Geeetech

Hi.



Because this topic still returns like a boomerang, I am going to explain this matter.

I have to say that I was persuaded to do it by my new colleague (Kat from Louisiana). Of course, he owns the M201.

We all know that our printers are equipped with fans.
Some of them have 3 outputs, others only 2. Some of them may have adjustable speed regardless of the number of outputs.

1. Where did these differences in the number of wires come from?
   
2. What depends on whether the fan can be controlled?

ad1. That's the point where it's simple.
Manufacturers come up with different functionalities that can be useful, or just are.

So we can find fans equipped with 2, or 3 or 4 wires.

• Fan with two leads.
  Red wire - leads the supply voltage (+).
  Black wire - provides the ground potential of the electronic circuit (GND).
• Fan with three leads.
  Red wire - leads the supply voltage (+).
  Black wire - provides the ground potential of the electronic circuit (GND).
  Yellow wire - this is the output from the fan. On this lead impulses are generated for the systems counting the rotational speed. As a standard, the fan electronics generates two pulses per full rotation.
• Fan with three leads.
  That's the type we won't find in a printer.
  
  Red wire - leads the supply voltage (+).
  Black wire - provides the ground potential of the electronic circuit (GND).
  Yellow wire - this is the output from the fan. Functionality as above.
  Blue wire - fan control input. After giving the PWM signal we can control the rotation speed.

ad2. Here we have different possibilities.
We already know that there is a special version of the fan designed for rotational speed control.

Now I will describe the possibilities we have for the other types.

To influence the fan speed, limit the current supply.

• The simplest way is to connect a resistor to one of the power supply leads. This is not the best and recommended method. It has its drawbacks.
• A better solution is to introduce the PWM signal to one of the power supply leads. This is the solution used by the manufacturer of our printers for selected fans. If you are interested in the method of action, please refer to wiki.

. .
In this case, if the fan has a yellow cable, it is not used. This lead is floating in the open.

If you want to replace the fan for any reason. Or you will get caught up in the need - you need to know that:

In addition to the very important and basic electrical parameters of each fan, the fan is characterized by several essential features.
Fan performance [m3/h ]
Noise levels [dBA]
Maximum operating speed [rpm]
Type of bearing used - slide / ball bearings

Modern fans can also be equipped with brushless motors.

It is worth to pay attention to these attributes in order to make a more conscious choice.

It may happen that a fan running at a lower maximum speed will be more efficient. This is because it will have better shaped vanes. It will therefore be quieter.

In this way, a small compendium of knowledge about fans was created.

Hey,

What started my questions was both my IC 3 and the M201 came with 3 wire fans. The M201's fans were broken from factory, probably shipping damage. Trying to replace them, could only find 2 wire on GTs web. Started trying to find out difference and why?

Thanks for taking the time, Kaktus


'Kat