Fan Commander Controller – Setup & User Guide
Wiring, sensor setup, and the complete parameter reference for the AutoVent Fan Commander variable-speed controller. Variable Speed Edition, 0–10v output with reverse. Version 17.
Section 1 – Electrician’s guide for the Fan Commander System
Thank you for purchasing the Fan Commander System. The Fan Commander is designed for easy installation and operation. The system is designed to control variable frequency drives (VFD). VFDs are typically utilized to vary the speed of livestock ventilation fans.
Main features
The Fan Commander System is designed for the unique challenges of livestock facilities.
The Fan Commander System:
- Automatic control of VFD by temperature and wind
- Optional Windwheel senses prevailing wind
- Shuts the VFD off when there is a strong prevailing wind
- Saves electricity by sensing prevailing wind
- The 0–10 volt signal changes with the temperature
- (1) 0–10-volt output and (2) NO relays
- Adjustable temperature settings
- Digital display
- Manual override knob for VFD speed
Installing the Fan Commander System
Consider the following before installing the Fan Commander System:
- Protect the enclosure from moisture-mount it in a secure and dry place.
- Important: Only drill holes in the bottom of the enclosures.
- Drilling holes into the top or upper sides of the enclosure voids the warranty.
Power to the Fan Commander System
The control is available with either:
- A. 24vdc power input
- B. 100–240vac input
The 100–240 option needs 100–240v. You should install a surge protector at the breaker panel. Wire to 120 to 240vdc terminal 1 & 2 as circled below.
Temperature sensors
Place the temperature sensor in a location that represents the building’s average temperature. Direct sunlight on the probe will make it read high.
Wiring the temperature sensor to the controller
The temperature sensor must be wired to the Fan Commander.
- Connect the temperature sensor to the terminal marked temperature sensor. Polarity is not important.
- If the sensor needs to be extended, use 18 AWG wires (shielded wire if possible) from the temperature sensor to the Fan Commander. Keep the sensor wire away from high voltage wire by at least 1 foot. Specifically, keep it away from the VFD output wires.
- Temperature probe splices should be made with solder or gel-filled. Wire nuts will not last.
Installing the windwheel
The windwheel senses how fast the prevailing wind is blowing. When there is enough natural wind ventilation, the fans can be turned off. By turning the ventilation fans off when there is a natural wind blowing, electricity can be saved and equipment life extended.
Deciding location of windwheel
The windwheel senses the speed of the prevailing wind. When the prevailing wind is too strong, the fans turn off. The windwheel can be mounted on the roof of the building or in an inside location that is not influenced by mechanical ventilation.
Connecting the windwheel to the Fan Commander
Included with the wind wheel is a 100-foot cord. You can extend this wire. Route the sensor’s wire at least six inches away from 120-volt (or higher) wires. Specifically, keep it away from the VFD output wires.
Ground = black
Wiring the 0–10 volt signal
The Fan Commander is designed to control a VFD with a 0–10-volt speed signal and a normally open relay. The 0–10-volt signal varies to control the speed of the VFD. The relay circuit provides a start signal to the VFD.
Connecting to the signal wires
The 10v terminal provides the 0–10v signal. The signal 0v terminal is the common/negative for the 0–10-volt signal. Connect the 10v terminal to the VFD’s analog input. Connect the 0v signal terminal to the VFD’s analog common or analog ground.
The forward or reverse circuit will close when the VFD is supposed to start. If you will not be using reverse on your fan, jump the forward and reverse together.
Diagnostics
The controller does not light up
- Check if 24vdc is at power input terminals.
- If there is power (24vdc), disconnect all other wires and check again. Likely the PCBHD8 board is ruined.
- If no 24v is present, check the power source. The power supply may be bad.
The controller lights up but fans don’t go
- Disconnect 10v wire.
- Turn the override knob to 99%.
- Check for 10vdc between 10v and 0V terminals.
- If no voltage – change the PCBHD8 board.
- If voltage is present – check the forward signal.
- If 10vdc goes away as soon as the VFD wire is connected, it’s probably a shorted VFD or wire. Disconnect all VFDs and reconnect 1 at a time.
- Cycle manual control knob from off to automatic several times. Make sure you can hear the clicking from the relay as the start signal turns on and off.
Fan Commander is sending 10v but fans don’t go
New construction: Check your fan’s VFDs – make sure they are in remote mode. Triple check that the wires are not inadvertently swapped.
Fans that were running: Check wires – make sure the 10v signal is reaching the fans. Stick a jumper between forward and common. If fans run you may have a setpoint problem or the top board is ruined.
If the fans run but do not seem to run at the correct speed
- Disconnect the VFD 0–10-volt wires from the Fan Commander.
- Connect a 9-volt battery to the fan’s 0–10-volt control wires.
If the fans rotate at exactly 90% of their speed with the 9-volt battery, then the control circuit is connected to the VFD correctly. Use a voltmeter and check if there is a signal on the 0–10v signal terminal inside the Fan Commander. Make sure the temperature settings are correct.
If the fans do not rotate at 90% speed, then the VFDs (variable frequency drives) may not be set to 100% speed at 10 volts. Alternatively, there is serious interference from improper VFD wiring/installation.
Possible solutions to eliminate interference:
- Use VFD rated wire between VFD and fan.
- Keep the power cord from VFD to the motor less than 25 feet long.
- Make sure the motor ground is connected to the VFD ground connection point provided by the VFD manufacturer.
- Double-check to make sure that 0–10-volt wires are not installed within two feet and are parallel to VFD power wires.
Alternatively, use an oscilloscope to check the 0–10v signal. Properly wired systems should have very little noise on the 0–10v signal. Any amount of “jitters” on the 0–10v signal may cause the VFD to misread the 0–10v signal.
Section 2 – User Guide: Overview of the screen
The temperature is displayed on the screen. The windspeed will also be displayed if it’s above 0 MPH. Only the wind is displayed with a decimal point, so you can tell the difference between temperature and windspeed. The figure below shows that it’s 60°.
Manual override
The knob is for you to manually fix the VFD speed. When it’s turned to Auto, the temperature and wind control the VFD. When the knob is turned to manual or off, the temperature and wind are locked out.
Parameters
There are several parameters that you can change. The parameters are labeled P1, P2, …. These parameters are the temperature setpoints and wind speed settings.
Viewing and changing parameters
To view the first parameter, press Enter. The screen now alternates between and parameter 1’s setpoint. To increase or decrease the setpoint, press Up or Down. Press Enter to scroll to Parameter 2. By pressing Enter you can scroll through the remaining parameters. After you have reached the last parameter, the screen displays and then reverts to displaying the temperature.
Temperature parameters
The temperature parameters control the starting temperature and how fast the VFD will be running. The parameters also control how much prevailing wind it takes to turn the VFD off. These parameters can easily be adjusted at any time. You can select forward or reverse for the fan.
Controlling the speed signal
The speed signal controls how fast the VFD will run. The VFD will turn on when the barn temperature reaches the “start temperature” [parameter P1]. The VFD will run at the minimum speed until the temperature reaches the “begin accelerating temperature” [P2]. As the temperature continues to rise the VFD will run faster until it reaches 100% speed. The VFD is at 100% speed when the barn temperature reaches “high/full speed temperature” [P3].
| ID | Description | Default | Min | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | Start temperature. The temperature at which the VFD begins to run. | 60° | 10° | 99° |
| P2 | Begin accelerating temperature, the temperature at which the VFD begins to accelerate. | 65° | P1 | 99° |
| P3 | The temperature at which the VFD will be at full speed. (Signal will be 10 volts.) | 75° | P2 | 99° |
| P4 | The required MPH of the prevailing wind to turn off the VFD at the starting temperature. (The required MPH changes as the temperature increases.) | 7 | 2 | 50 |
| P5 | High MPH, how much prevailing wind it takes to turn off the VFD at full speed temperature. | 14 | 2 | 55 |
| P6 | MPH deadspan, how much the wind must slow down till the VFD will restart. | 4.0 | .1 | 10.0 |
| P7 | Minimum fan speed. The slowest speed at which the VFD will run. A minimum of 2.5 equals 2.5 volts on the 0–10v signal. | 2.5 | .5 | 9.9 |
| P8 | Forward or reverse. You select whether the fan goes forward or reverse. | F | R | |
| P9 | Optional-temperature setpoint for Contact #3. | 75 | 1 | 120 |
| P10 | Optional – Contact #3 deadspan°. | 1.5 | .5 | 12.0 |
| P11 | Gust MPH shuts off the fan if there is a quick wind gust. | 30 | ||
| P12 | Minutes the fan remains off after a gust. | 5 | ||
| P13 | High speed’s %RPM… i.e. when it’s warmer than P3, how fast the fan should go. Adjusted in 1% increments. Use this for a sensitive calf barn where you don’t want the fan to go full speed even when it’s hot. Note: C7 must be set to 1. | 100% | 1% | 100% |
Wind parameters
The wind parameters control how much wind shuts off the VFD. The exact amount of wind required changes as the temperature increases. The “Low MPH” [P4] sets how much it takes until the VFD shuts off when the temperature is at the start temperature. The “High MPH” [P4] sets how much wind is required at the High/full speed temperature. The Fan Commander intelligently ramps the required MPH between Low and High MPH as the temperature changes.
After the wind has shut off the VFD, the MPH deadspan is used. This deadspan is how much the wind must drop below the required MPH until the VFD restarts. This affects how often the fans cycle when the prevailing wind is intermittent. The wind is averaged for 3 minutes for these wind parameters. You can adjust the 3 minutes. See the configuration parameter section on how to adjust the wind average minutes.
V13 or higher has an additional wind feature. Gust MPH shuts off the fan if there is a quick gust of wind. This is to help protect HVLS fans from sudden storms. A gust is only 2.5 seconds of wind. You can adjust the gust mph. If a gust shuts the fan off, after a gust the fan will stay off for 5 minutes. You can adjust the 5 minutes.
- You can see what the gust speed is by holding the Down button.
- To see the remaining minutes off after a gust, press Up.
- To clear the remaining minutes immediately, press Up then Down.
Configuration parameters
Several configuration parameters change the way the controller operates. To access the configuration menu, remove the power from the controller and repower while pressing Enter.
| ID | Description | Default | Min | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | 0 = Fahrenheit, 1 = Celsius. | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| C2 | Future temperature calibration. | 0° | ||
| C3 | Windwheel calibration. 25 equals MPH, 15 equals KPH. | 25 | ||
| C4 | Wind averaging minutes, how many minutes included in MPH reading. | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| C5 | Temperature deadspan. | 2 | 1 | 100 |
| C6 | Output voltage maximum at full speed. You can connect a 0–5v or other custom range VFD. | 10.0 | 1 | 10.0 |
| C7 | If the maximum speed should ever be less than 100%… 0 = Yes, 1 = Not used, fan will be at 100%. | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| C8 | If reverse should be enabled. 0 = no, 1 = Yes. | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| C9 | If contact #3 / 2nd zone should be enabled. | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Windwheel light
The wind wheel light is the far-left decimal point. It blinks once every time the windwheel makes a rotation. This allows you to tell if the wind wheel is wired and operating correctly. If the wind wheel is rotating but the light is not blinking, check the windwheel cord for loose connections.
Enable reverse
The reverse function is generally hidden by default. If you want to use the reverse function, you can unhide it. The ID A0 jumper controls if reverse is hidden. A jumper must be connecting the A0 pins as shown. When the A0 pins are connected, P8 reverse will be shown in the menu.
Troubleshooting
“A temperature sensor reading is way too low”
- The temperature sensor wire most likely has an intermediate connection. Check the sensor connection at the Fan Commander.
- Check for any corrosion at any connections.
“A temperature sensor reading is too high”
- A sensor may be exposed to direct sunlight. The temperature sensor mustn’t be in direct sunlight.
- Check for a short circuit. Check all the connections.
Specifications
| Size of enclosure | 7″ H × 5″ W × 2″ D |
|---|---|
| Input voltage | 120–277 VAC (model dependent) |
| Output | 2 normally open relays, pilot duty; 1 (0–10v) signal |
| Anemometer | Approx. 5″ rotor × 10″ tall, 100-foot cord, can be extended to 500 ft |
| Temperature sensor | 3-foot cord, can be extended to 500 ft |
| Warranty | 1 year |