Fan regulators have an important place in the electrical switch boards. Fan regulators are very similar to light dimmers.Their function is to regulate/control the speed of the fan and provide a convenient environment for the residents.
The traditional regulators which are bulky use a resistance having taps and connected in series with the fan. When we move the knob different amount of resistance gets inserted in the circuit. Although cheap the biggest problem with such a regulator is that a considerable amount of energy is lost in form of heat through the resistance. When the fan is operating at low speed the power loss is significant.
The technologically superior electronic regulators overcome these problems by using electronic components to control the speed of the fan.
Some of the advantages of electronic fan regulators are:
1. They provide a continuous speed control.
2. Power saving at all the speeds.
3. Smaller size and weight.
The heart of the electronic fan regulator is TRIAC. TRIAC is a semiconductor device belonging to the family of thyristors.
A generator works on the same principle but backwards