Two-stage fan modification

The Mrs expected better progress on the housework, so the bike has had to wait...

 

Four relays with connector blocks arrived today. Three in case I decide to make it a high/low configuration, and one for the heated grips.

I got the four 12V 40A "change-over" relays for AU$12, including freight. I'd say that the wires are only good for about 15A, but that's enough for what I need.

More parts are still on their way...

 

Two water resistant fuse holders arrived today:

 

Subscribed!
I can't wait to see how you fix this common problem.

 

More parts arrived today.

Three-terminal water-resistant connectors:


Two-terminal water-resistant connectors:


Single-terminal water-resistant connectors:


5m of 16AWG dual-core auto/marine power cable and 10m of 16AWG single-core auto/marine cable:


And lucky last for today, one crimping tool:


I'm still waiting for the five-terminal water-resistant connectors, diodes, fan guard and fan. Maybe, if I'm lucky, they might arrive tomorrow...

 

Today's update:

The five-terminal water-resistant connectors arrived today:


As did the guard for the new fan:


Now, I'm just waiting for the fan and the diodes...

 

Well, I couldn't help myself... I've started putting together some of the connections.

Two relays. I've deliberately connected one into a male connector, and the other into a female connector, purely for practice with the crimping tool:


The thermo switch is now attached to my connector. I would've used the original connector, but I don't have a female connector to fit it. At 95'C the blue and black wires are connected. At 102'C the white wire is connected too. I assume that the black wire is common because it was between the other wires in the original connector. In any case, I'm going to use relays to switch the fans, so if I have it wrong, I won't be putting heaps of extra current through the primary switch, and I won't overload it:

 

Well guys, regrettably, this modification is going to be put on hold until further notice... My front tyre went over something slippery on the way home from work, and I get the sinking feeling that the insurance company is going to call it a financial write-off... :frown:

Maybe I might be able to plead with them for second-hand parts and a Chinese fairing... Fingers crossed! :sad:

 

A simple manual fan switch for the additional fan would probably been sufficient, eh ??

 

I wanted to do something a bit different.

I plan to assess the damage to the bike in detail today. With some luck, I might be able to raise her up from the ashes of her grave, like a pheonix... Not for the first time...

 

+1 on78c/180f I just ordered the fan above for my lower rad. Since I put the fairing on my 1st gen it's acting like the rest of the VFR's now in respect to temps. I have a manual sw for the fans. Though in 80+ temps in stop and go traffic they don't do the job if I turn them on late. It gets in to heat soak quickly. Or speeds under 35mph with out fans the temp creeps up and up.

I like the water proof aspect for sure and it will fit perfect for size. So we'll see. Power is heat, to much heat and you lose power because it gets wasted in the block etc and not the combustion chamber. 180/190 is what I shoot for 90% of the time. That's the best temp area for power basically.

 

The last two packages arrived today... I don't know when I'll get to use the parts because of the accident, but I've received them none the less...

One 175CFM 120mm case fan, modified to be waterproof to IP55:


Four high-current MBR735G diodes (two for another job):


I connected the new fan in series with my old ZZR250 fan, and connected the two to a battery, and the ZZR fan didn't spin, so the lo/hi fan idea probably won't work because the new fan doesn't draw enough current to get even a little ZZR fan to run. Because of this, if/when I get to build the modification, it will be a "one fan/both fans" set-up (parallel, not series/parallel).

The diodes were chosen for their high current capacity and their voltage drop characteristics. From memory, it was a minimum of 0.5V and a maximum of 0.7V. The idea was to put these in series with the new fan to cause a voltage drop of about 1.2V, bringing the maximum voltage across the fan down from 14.5V to about 13.3V (max of 13.5V), to prevent the fan from getting more than the maximum allowable voltage of 13.8V.

So... There you have it: I have the parts and all-up plan for the dual fan modification. It's just that the work is on hold until my bike is either repaired or replaced. Fingers crossed for having something to report in a few weeks!

 

Why diode and not resistor?

 

How about you wire everthing up, and ship it to me and I'll try it out for you?

 

Getting the correct voltage drop without blowing up the voltage limiting devide is easier to achieve with diodes.

Hahaha... Nice try!

 

LOL, I had to try.

 

I don't blame you. You never know... Once I've got it all sorted, I might sell you a dual fan conversion kit... Or I might give you the bill of materials (already given earlier in the thread), and a wiring/installation diagram (still in my head), and you could make it yourself...

 

Danny How is your recovering and status of the bike?
Hope things going well for you and hope you can get to ride soon.

 

I'm still limping a bit, but otherwise I'm alright. I've finally advised the insurance that I've had an accident. There I was, thinking I had to get heaps of information ready to roll before telling them about it, but for a start all they wanted was a brief description of what happened. Presumably the rest comes later. If the experiences of other people are anything to go by, it could be sorted out in anything from a couple of weeks to a few months. I guess I'll have to wait and see... In the meanwhile, I'm driving the "cage" to work every day... :-(

 

Sounds like a plan. :biggrin: