# Casablanca inteli-touch fan with W-33 control



## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

drumnut08 said:


> I came across one of these for the first time today . The homeowner assumed it was just a bad controller , so he had a spare . Found some interesting Hackery on this one . The previous " electrician " ( handyman , most likely ) tried picking up a feed for the fans from a single gang switched recep. Box . It was a switch loop ( no neutral ) , so the moron made one by using the ground . Apparently , these things did work at one time , but haven't in a while now . I reconfigured the switch loop , so there's a real neutral at the control location now . Reinstalled control and had the fan working briefly ? Turned the power button off and wasn't able to get it working again after that ? Any ideas ? Will any other fan controls work with casablanca fans ( I doubt it ) ? In doing other work there , so I'll be back anyway , but the fact that I had the fan and light working , makes me thing it's a matter of getting the fan and control to communicate ? This is why I like cheap fans , with pull chains chains and a reverse button , they always work , lol !


. My other thought , is that by having the neutral tied in with the ground , it did some damage to the fan over the years ? I've done some looking online and it looks like this control has been replaced by a new model . I'll try casablanca tomorrow .


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

More than likely it's toast Drummed One 

This really is a good ex. of why the '11 made us put a noodle in every sw box

~CS~


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## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

chicken steve said:


> More than likely it's toast Drummed One This really is a good ex. of why the '11 made us put a noodle in every sw box ~CS~


. My thoughts exactly . I'm not gonna waste a lot more time on it , unless he insists ? It's his money , lol ?


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

You used to have to push a couple buttons in combination to program that controller.


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## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

dronai said:


> You used to have to push a couple buttons in combination to program that controller.


. I tried the demo mode which I found online and that didn't work . The only way I got it to do anything was by randomly pushing buttons . The problem is , I wasn't able to duplicate it . Something is still not right , but I'll call casablanca's tech support tomorrow . It's not a wiring issue at this point at least .


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

This control does not need a neutral. If you hooked a neutral to it you probably fried it. it wires in series with the fan like any single pole switch. The additional wire is if you wanted to use it as a 3-way with another W-33.

http://www.casablancafanrepair.com/HTMLFiles/do_it_yourself/ControlsWiringALL/W32-W33/W32Ones0.jpg


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## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

dspiffy said:


> This control does not need a neutral. If you hooked a neutral to it you probably fried it. it wires in series with the fan like any single pole switch. The additional wire is if you wanted to use it as a 3-way with another W-33. http://www.casablancafanrepair.com/HTMLFiles/do_it_yourself/ControlsWiringALL/W32-W33/W32Ones0.jpg


. Yes , I know that . What I was saying is that the switch box was originally for switched outlets and only had a 14/2 . The idiot before me , spliced the fan's neutral to the ground on the 2 wire . Now , that may have damaged the fan , lol ?


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

You're saying ground was used as a neutral, or ground and neutral were jumpered together? Either way I dont see that damaging anything, it should still "look" the same to the electronics.


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## retiredsparktech (Mar 8, 2011)

dspiffy said:


> You're saying ground was used as a neutral, or ground and neutral were jumpered together? Either way I dont see that damaging anything, it should still "look" the same to the electronics.


Those things are real interesting inside the fan motor. Anything about them is expensive. The circuit boards and wall controller are very pricey. 
I repaired one where one of the cheapie import lamps, shorted and blew a trace on the receiver PC board. I disassembled the fan and repaired the PC board. The service shops aren't allowed to do that as it violates the U/L listing. They just replace to board, to the tune of $150.00 USD.
A new fan is probably in order!


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## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

retiredsparktech said:


> Those things are real interesting inside the fan motor. Anything about them is expensive. The circuit boards and wall controller are very pricey. I repaired one where one of the cheapie import lamps, shorted and blew a trace on the receiver PC board. I disassembled the fan and repaired the PC board. The service shops aren't allowed to do that as it violates the U/L listing. They just replace to board, to the tune of $150.00 USD. A new fan is probably in order!


. These fans are $ 700.00 each ( 2 of them ) , so I guess I can see the desire to make them work again , lol ? Definitely looks like the boards are shot on both and the " repair kit " is a mere $ 160.00 x 2 . Chump change when you have $ 1400.00 swinging from your ceiling , I guess ? Who am I to argue ?


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## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

dspiffy said:


> You're saying ground was used as a neutral, or ground and neutral were jumpered together? Either way I dont see that damaging anything, it should still "look" the same to the electronics.


. Ground and neutral were jumper'd together on the 14/2 going to the fans , in the fan control box . Did this cause the failure , probably not ? Is it legal or safe , no . I took care of that issue , but it's looking like the mother boards in the fans may be shot ? I'm not a scared , I'll try to fix anything at least once , twice , if it turns out well , lol !


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

Easiest thing to do with these fans is bypass all the electronics and make them a 1 speed, one direction fan. Then run 14/3 to the wall and use an analog fan control and light dimmer.

If they want it reversible, you can run 14/4 to the wall, an analog light dimmer, an analog speed control, and a 3 way (SPDT) switch for reversing. But reverse is really a useless gimmick.


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## retiredsparktech (Mar 8, 2011)

drumnut08 said:


> . Ground and neutral were jumper'd together on the 14/2 going to the fans , in the fan control box . Did this cause the failure , probably not ? Is it legal or safe , no . I took care of that issue , but it's looking like the mother boards in the fans may be shot ? I'm not a scared , I'll try to fix anything at least once , twice , if it turns out well , lol !


Take both fans down and take them to your workshop. You can't repair them while they're still hanging. They require a lot of disassembly to replace any parts. 
IIRC, they have a beeper in the motor unit, that responds to the various keypad entries. They have so many options, that I doubt anyone uses them all.


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

You have to remove the blades, the bottom housing plate, and the sideband. It's easier if you remove the top housing as well. I wouldnt do it on the ceiling.


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## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

I learned 2 things today . Casablanca fans are very temperamental for the price , but not enough to outsmart me , lol ! Long story short , fans fixed , no replacement parts needed ! Took the fans down , gave them a thorough cleaning and took the motor housing apart . Removed board , gave the whole internals a good shot of contact cleaner , reassembled , and they both work fine now . I had nothing to lose , and it worked out .


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

drumnut08 said:


> I learned 2 things today . Casablanca fans are very temperamental for the price , but not enough to outsmart me , lol ! Long story short , fans fixed , no replacement parts needed ! Took the fans down , gave them a thorough cleaning and took the motor housing apart . Removed board , gave the whole internals a good shot of contact cleaner , reassembled , and they both work fine now . I had nothing to lose , and it worked out .


You got very lucky that cleaning and reseating fixed the issue!

Casablanca fans with electronic controls are no more temperamental than any other fans with electronic controls-- frankly they're a lot more reliable than Hampton Bay or any other remote crap. But you have tiny circuit boards passing several amps of current with very little protection from anything from dust to lightning strikes. Thats why I prefer analog.


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## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

dspiffy said:


> You got very lucky that cleaning and reseating fixed the issue! Casablanca fans with electronic controls are no more temperamental than any other fans with electronic controls-- frankly they're a lot more reliable than Hampton Bay or any other remote crap. But you have tiny circuit boards passing several amps of current with very little protection from anything from dust to lightning strikes. Thats why I prefer analog.


. Maybe temperamental was the wrong word , lol ? I don't doubt for a second that I'll be back there eventually installing new boards in the fans , but they're working for now , which was more than they had when I got there .


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

Temperamental wasnt inaccurate. I just wanted to point out that Casablancas, at least until recently, were worth their price point compared to other brands similar models/controls. Unfortunately Casa and Hunter are now owned by the same company and they're turning both brands into garbage.

You offered above average customer service!


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

> dspiffy said:
> 
> 
> > Temperamental wasnt inaccurate. I just wanted to point out that Casablancas, at least until recently, were worth their price point compared to other brands similar models/controls. Unfortunately Casa and Hunter are now owned by the same company and they're turning both brands into garbage.
> ...


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## drumnut08 (Sep 23, 2012)

. If I can leave a customers home and they're happier about what I installed or fixed , over the cost of my services , I've done my job . The part of me that loves troubleshooting , made this one fun . Getting paid well and making a homeowner happy does t hurt either , lol !


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## dspiffy (Nov 25, 2013)

chicken steve said:


> > For the most part i see cheesy HD fans w/ sensitive electronics being spec'd out.
> >
> > The installation alone , especially if staging is concerned, is by far more $$$ than the units.
> >
> ...


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