Re: [DML] Fan Fail Light Without Actual Fan Fail

[Martin Gutkowski <webmaster@xxxx>]

Okay John a few points back to you :-)

#1 In my design, I've kept the "quirk" of the light coming on for a 
second each time the fans engage. Should one or other fail, it'll stay 
on. I like the visual indicator too.
#3 If the motors have such a low failure rate, they should never draw 
enough to trip the circuit breaker anyway. The excess current is created 
by poor connections in the crimps, terminals etc. You're bypassing these 
with your system, I'd replace them.
#4 The design I've come up with thus far is very simple - I was very 
pleased when I found those Philips switches because as everyone knows, 
solid state devices (no moving parts) are MORE reliable than relays. 
Cost of components is about $20 total....

I happilly stick my hand in the air and say "of course this isn't 
necessary" - but the DeLorean was designed to tell you when one of your 
fans fail - a unique feature I'd like to restore. I also like the 
sequencing function of the FanZilla, which my design performs, yours 
does not.

To answer your specific comment "I like to see engineers get onto a 
problem and make it bigger than it is" reminds me of a saying among 
engineers "if it ain't broke, fix it till it is" :-) Seriously though, I 
started thinking of all possible outcomes: What about a freak piece of 
debris flying up from the wheel and slicing through the cabling to the 
fans? My system (and the FanZilla, as far as I know) will detect this 
immediately. Yours will not.

In designing and building fighting robots, there's one lesson I've 
learnt very painfully: Don't design the thing for all the eventualities 
you can think of, design it for those you CAN'T think of..

I really do need to stop talking about it and go and actually BUILD one 
of these badgers, don't I?!!!

Martin
#1458


dherv10@xxxx wrote:

> Martin, Joe and Group.
<snip>