Fan-Tastic Fan 6600R with Remote - Tips and Tricks

[Turtle]

The FanTastic Vent Model 6600R is the top of the line vent fan with all the bells and whistles. Reversible fan for intake or exhaust, 14-speed manual/auto variable fan, thermostat, rain sensor, automatic powered dome lid, and a remote control. It moves an insane amount of air (920 Standard Cubic Feet per Minute) and only draws 0.2-1.9 amps from the battery bank. It's all that and a bag o' chips.

But it does have its quirks. One of them can be the IR remote control. It operates on a radio frequency, and is therefore subject to radio interference. When that happens, the fan will suddenly be unresponsive to the remote, or will be spotty at best. It's mostly likely to happen in urban areas where there is a lot of radio interference hanging around. You may think you need to reprogram the remote (PDF file on Programing the Remote), and that sometimes helps, but often that only works if you're standing there a few inches away from the fan while operating the remote, which kinda makes the remote control an oxymoron.

The solution is to boost the signal strength of the remote itself. It's easy to increase or decrease the signal strength. Of course, a stronger signal means the batteries won't last as long. Instead of a pair of AA batteries lasting a year or two with near-daily use like we do out here, they'll only last 6-9 months, depending on how high you boost the signal. But if you use rechargeable NiMh batteries, like the LSD (Low Self-Discharge) Eneloops or lithium primaries (Energizer Ultimate), it won't matter much.

To boost the signal of the remote:

STEP 1.) Remove the battery tray door from the backside of the hand-held 417RF Remote Control. Using a flathead screwdriver or a knife, slide behind the tab and pop out. Remove the batteries (removing just one of the does the trick).

STEP 2.) On the Controls side of the remote, press down and hold the “AUTO/MANUAL/OFF” (MODE) button (the one below the two arrow buttons).

STEP 3.) While continuing to hold down the MODE button, reinstall the batteries. The two AUTO and MANUAL LEDs turn on, and the power setting is displayed by the LED(s) in the percentage column (at generally a mid-ranged LED, but mine was set on the lowest setting, 10%, from the factory).

STEP 4.) With the batteries now reinstalled and the MODE button still depressed, push the UP ARROW button twice (once or twice is usually sufficient, but you can press it as many times as you like) and then release all buttons. Twice is generally enough to boost the signal to the proper level. The LEDs will remain lit for approximately 10 seconds before shutting off. If the fan is already up and running when you do this, the fan will run at full speed for those 10 seconds, then return to normal. The procedure can be repeated, pressing the UP ARROW again (or the DOWN ARROW to decrease the signal strength) as needed. If you boost the power more than is necessary, it just wastes the batteries. I normally operate my remote within 5-8 feet of the fan, and I've found the 40% level to work in all conditions.

STEP 5.) Replace the battery tray door and resume normal operation.

Again...
** These steps may be repeated as necessary if greater (or reduced) operation range is needed.

**Only boost the range settings to the highest level required.

**Increasing the range boost will proportionally decrease battery life.


Incidentally, if anyone who doesn't know about Eneloop 1500 cycle Rechargeable Batteries, instead of the piece-o-crap Energizer and other mass consumer-quality rechargeables found at Walmart and other retail outlets, and the proper charger to use for them, and wants to know about them, let me know (the Sanyo charger that you can get with the Eneloops is not the proper charger, oddly enough). I haven't had to buy AA or AAA batteries in years, other than a few special-purpose lithiums.

 

[LDB]

But if you use rechargeable NiMh batteries, like the LSD...

If you use LSD are you really going to care if the remote works?

 

[Turtle]

If you use LSD are you really going to care if the remote works?

Most likely yes.

Thank you for staying on topic and not trying to derail the thread with irrelevant banal chit-chat.

 

[zorry]

I may have one for sale at the flea market at Mats next year.
Was installed in our sleeper . A few months later we removed and installed roof air in it's place.

 

[21cExp]

Great post, thanks. For those with the Fan-Tastic Fan 6000, among a couple others I think, your unit can be upgraded to work with the wireless remote. Check the Adohen Supply site (scroll down) for more info.

The Eneloops are wonderful batteries; been using them for years for flash units. They'll hold up to 85% of their charge in storage while other NiMH's will fully discharge in the same time. Best charged slow for longest life.

Another great charger that has a lot of options (and can fully discharge/recharge previously thought dead batts), are the La Crosse Technology Chargers. I have four (a couple different models) and love them. The end user reviews alone at Amazon on their chargers are informative as to charging technologies and methods. Haven't tried the Powerex but may get one to try out.

 

[Turtle]

The La Crosse BC-700, BC-900 and BC-1000 are all excellent chargers. I have the La Cross BC-900 and the Maha (Powerex) MH-9000C (as well as a Nitecore/Sysmax/Jetbeam Intellicharger i4 charger, which independently charges both Ni-MH and Li-Ion chemistries simultaneously, which is very kewl, and it charges both kinds properly, which is even more kewl).

The Maha is slightly better in most categories, such as in proper terminations and a few other things (3 year warranty versus 1 year), but the differences are largely minor ones. The 100mA steps of charging current between 200mA and 2000mA of the Maha is a little more versatile than the La Crosse BC-900's presets of 200mA, 500mA, 700mA, 1000mA, 1500mA and 1800mA. But like I said, it's rather minor since most people are going to charge at .5c or less, regardless.

La Crosse chargers use a different termination method. Basically, it charges "hot" all the way to maxV of 1.52 volts, and depending on the capacity of the cell, ends up with a fully charged voltage of 1.49 to 1.51 at a warmer than ideal temperature. While it works, it's not exactly "ideal" for Eneloops especially, and for most LSD batteries in general. It's certainly not bad at all, just not the ideal. The C9000 charger terminates maxV at 1.47 volts, but then continues the top-off charge at 100mA for 2 hours, finally terminating with a 10mA trickle charge to ensure the off-the-charger voltage is 1.5-1.55, which is as full as they're gonna get, without allowing them to get too warm or overcharged.

The Maha really is best-in-class for the charge/discharge/break-in cycle. It's the gold standard, but the La Crosse is very close. So close that I'd say it's a toss up, really. You will not go wrong getting either one, and you shouldn't look back or second-guess in either case. The La Crosse chargers are probably a little easier to set up (less pushing of buttons), and you have to be a little more focused and careful with the Maha to ensure you are setting it up like you want, but really and truly they are both equally easy, and equally tedious.

My main point in mentioning it above is that the chargers that come with Eneloops, or the "fast" or "15-minute" chargers you can guy at Walmart and other retail outlets, are the worst chargers you can get for batteries. Well, OK, the Energizer 15 Minute Charger is THE worst, but they're all pretty much in that category. At first glance, an $8 15-minute charger that charges four AA batteries in 15 minutes, versus a $50 charger that takes four hours to charge the same batteries, well that's a no-brainer. But then, your expensive rechargeable batteries soon don't last nearly as long as they should, and are worthless after 100 charge/discharge cycles, instead of lasting 1000-1500 cycles and having near-100% capacity throughout. You get what you pay for.

I carry in the truck the Intellicharger i4 (mainly for 16340, 18650, 17650 and 14500 Li-Ions) and the Maha. The La Crosse is at the house for anyone there to use, since it's a little easier for someone not obsessed with the various minutiae of batteries to use. (At the moment, the Maha is also at the house. I left it there the last time I was home. Fortunately the Intellicharger is an excellent substitute for the Maha or the La Crosse.)

The reviews at Amazon are good and informative, but some of the most impressive ones (especially that "NLee the Engineer" gentleman) can be misleading or incorrect about some important things. He reviews and recommends, for example, the AccuPower charger as being just as good as the La Crosse, only about half the price. It is indeed a La Crosse knockoff, using the same controller, and it's very similar, but the difference are much more substantial than the minor difference between the Maha and La Crosse (it's four channels at once, not independent channels as it might appear). Don't be tempted to get the AccuPower, you'll get what you pay for.

If you want the real anal lowdown on chargers, read Candlepower Forums. Those people are just freaks (many of them are electrical engineers and experts in their fields) about batteries, flashlights, LEDs and all things candlepower related, and will often do more thorough and exhaustive repeated testing than the manufacturers perform. Most of the reviews are incredibly detailed. When the Candlepower Forums folks sneeze, manufacturers wipe their own noses. They're that influential. Manufacturers have had to change their own published specs. They were the ones to identify, diagnose and provide the solution for the overheating problem of the early La Crosse chargers, for example, which La Crosse then implemented exactly in subsequent chargers.

 

[redytrk]

My Fantastic is in its tenth year trouble free. Sure its only 3 speed but it reverses, power raises. rain senses and is great. As to its lack of remote control, I plan to have my arm lengthened 11 inches. On the other hand Linda would be proud that I am getting the exercise.

 

[Turtle]

My Fantastic is in its tenth year trouble free. Sure its only 3 speed but it reverses, power raises. rain senses and is great. As to its lack of remote control, I plan to have my arm lengthened 11 inches. On the other hand Linda would be proud that I am getting the exercise.

I had the same model for 7 years. Loved it. But up inside the knob that you manually open and close the dome with, there is a metal pin that holds the dome fixed at whatever opening you set it to. I somehow broke that pin (being a little too rambunctious, I think). The result was, I could open/close the dome manually, but it would not open or close automatically. And when opened it was held there by friction instead of the pin, which meant a 5-10 MPH breeze would slap it shut, or yank it open. So, I replaced it last year with the fancy schmancy model. I got really good deal on it, otherwise I'd have just repaired the old one.

 

[xiggi]

Thanks for the post im shopping for a fan now. I do want the good hood on it. This place seems to have good prices on most things.

http://www.adventurerv.net/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=6600+r

Sent from my Fisher Price ABC-123.

 

[Turtle]

I did get the Fantastic Ultra Breeze vent cover for it. MaxAir makes some really good ones, too. I went with the Fantastic one because it's made by Fantastic specifically for this fan and therefore, because it's got that custom molded indent for the dome lid to fit right up in there when opened, makes the entire cover a little smaller and more aerodynamic.

 

[xiggi]

Does it do a good job keeping the rain out?
The hood i mean.


Sent from my Fisher Price ABC-123.

 

[Murraycroexp]

Any tips on mounting this fan on a cargo van (Express) with the reinforcing "ribs" in it?

 

[Turtle]

Does it do a good job keeping the rain out?
The hood i mean.

Yeah, it does. You can still run the fan during the rain most of the time while it's raining. Intake doesn't work as well because you're sucking water right into the rain sensor, but exhaust works great. Sometimes during light or moderate rain water will still splash in there and trigger the rain sensor, closing the dome, but unless water is actually funding it's way inside, you can disable the rain sensor with the flip of a switch. Sometimes you can simply close the dome a little, maybe half way, and that's also enough to keep from triggering the rain sensor. If it's heavy rain with strong winds blowing right into the rear opening, it won't keep that out, of course. But yeah, about 95% of the time when it's raining I can leave the fan on. With my old one where I had no cover, it was more like 10% of the time.

 

[Turtle]

Any tips on mounting this fan on a cargo van (Express) with the reinforcing "ribs" in it?

It's best to find a spot up there where you can cut the hole without cutting through the ribs. Most vans will have at least two, sometimes three spots like that.

Once you have the hole cut, use mounting putty. They've got it at RV places, and it's what they use it for. Usually in a roll that's 1" wide by way more feet than you'll ever use (like 25 feet or something). Seal the edges and squish the fan down into the putty. Then secure with the screws. After that, go over it all with some LDAP brand self-leveling sealant (a million times better than silicone sealant), also at RV places.

If you install a cover, additional mounting holes will not have to be drilled, since existing screws that hold the fan in place will be used.

 

[Murraycroexp]

Excellent! Thanks!