Differences between AC/DC/EC motors for fans

When it comes to cooling fans, many people are familiar with their use in daily life, such as in electronic devices, digital technology, and laptops, as they have the function of heat dissipation and ventilation. Cooling fans can be divided into AC fans, DC fans, and EC fans. In this article, we will provide a detailed introduction of the differences between AC/DC/EC fans.

AC fans are commonly known as communication fans for heat dissipation. The principle and method of these fans are relatively simple, so we won't go into detail here. Instead, we will focus on DC fans and EC fans.

DC fans and EC fans both belong to the category of direct current cooling fans. However, there are certain differences between them. In short, the 'DC' in DC fans refers to direct current, while 'EC' can be powered by alternating current, which converts communication into direct current.

EC fans are superior in the fan industry due to their unique characteristics. Unlike other direct current cooling fans, they can be powered by both direct current and alternating current voltage systems, from 12-48V DC to 110, 220, and 380V AC, without the need for any power inverter. All major components of the motor are switch power supply DC power, internal circuit DC-to-AC conversion, motor rotor position feedback, three-phase AC, rare-earth permanent magnet, and synchronous motor.

Advantages of EC fans: EC motors are durable, brushless motors with an embedded power driver. They feature an RS485 output port, an alarm system output, and a master-slave data signal output port. The product has many advantages, such as intelligence, high environmental protection, energy conservation, high efficiency, long service life, small vibration, low noise, and continuous operation.

Furthermore, the difference between EC fans and regular fans lies in the use of electronic commutation technology for the former, while the latter uses non-electronic directional control for changing direction. The difference between direct current and alternating current motors lies in the motor stator, rotor, and rolling bearing system for communication motors, whereas direct current motors also have a key component in the P board. In addition, the rotor of a direct current motor is made of permanent magnet material or magnetic strips, and electronic components are used to control the commutation, overcoming the drawbacks of the originally used brush motor. The stator of a regular fan's communication motor is made of laminated steel plates winding, due to the non-directional control, there is consumption in changing directions and excitation gap.