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I moved into a place with two fans controlled by one remote, which has been annoying. I bought the Hampton Bay Universal Thermostatic Ceiling Fan Remote Control and am trying to replace the existing receiver with the new one. The problem I'm running into is that the ceiling fan has more wires than the new receiver.

Wiring: Original Fan -> Original Receiver

  • Yellow -> Yellow (labeled "Motor 1")
  • White -> White (labeled "Light")
  • Red -> Red (labeled "Motor 2")
  • Gray -> Gray (labeled "Motor 3")
  • Blue -> Blue (not labeled)

https://imgur.com/a/V3betxw

Wiring: New Receiver

  • White (labeled "Motor N")
  • Black (labeled "Motor L")
  • Blue (labeled "For Light")

How should I safely and correctly wire the new receiver with three wires to the existing ceiling fan with five wires? Thanks in advance.

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    Can you post photos of labeling on the original receiver and fan? This may be a case where you'll just plain need a new fan... Oct 18, 2019 at 1:33
  • @ThreePhaseEel here's a picture of the original receiver labels: imgur.com/a/V3betxw
    – MT3
    Oct 18, 2019 at 1:42
  • So I found a replacement receiver for the unit and I might just shell out the $75. Thanks for your help.
    – MT3
    Oct 18, 2019 at 1:55

1 Answer 1

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I think the key is:

  • Motor 1
  • Motor 2
  • Motor 3

My hunch is that the old fan - and the remote controller - used separate connections for high/medium/slow speed of the fan. The new universal controller uses a single connection (line/neutral) with some sort of controller adjusting the current/voltage/waveform/whatever to appropriately adjust the fan speed. These two methods of control are likely incompatible. There is a small chance that one of the wires (either Motor 1 or Motor 3 - whichever one is "full speed") on the fan could be used with the new remote, but I wouldn't count on it working reliably & efficiently.

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    Thanks - I might give that a whirl and see what happens. I was able to track down an actual replacement for the existing remote and receiver so I might just go that route to play it safe. 75 bucks, though :(
    – MT3
    Oct 18, 2019 at 1:54

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