fairly simple, like $3 to $5, nothing fancy. I would even be OK with just 3 levels if it was fairly cheap.

Oh well, I guess I'm gonna have to make one myself... simple things are off the table on online shops from what I can see.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

You can't use a normal dimmer to control a fan. I searched for "fan controller 110v" on AliExpress and found some for <10€, but I don't know which of them are good.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

You can, I have, it works... good enough. It's not supposed to work in that mode, with chopped up sine waves, but it's not such a big deal if you keep the motor cool, and it will stay cool because it's a fan, a table fan... just mounted on a wall... and the motor is practically exposed, so it will be directly cooled.

Could you share the links of those cheap ones? Are those IR/RF controlled? Cuz I know about these, but they don't have remotes.

EDIT: This is what I had in mind, but this is for LED lighting...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Yeah, I ran into those as well, but those are for fans with separate windings for different speeds, 1, 2, 3 or low, mid, high. You can't use them for controlling a fan with one winding.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

20$ is pretty reasonable for what it is, including the remote and everything. And sonoff, while not UL listed, is reputable enough that I would trust it not to catch on fire, which would probably not be the case for a 5$ controller.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Might be cheap for western salaries, I make about 10K euros a year 🤷.

I can mod the controller to not catch fire... I just need a PCB anyway, I don't need the case.