Ceiling Fan Regulators : Conventional Vs.

Electronic
By Kiran Daware Energy Efficient Leave A Comment

We all are aware of ceiling fans and regulators which are used to control the speed of fan. You might have noticed that
older fan regulators were (still being used in some homes) a lot more bulkier than those we see today. Below are the both
types (conventional and electronic) of fan regulators explained.

Conventional Fan Regulator (Resistance Regulator)

Older regulators, which looked like a big square box having a circular knob on it, popping out of the switch board, which are
also called as Resistance regulators. The box has a tapped resistor inside it, which is connected in series with the motor of
the fan. Basic circuit diagram of a conventional fan regulator is as shown in the figure.

The circuit diagram shown at right explains very well about working of a conventional fan regulator. When the knob is at
position 1, the maximum resistance is added in series with the single phase AC motor of the fan. Thus, there will be maximum
voltage drop in this resistance of the regulator, and hence a reduced voltage will be applied to the motor of the fan.
(See - speed control methods of induction motor.)
When we move knob to position to, resistance R12 will be dropped out, and only resistance from point 2 to point 5 will be in the
circuit. Hence, in this case voltage applied to the motor will be greater than that of previous case. Similarly, as we move knob
towards right, resistance in circuit will be decrease. And when the knob is at position 5, maximum voltage will be applied to the
motor as there is no external resistance in the circuit, and hence the speed of the fan will be maximum. This was the basic
working principle of a conventional ceiling fan regulator.

Electronic Fan Regulator

Nowadays, fan regulators have become a lot more compact than conventional regulators. TheseElectronic fan
regulators come in sizes as small as a regular electric switch. A general circuit diagram of electronic fan regulator is shown
in the figure below.

Resistor R1 is a variable resistor (usually of 500 ohm) which is attached to a knob. This knob controls the gate current of the
TRIAC, through a circuit consisting of a DIAC and a capacitor (called as firing circuit). This gate current controls the current
flowing through the TRIAC, consequently controlling the power fed to the motor of the fan. Thus, the speed of the motor (fan) is
controlled.

Which one is energy efficient?

In conventional regulator, voltage drop in the resistance is converted into heat energy, which means the loss of energy.
This loss is maximum, when the fan is running at minimum speed (that is more resistance is connected in series, and
hence more loss).

But in electronic regulators, TRIAC based circuit is used to control the output voltage which causes very less power loss
as compared to that of conventional regulators.

Thus, we can conclude that, an electronic regulator is more efficient than a conventional (resistance) regulator.

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