Motion_man1 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 The original 14" ceiling vent fan that sits atop my 1985 Mirage and has not worked in years, much to my sweaty frustration in the warmer months that quickly approach. A new 14" Fan-tastic fan at $120 on eBay will not break my bank but I figured I would take apart the old fan yesterday to see what's going on inside and learn something new. I found the Indak rotary switch with signs of shortage or toasting whenever I started to disassemble. See pictures below. It reads Patent No. 3,159,722 on the side. I did not know what a rotary switch was until yesterday. In my toy home, it controls fan speed, turning speed settings from 0 to 1 to 2 to 3. The other fan components looked fine and registered current on my multimeter. So my Sunday afternoon slowly became consumed in the search for a replacement rotary switch. The exact switch and a comparable one are both available for $50+--way too much for me to put into repairing a 30 year old fan. Here's a link to the only exact replacement part listed on ebay as of 3/2/15: http://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-INDAK-SWITCH-3-159-722-STOCK-2-/191306200938?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c8abcf76a So my questions to the experienced toy home owners on this forum who have been extremely helpful with advice on my projects in the past follow: 1. Is there a mass-produced, modern rotary switch that I may purchase that would perform the same function as this one, provided it fits in the fan housing? 2. Am I wasting my time trying to repair a roof fan that is likely already a decade beyond its design life? 3. Does anyone have an old roof vent they pulled out of your toy home lying around, waiting to be parted out and turned into $? Thanks for any advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 its used as a fan control switch for older IH Scouts and Corvettes. Using a little electrical engineering you could use a double throw switch (on/off/on) and make your fan a 2 speed unit. Switches are cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 the power vents in my dolphin are not multi speed . they just have a push on push off switch. the one in my bath room had some proublems with switch mounting. I went to Radio shack and bought a little plastic Project box relocated the switch in that and screw it to the cealing. yes there is 6 inches of wire showing I don't care. for my needs I would not spend fifty dollors on a switch I would buy a on off switch maybe a toggle switch and run it one speed . I would save 45 dollors for my wallet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanman Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Before spending time on switch you might want to check the resistor assy and motor to make sure they are OK. The way most DC multi speed fans work is on the highest speed setting the motor gets full voltage. For the lower speeds taps on a resistor are inserted in series with the motor. If you know how the switch was wired you can simulate the switch operation with a jumper ( a short piece of wire with an alligator clip on each end). Back in the good old days you could just go to the nearest Radio Shack for both the materials and advice. I've had mixed results trying to get old style components from the internet nowadays, took many tries to get replacement neon bulbs for my "IDIOT BOX" and ended up having to buy a bag of 20. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Cole Hersee w w w .colehersee.com this company is a mager supplyer of electrical parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 The resistor ideal would slow the fan but would not save power use. The old fans did not move much air to begin with might as well just use a toggle switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motion_man1 Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Thanks for the advice. I stopped by Rexel this morning to see if they might have a comparable switch and got shoulder shrugs all around. So much for getting local advice and spending locally. I found a $3 double throw switch (thanks for the recommendation WME!) that should work if I can rig it into the existing hole in the fan casing. http://www.amazon.com/Eaton-XTD2B1A-Connect-Termination-Contacts/dp/B005T82Y1Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425393081&sr=8-1&keywords=Eaton+XTD2B1A+Toggle+Switch%2C+Quick+Connect+Termination%2C+On-Off-On+Action%2C+SPDT+Contacts I will update with pictures and instructions for Toyhome progeny if the installation goes well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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