When I set out to build a ventilation fan for Brunnhilde in 2012, I envisioned it would eventually become automated. It took nearly 3 1/2 years for the pieces to all come together, while the manual version served well.
actually the fan was installed backwards in this old photo
I wanted the fan to be able to be set up when parked in the sun to help reduce solar gain in hot days by extracting hot air from the cabin. The automation took this long as it was not something that I actively pursue. Had I pursued the automation I would have to purchase a microcontroller like a Microchip PIC series, build a breadboard, and program the code myself. A one off project like that is not effective use of time. I waited, and recently an excellent temperature controller just emerged. I first purchased one to test out, and implemented into the skylight ventilation fan for Isolde.
It took a while for this second controller to arrive from China. By nowI am now very familiar with the board, adding it to Brunnhilde's ventilation fan is a snap. Since the fan assembly is quite large, I just mount the controller board directly onto the foam board. 20 minutes of work and it is now thermostatically controlled.
the display shows the ambient temperature
when the ventilation fan is not in use it is easily stow away
duck confit with mashed potato and sauteed napa cabbage
Some may wonder why bother to make your own ventilation fan when you can buy one. It is really simple. There is nothing out there that I care to buy. They are too intrusive and ugly in general especially those available here in the United States. They also consume too much power. Mine is constructed out of most things I already have. The cash outlay is just $4.25.
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