Nuisance fastners - winge

[Sylvia Else]

I had occasion to dismantle a cheap pedestal fan the other day (Coles
Home Collection). It hadn't failed, but I wanted to see how it was wired
up (that's another story).

The cover to the button panel was held in place by four screws which
were identical except that two were philips head type, and the other two
had a triangular socket in the head.

I have bits to cope with most things I've encountered, but not those.
What's the point? Are they worried about competition for repairing these
$10 fans?

Do consumers regularly electrocute themselves by taking fans apart
without knowing what they're doing?

Sylvia.

 

[Alan]

I had occasion to dismantle a cheap pedestal fan the other day (Coles
Home Collection). It hadn't failed, but I wanted to see how it was wired
up (that's another story).

The cover to the button panel was held in place by four screws which
were identical except that two were philips head type, and the other two
had a triangular socket in the head.

I have bits to cope with most things I've encountered, but not those.
What's the point? Are they worried about competition for repairing these
$10 fans?

Do consumers regularly electrocute themselves by taking fans apart
without knowing what they're doing?

Sylvia.

I just used a small flat blade screwdriver to remove them. Got to be
the right size though to jam along one flat of the triangle.


--
Sell your surplus electronic components at
http://ozcomponents.com
Search or browse for that IC, capacitor,
crystal or other component you need.
Or find new components at http://auscomponents.com

 

[Sylvia Else]

I just used a small flat blade screwdriver to remove them. Got to be
the right size though to jam along one flat of the triangle.

Well, I got one of them undone using a tri-wing bit, but stripped the
other attempting to do the same thing. However, I managed to see what I
wanted to see.

<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...i-wing.svg/40px-Screw_Head_-_Tri-wing.svg.png>

Sylvia.

 

[fritz]

Well, I got one of them undone using a tri-wing bit, but stripped the other attempting to do the same thing. However, I managed to
see what I wanted to see.

Which was ?
Is there a point to this thread apart from the type of screw you couldn't screw ?

 

[atec77]

Which was ?
Is there a point to this thread apart from the type of screw you couldn't screw ?

The point is stupid is as stupid does (syliva)
the screws are the manufactures way of saying no user serviceable
parts do not open

 

[Jeffrey Angus]

Do consumers regularly electrocute themselves by taking fans apart
without knowing what they're doing?

I'm reminded of an old Rodriguez cartoon in Popular Electronics.

First panel: On a large speaker cabinet. "to prevent shock do not
remove cover"

Second panel: Owner taking out a LOT of screws.

Third panel: Owner on floor clutching chest. Inside of huge cabinet
has 2" transistor radio speaker inside.

Jeff

 

[Metro]

I had occasion to dismantle a cheap pedestal fan the other day (Coles Home
Collection). It hadn't failed, but I wanted to see how it was wired up
(that's another story).

The cover to the button panel was held in place by four screws which were
identical except that two were philips head type, and the other two had a
triangular socket in the head.

I have bits to cope with most things I've encountered, but not those.
What's the point? Are they worried about competition for repairing these
$10 fans?

Do consumers regularly electrocute themselves by taking fans apart without
knowing what they're doing?

Sylvia.

They are only a tamperproof head of which there are various and easily
available.. Wait until you come across a coffin head screw.I believe the
reason for using them is that some countries prevent the dismantle of an
appliance without the use of a tool or special tool so this way all fields
are covered in one assembly. Did you find out how it worked. They are made
to break. Best way to keep them longer is to keep the Blades clean and
lubricate the bearings NOT with WD40 or the like.

Metro

 

[Sylvia Else]

And how was it wired up ?

In a particular way.

Sylvia.

 

[Sylvia Else]

They are only a tamperproof head of which there are various and easily
available.. Wait until you come across a coffin head screw.I believe the
reason for using them is that some countries prevent the dismantle of an
appliance without the use of a tool or special tool so this way all fields
are covered in one assembly. Did you find out how it worked. They are made
to break. Best way to keep them longer is to keep the Blades clean and
lubricate the bearings NOT with WD40 or the like.

As I said, it hadn't broken. I was actually trying to figure out which
wire was which leading to the induction motor. I had in mind making it
run backwards. Aerofoils don't perform as well backwards, but they do
perform. However, on further consideration I realised that the fan
blades would be aerodynamically stalled if the fan ran backwards, with
the result that it would probably not work much at all.

Sylvia.

 

[Sylvia Else]

Which was ?
Is there a point to this thread apart from the type of screw you couldn't screw ?

Not really. The word "winge" in the subject line should have hinted at that.

Sylvia.

 

[Sylvia Else]

If the fan is symetrical - snap off pairs of opposing blades.

That's not going to fix the problem of the blades being stalled.

What I would really need to do is fit the one-piece fan blade assembly
on back to front (as well as reversing the motor), but the fan blade
assembly is not designed to be attached the other way around.

Sylvia.

 

[Adrian Tuddenham]

What I would really need to do is fit the one-piece fan blade assembly
on back to front (as well as reversing the motor), but the fan blade
assembly is not designed to be attached the other way around.

If it is a shaded-pole induction motor, it will not be possible to run
it in reveres unless you dismantle the whole assembly and put the stator
in the other way around. It would be more effective to get a spare fan
boss and make new blades for it.

(I have made a shaded-pole gramophone motor run backwards, but I had to
completely rebuild it and add extra windings to make it work.)

 

[Sylvia Else]

If it is a shaded-pole induction motor, it will not be possible to run
it in reveres unless you dismantle the whole assembly and put the stator
in the other way around. It would be more effective to get a spare fan
boss and make new blades for it.

It's not shaded pole. It has two sets of windings perpendicular to each
other, and a capacitor which I believe is in series with one set of
windings.

Sylvia.

 

[Sylvia Else]

Might sound silly, but cant the entire fan head (including motor) be
rotated 180 degrees, or do you want the
air intake without the motor in the way ?

The application is to suck cool air in through an open window at night.
During the recent heat wave, it was noticeable that even though the
temperature outside drops at night, the temperature of the house doesn't
drop that much. The problem is lack of air flow.

A conventional pedestal fan blows in such a direction that when it's
placed as near as possible to a window, the fan blades are still quite a
way from the cool air, and so the result is not as effective as it might
be. If I could reverse the direction of flow, then I could also turn
then fan around, so that the blades would be much closer to the window.

I considered simply building a duct, but the cost of materials was
excessive.

I'm thinking of using box fans instead.

Sylvia.

 

[Adrian Tuddenham]

It's not shaded pole. It has two sets of windings perpendicular to each
other, and a capacitor which I believe is in series with one set of
windings.

In that case it ought to be reversible - but I would still consider
making a replacement fan if you want a reasonably efficient reversed
airflow..

 

[F Murtz]

The application is to suck cool air in through an open window at night.
During the recent heat wave, it was noticeable that even though the
temperature outside drops at night, the temperature of the house doesn't
drop that much. The problem is lack of air flow.

A conventional pedestal fan blows in such a direction that when it's
placed as near as possible to a window, the fan blades are still quite a
way from the cool air, and so the result is not as effective as it might
be. If I could reverse the direction of flow, then I could also turn
then fan around, so that the blades would be much closer to the window.

I considered simply building a duct, but the cost of materials was
excessive.

I'm thinking of using box fans instead.

Sylvia.

If is is only for a short time, get a cheap ceiling fan and bung it in a
bit of thin mdf and have it suck in instead of out.Or whichever way you
fancy.

 

[F Murtz]

While on the subject of ceiling fans, void those Arlec ones at
Bunnings, they are flat out getting up any
sort of airflow, and the motor is very lightweight. They are also the
first fan I have
ever seen that includes a "blade balancing kit" which includes a few
flat pieces of steel
and double sided tape for mounting them.

Their highest speed setting is about the same as a lowest speed
settings on your standard "airflow" ceiling fan that electricians
usually
install.

I may have mislead people I meant ceiling exhaust fan

 

[Sylvia Else]

We had the same problem, I put a Woolies pedestal fan right in front
of the window on the inside, and used it that way. It works well, but
I agree that
if you could mount it in the open window directly it would work a lot
better. Currently
it sits about 25cm inside of the window opening due to the stand.


The box fan would probably be a better idea. Could put a shelf or
something under
the window, and sit it on there.

Another (depending on the amount of air these things move, their
appearance,
and the fact that the shaded pole motor and blade is exposed on the
back)
could be use bathroom type exhaust fan(s) mounted through a piece of
plywood
that sits in the open section of the window. ?

If the window has a good height,
you might be able to try one at the top blowing out the hot air and
one at the bottom blowing in cool ?

Perhaps, though one would have to be concerned that one just ended up
creating a flow from the bottom to the top with little penetration into
the room. Something to experiment with, I suppose.

My thinking is to take two box fans, remove their feet, and attach them
to a wooden frame that can be slotted into the groves normally used by
the horizontally sliding window. It would make something that could be
quickly attached as needed, and equally easily removed when not. Any
spare window space would be blocked off, so that air pumped in would
push other air out of the house wherever it could escape.

BTW, I've been using a box fan to force ventilate an underhouse store
room where he had something of a drain overflow. After running
continously for a month, its bearings are stuffed. Me thinks they're not
designed for that level of use.

Sylvia.

 

[F Murtz]

We had the same problem, I put a Woolies pedestal fan right in front
of the window on the inside, and used it that way. It works well, but
I agree that
if you could mount it in the open window directly it would work a lot
better. Currently
it sits about 25cm inside of the window opening due to the stand.


The box fan would probably be a better idea. Could put a shelf or
something under
the window, and sit it on there.

Another (depending on the amount of air these things move, their
appearance,
and the fact that the shaded pole motor and blade is exposed on the
back)
could be use bathroom type exhaust fan(s) mounted through a piece of
plywood

Dont know why I bother ,I new I was invisible.

 

[Adrian Tuddenham]

{...]

A conventional pedestal fan blows in such a direction that when it's
placed as near as possible to a window, the fan blades are still quite a
way from the cool air, and so the result is not as effective as it might
be. If I could reverse the direction of flow, then I could also turn
then fan around, so that the blades would be much closer to the window.

I considered simply building a duct, but the cost of materials was
excessive.

Cardboard box?