How does an Oscillating Fan work?

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Published 2020-02-07

That table top fan you have next to you is more interesting than you think! I took mine apart so I could show you how it works. The "four speed mechanism" releases any other button that was previously pressed down. Once a button is pressed a signal (voltage) is sent to the motor at the top of the fan. The oscillation motion is produced through the 4 bar mechanism. The last part of the video covers the gears that turn the 4 bar mechanism. The pin is part of the gears - when it is lifted the gears don't connect and the fan will no longer oscillate back and forth.

Purchase an oscillating fan similar to the one shown in this video: amzn.to/2H3fyyR

This video has been dubbed in over 20 languages, you can change the audio track language in the Settings menu (click the gear icon in the lower right hand corner of the video).
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⌚Timestamps:
0:00-Intro
0:20 - Fan Intro
1:20 - Button Mechanism
2:26 - Signal to the top
3:03 - Four Bar Mechanism
4:03 - Fan Oscillation
4:35 - Gear Box
5:57 - Ball Bearings Again
6:32 - Speed of the Fan

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Sources:
   • The Oscillating Fan | Modelling Mecha...
   • How a fan works!  The inner workings ...
www.hunker.com/13408262/how-oscillating-fans-work
makezine.com/2013/02/06/how-does-a-fan-oscillator-…
dynref.engr.illinois.edu/aml.html
   • Video

Music: (Soundstripe.com)
Bali Bash by Pala
Crystalline by OneZero

Made with Blender 2.81, Cycles Render with AI Denoising

Here is some of the gear that I use for animation:
Graphics Card: GTX 1080ti amzn.to/2t70HN0
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Motherboard: Asus Prim Z370-A amzn.to/2t4EVth
Microphone: Samson Go Mic amzn.to/2GaSpvV
Mouse: Logitech G600 amzn.to/2UKhf9P

#b3d #OscillatingFan #HowItWorks

All Comments (21)

@JaredOwen 4 years ago

Get NordVPN here: nordvpn.com/jaredowen This video was fun to make! Hopefully now you're officially a "fan" of fans. 😜 If this video helped you in some way please share in the comments! Thanks for watching and stay tuned for more animations
@TheSuperFanMan 4 years ago

As a fan collector who has restored countless oscillating fans, I’m very impressed at the detailed accuracy of this video. I’ve seen many other videos attempting to explain the inner workings of a fan but they were all full of vagueness and incorrect information. Well done! (The model of the fan in this video appears to be an SMC 12” oscillating fan, just had to point it out since I recognized it by its looks 😄)
@Vivaswaan. 4 years ago

If there's a place where weird curiosity is respected and taken care of, it's here. Thank you, Jared. You're the man!
@LFOVCF 3 years ago

This should be taught in schools. Kids like I was, would love it, and it can inspire future engineers
@alonchen8443 1 year ago

As a mechanical engineer you've explained here things that professors take whole semester to explain and still can't reach to that level. Amazing!!
@AverytheCubanAmerican 4 years ago

Jared, the kind of guy that makes a fan interesting
@BryceRichman 4 years ago

2:11 I can't be the only one who tried to press down all three speeds as a kid.
@mystak3n 2 years ago

“I make 3D animations on how things work” should be changed to “I document the lore of this world”
@jameswest8280 2 years ago

I already knew how these fans work, in fact, I've rebuilt a few, but your animations are genius. And you're right about the ball bearings, PITA. Keep up the good work.
@destroyer2496 4 years ago

The real question is: where to sit so that you get the most wind from an oscillating fan.
@empirestate8791 4 years ago

Never knew that a simple fan has so many moving parts and cool mechanisms!
@neshatralala 2 years ago

Thank you, once in the mid day my daughter wanted to know how her fan is working, but the best video to explain to her is just this video.
@soisaus564 2 years ago

I love how simple it is, the flat shape to support the fan, the 3 speeds and an off button next to eachother, simple body design and not that big, and an oscillating button at the back
@samacabado5824 3 years ago

Imagine being an animator and being good at science at the same time. Here he is
@Got2Learn 4 years ago

Your videos are the best on Youtube for animations, period.
@nathantew2180 2 years ago

I've wondered this for ever but could never find a simple explanation like yours. Today it showed up in my recommended feed. Finally, my curiosity is satisfied! Thanks so much!
@sussushi 10 months ago

I opened youtube to watch a lecture for my high school physics electromagnetic induction course and ended up down this beautiful channel, man physics is so beautiful and creative, totally in love with this channel now :>
@noxious_nights 3 years ago

Me pressing all the buttons at once: "Reality can be whatever I want it to"
@micahbeers8904 4 years ago

Jared Owen, the man who has taken it upon himself to answer many a childhood questions and curiosities.
@vikramreddy6732 1 year ago

Thank you for the detailed video breaking down the moving parts so beautifully. It was very enjoyable learning about the mechanism of a simple fan.