Installing and operating your Cabinet Cooling System, with Digital Thermostat

Transcription

1 NOTE: These instructions are for a standard system, since it is not possible to make separate instructions for every custom system. If you have requested a custom system, please be aware of the differences you asked for and make adjustments to the installation procedures as needed. Installing and operating your Cabinet Cooling System, with Digital Thermostat PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS (only a few pages ) BEFORE INSTALLING YOUR SYSTEM PARTICULARLY THE HIGHLIGHTED SECTIONS. OVERVIEW: These instructions are for any of our cabinet cooling fan systems. You may have purchased a single fan unit, with one or more fans per unit, or you may have multiple fan units. If you have a system with multiple fan units, each fan unit will connect to a single power distribution cable that has multiple heavy-duty Molex connectors. Also included with your system is a multi-voltage power transformer. The standard fan unit mounts on the inside of your cabinet, so that the decorative grills face forward and the back of the fan (or fans) face behind your cabinet. If you have ordered a reversed system, the finished side faces outside the cabinet and the back faces inside the cabinet. The back of the fan unit sinks into the mounting hole you will cut to hold the fan (a template is included with your system). You secure the fan unit in place, using the supplied screws. The thermostat is mounted inside the cabinet, using Velcro pads. The thermoswitch control cable has two connectors -- 1) a socket which attaches to the transformer power cable, and a plug which goes to the fan. NOTE: please be careful when unplugging the snap-lock connectors. Grasp each side by the plastic connectors themselves (never by the wires!), and rock them while pulling gently until they come apart. FAN MOUNTING: a) If you need to change the direction that the fans blow air, just unscrew the front and back grills, turn the fan over, then put everything back together in this reversed configuration. Do not over-tighten the screws. b) Included with your system is a mounting template, which shows the size and shape of the hole for the fan unit. Note: before cutting any holes, please check the template against the bottom of your fan unit to make sure the hole is properly sized and that you have the correct template! c) The best position for exhaust fans is as high as possible in the area you want to cool (because hot air rises). If you have ordered an intake fan unit, it would usually be mounted lower in the area to be cooled, so that cool air will be drawn in from below. Hold the fan unit in the proposed mounting position, and make sure there is room for the mounting flanges around the area where the hole will be cut. All text and images on these pages copyright by DR McKenzie. Page 1 of 5

2 d) Remove the white inside area from the template this represents the size of the hole (see the note above about checking the template). Mark the hole on your cabinet wall, then make your cuts. e) Put the fan unit over the hole, so that the mounting flanges cover (and hide) the hole and the back of the fan unit goes completely into the hole. The wires can either hang out the back, or pass under the mounting flange on the front of the fan unit. Secure the mounting flange with the included screws. THERMOSTAT INSTALLATION AND OPERATION: 1. Determine where you want to mount the temperature controller, preferably higher up in your cabinet. The thermostat has two adhesive Velcro pads, which will hold it in any position. If you want to keep the thermostat cable inside the cabinet, just let the cable hang down from the thermostat housing. If you want the cable to be hidden behind the cabinet, drill a ½ hole (for the power lead), positioned in the middle of the spot where you want the controller to be mounted. Thread the wire and plugs through the ½ hole (from the inside). 2. The temperature controller works just like a house thermostat, and includes a digital display to show the current air temperature. On the thermostat s bottom edge, there are two switches. The right (fan) switch should be set to Auto and the left switch set to Cool. Note that you cannot control the fan on/off operation by using the Fan switch please leave it on Auto. 3. Thermostat operation is simple: 1) To see what the on/off thermostat temperature is set to, press the or buttons for less than 1 second, and it will be displayed. 2) To change the on/off temperature, press either of these buttons the word Set will appear on the left side of the display. Then you can use the or buttons to select the on/off temperature. 3) After a few seconds, the display with change back to one showing the current air temperature. 4) When the thermostat is activated (running the fans), you will see the words Cool On at the bottom of the display screen. 4. IMPORTANT: This thermostat has a special feature, which is designed to prevent the fan from cycling on and off too frequently. Once the fan has been shut off by the automatic thermostat temperature control (or turned off by changing the activation temperature to above the ambient temperature), the fan will not turn back on for about 5 minutes. This delay is controlled by the computer chip inside the thermostat. Moving the lever up or down, etc., will not turn the fan on until this short time period has passed, AND DOING SO WILL RESET THE COUNTDOWN TO ANOTHER 5 MINUTES. PLEASE WAIT! 5. During the 5 minute time-out, the words Cool On will flash repeated on the display screen. When the thermostat is ready to operate again, the Cool On will stop flashing. 6. The thermostat is powered by two AAA batteries. Two of these are already installed inside the thermostat. If Lo Bat begins flashing on the display screen, you need to replace the batteries. Your thermostat (and the fans) will not work without good batteries. All text and images on these pages copyright by DR McKenzie. Page 2 of 5

3 7. To replace the batteries, turn the thermostat over. Hold the back of the thermostat with your fingers, while you press firmly down on the two Velcro pads. This should cause the bottom edge of the thermostat to pop up, so that you can remove the back plate. You may also need to press on the bottom-center of the back plate, where there is an indentation for your thumb. To reinstall the back plate, insert the top under the top edge of the thermostat, and then press the bottom down. The back should click into place. It is recommended that you replace the batteries once per year. TRANSFORMER OPERATION: a) The transformer plugs into any standard 110/120 volt AC socket. If you plug it into an equipment-switched outlet, please be aware that the fans will not operate if your equipment is off. Also, if your system has a fan controller, the fan(s) will not operate until the controller module has been activated. b) INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: The unit's power transformer can be switched to either 110/120 volt or 220/240 volt operation. Some models have automatic input voltage switching, while others have a manual switch, which should come to you pre-set. You can check it by looking at the small switch located on the back of the transformer, near the plug. Note that all transformers use a standard US-style 2-prong plug. If you didn t order a plug adapter for your location, you should be able to find one locally. c) Your multi-voltage transformer has several DC output voltages: 3 volts, 4.5 volts, 6 volts, 7.5 volts, 9 volts and 12 volts. You can control the fan speed, using the multi-position (multivoltage) switch located on the transformer. Changing the output voltage changes the speed of the fans. Some transformers have a slide switch, while others use a rotary dial switch, which is changed by using a small screwdriver. Normally this small black and silver screwdriver will be included in your package, if you have a rotary dial transformer. However, any small screwdriver will work fine. If your transformer has a second two-position switch--called a Polarity switch--please do not change its current setting, or the fans will be instantly ruined. A polarity lockout cover is placed over the polarity control and should not be removed. Any system damaged by reversing the polarity is not covered by the warranty. FANS AND FAN SPEEDS: These fans are high-power models, with fluid dynamic bearings for low noise and an extremely long life. At full speed, each fan unit will move several times the air volume of most cabinets. However, I don t normally recommend running them at full speed (12 volts). Moving air, by its nature, creates some noise as it flows faster. These fans, even lower speeds, will cool most cabinets at very low noise levels. With cabinet cooling, slow and quiet are the way to go! 1. For standard AV cabinets: I recommend starting by running the fans at 6, 7.5, or 9 volts. Of course, you can select higher speeds, if you want. Your cooling system comes preset to either 6, 7.5 or 9 volts. 2. For computer cabinets: If your computer is in a small enclosed space, you may need to run the fan unit at higher speeds, since a CPU pumps out a lot of heat. I d start at 9v and go to 12v if necessary. All text and images on these pages copyright by DR McKenzie. Page 3 of 5

4 What to do if you already have a larger hole in your cabinet: You can use a larger hole for installing the fan unit, as long as most of the mounting screws have something to screw into. However, it is almost always better not to have any additional open areas around the fans, since this will disrupt airflow. If necessary, you can cut a piece of 1/8 plywood or pressboard to cover your existing hole, allowing for at least ½ inch (or more) of plywood around the outside of the hole for support. Mount your kit per the standard instructions. * * * * * TROUBLESHOOTING: What to do if there are problems FIRST, read the 5-minute warning text above, and make sure that s not the problem. Next, plug the transformer directly into the fan (by-passing the thermostat), and see if it runs. If the fans don t run, please check the following: 1) Make sure that there is power to the transformer. 2) Check the transformer to make sure that the fan speed is set correctly. Note that the voltage indicator may not point exactly at the printed number, but as you change the voltage, you can feel the switch click into place. If it is set between clicks, or pushed too far to the right, the transformer may not operate properly. 3) If the fan appears to be trying to move a little bit (rocking back and forth, etc.), when you apply power, the fan hub may have slipped out a bit and may be binding. Contact me for instructions on reseating the hub it s easy. If the fans ran OK without the thermostat connected: 1) Look at the thermostat display screen and make sure that the Lo Bat battery warning light isn't on. If it is on, please replace the batteries. See note above about replacing the batteries. 2) Confirm that the switches on the bottom edge are set to "Auto", and Cool. 3) Connect the thermostat back between the fans and the transformer. 4) Press and hold the button until the screen displays a temperature far above the current temperature try 95F or 32C. Release the button and wait a few seconds. 5) Now press and hold the button until the temperature displayed on the screen drops far below the current room temperature try 50F or 10C. 6) Wait at least 5 minutes (it's a lot longer than you think -- use a clock!), and hopefully the fans will come on. If you change the button settings, etc., during that 5 minutes, the timer resets and you have to wait another 5 minutes. The delay is built into the thermostat, and is designed to keep the fans from turning on and off too frequently. If the fans run, then we are in business. If not, please contact me at avcabinetcooling@sonic.net for additional help or for warranty information. That s it! IMPORTANT NOTE: Modifications of any kind made to the cooling system, without preapproval of AV Cabinet Cooling, will invalidate the warranty. This also includes attaching non-avcc components to the system. Please check with me if you have any questions about this policy (avcabinetcooling@sonic.net). All text and images on these pages copyright by DR McKenzie. Page 4 of 5

5 Single-Megafan Mounting Template All text and images on these pages copyright by DR McKenzie. Page 5 of 5