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Fibonacci Fan Switch

"Down with linear progression!"
  (+12)(+12)
(+12)
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The switches on fans and most electrical devices follows a straight linear progression in terms of speed... 1, 2, 3, 4... with corresponding proportionate increases.

Pointless, I say. I want a fan that offers me ten speed settings:
Off, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, Off

Representing proportionate increases at a rapidly expanding rate. For those days when it needs to be on but only a little bit; to those days when an Antarctic blizzard would be a welcome change.

The switching system is a large, decorative Fibonacci Spiral on the wall, with one arm containing a row of sockets into which you plug the electrical lead for the device. Each plug port is backed by a transformer at a different amperage, in a sequence leading out from the middle.

UnaBubba, Sep 15 2009

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       I used to have a record player amp which went up to 11
pocmloc, Sep 15 2009
  

       Did it only play Metal?
UnaBubba, Sep 15 2009
  

       Since 'Off' would be 0, what to do about the redundancy?
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, ...
Also, I hate to think how you could build this simply (ie. not digitally).
neutrinos_shadow, Sep 15 2009
  

       I think it could be possible with a carefully designed rheostat and a heap of resistors in series, for each level.   

       I don't imagine it would be small.
UnaBubba, Sep 15 2009
  

       It would need one of those huge Frankenstein's-Castle breaker-style switches, with the usual movie soundtrack accompaniment of echoing thunks and the ramping up of huge turbines somewhere close but off-camera.
egbert, Sep 17 2009
  

       To be truly halfbaked the whole thing should be analogue. The mechanism for selecting speeds should be a massive ornate rotatable Fibonacci fractal, the whole thing slapped up on your wall. Some sort of protruding lever determines the speed as you rotate the shape. That way you know where you are in the sequence and it looks damn cool having this wicked fractal thing on your wall. Or Frankenstein. Or both... anyways, +
daseva, Sep 17 2009
  

       I like the idea of a Fib. Spiral on the wall. Thank you.
UnaBubba, Sep 17 2009
  

       Could be dislodged and used as a weapon too, you know.
daseva, Sep 17 2009
  

       //rheostat//   

       Jesus man get with the times. Rheostat's are so old school. And wasteful. Notice how hot they get? That's a bad thing.   

       For a DC fan I'd just use the normal PWM driver, but instead of using a proportional potentiometer (pot) as the speed selector, simply use a log pot.   

       For an AC fan, just use a VVVF drive, or similar.   

       By the way, [+] - a great many user devices could benefit from logarithmic / exponential / geometric -ly progressive input.
Custardguts, Sep 17 2009
  

       Sorry about the rheostat. I saw this as a large, Bakelite device, dripping with Art Deco references.
UnaBubba, Sep 17 2009
  

       I'm with [UnaBubba] - this definitely needs to be a large, humming, glowing, wall - mounted, needs - 2 - hands - to - operate, dims - the - rest - of - the - house - lights - when - used, sort of a thing.
<aside> I'm also a fan of all things Fibonacci related - I did a 10,000 word essay on him for a maths history paper. The series was the least of his achievements. </aside>
neutrinos_shadow, Sep 17 2009
  

       Hah! A massive central controller for all of the lights and appliances in the home, each rib on the spiral corresponding to a lighting circuit or a power circuit.
UnaBubba, Sep 19 2009
  
      
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