Fan speed controller - Electronics help

[Speedy88]

Hey y'all,
My heater blow has stopped working. See the back of this there speed controller. The bottom 3 are all the 3 different inputs from the switch (technically the relay but lets keep it simpler). So each one is speed 1, 2 and 3.

The top connector goes to the positive on the fan motor:


It gives different speed based on the resistance of the coiled wire. The highest speed - 3 - is closest to the output and therefore has less coil to go through. Less coil = more powarz and therefore higher speed.



My question is - you can see the output (to the motor) is floating somewhere above the spring. It's very rusty. Is there a part missing? Can I fix this unit short of soldering a wire between?

Secondly, if someone has one of these I'd happily buy it off them

Cheers

[tim-andre]

ive got a spare one, but it does not work on speed 1 and 2, since the coil thingy is broken, made it work for a while by making the bits of coil touch where they broke, works perfectly at 3 thou

[Speedy88]

Cheers mate but I'd rather just jump the wires Can you tell which piece is missing on mine though?

[tim-andre]

i dont remember, can check that after work tomorrow
will upload some crapy mobile pic of it

[Chris_C]

I'm struggling to see from your pics bud, do these help?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/c_cardwell ... 121693593/

[Speedy88]

That's weird, yours looks exactly the same too. Hmm, maybe I should just replace the unit. Yours looks really clean as well, where did you get it?

[macplaxton]

Looks all there to me.

Whizz it over and I'll fix it. Don't whizz it over and I might remember to stick some pics up

[Speedy88]

Sounds like an option

I still don't understand though. Obviously it doesn't arc accross that gap so how is the connection made?

[macplaxton]

I still don't understand though. Obviously it doesn't arc accross that gap so how is the connection made?

Fairies!

[Chris_C]

What gap are you on about dude :p

The bimetallic?

[macplaxton]

He means the TCO.

The entire unit is just two resistors and a thermal cut-out. There's nothing "electronic" about it. I'll get some pics up later.

[Speedy88]

Hidden electricity! It's witchcraft I tells ya.

Ok cool then, makes more sense. May I whisk it over to you for a refurb then?

[macplaxton]

No problem and PM'd