FireBoard2 Drive + Pit Viper Question

[Truckbutt]

Just received my FireBoard 2 and Pit Viper fan. While waiting to discuss quality issues with CS at FireBoard (previously posted) I’m trying to figure out how it all works together. I hooked up the fan and set the drive to Auto 350Deg. With a fully charged FireBoard 2 the fan cycles repeatedly high to low. On the screen above the fan icon is 350. Below the fan icon there are numbers cycling from 10 to -10. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -8 -9 -10. Is this normal fan operation?
Thanks

[Truckbutt]

Figured this one out on my own. I plugged in the FireBoard2 Drive to the charger and it worked as it should. The fan speed was displayed under the fan icon and went to 100%. Disconnect the A/C charger and the fan dies like it did above. This unit is unable to power the fan on a fully charged battery. It would seem they sent me two defective units. This unit should be able to power the fan on a fully charged battery but can't. I'm wondering if the units sold directly from FireBoard as opposed to retailers are all refurbs,

[leol2]

If you go to the Fireboard support page it explains all the functions of the Fireboard 2 Drive and programs

[Truckbutt]

There is nothing in the Support Section about the unit not powering a fan in battery mode.

[glitchy]

Since you’ve had two units that won’t power the fan, is there a way to verify the fan is not having problems? In battery mode, you are limited to 3.5 watts to the fan. Powered is 10 watts.

https://docs.fireboard.io/drive/index.html

Not trying to discount your issues, it’s always a bummer to buy something new and get something that doesn’t appear to be so. Then to get a refurbished product as a replacement for something you just bought is frustrating. A lot of places (even Apple) have policies that say a warranty replacement may be made with a refurbished unit. Though in this situation that was not a cool move to make if it was truly the case.

[Truckbutt]

As soon as the fan (Pit Viper) is plugged into the charger the fan works as it should. Not a fan issue. Many people use this fan on battery mode only. The refurb unit didn't work at all so I did not test that. Refurbished units are usually when an item has been used and returned under warranty, not for unused items just out of the box. I would never accept that. I would ask for a charge back on my credit card.

[glitchy]

I’m not saying it’s likely, but the fan could be pulling more the 3.5 watts to run, causing issues on battery. A faulty bearing, a burr on the blade, blade pressed on out of alignment, etc. could possible cause more juice needed to spin it, right? I also totally agree on the replacement, which is why I said that wasn’t cool. However, you should just get in touch with Fireboard and discuss it. If you would like Ted Conrad’s email you can PM me.

[Truckbutt]

I got a perfunctory apology from FireBoard with no explanation for what happened, only that it shouldn't have. They insisted that the units were "new" in spite of the mismatched serial numbers, outdated firmware, and inability to pair. They refused to refund my original shipping or my return shipping.
What do I think a reasonable solution would have been? A reputable company would have offered to overnight a new unit at their cost. That didn't happen.

[glitchy]

That’s a very disappointing and frustrating result. I don’t know who you spoke to, but the offer to get you Ted Conrad’s contact info still stands. I would think he would not like to have this sort of customer feedback being spread and would hopefully help you resolve the issues.

If your just totally fed up with Fireboard, Thermoworks has a competitive product called Signals, but that I believe will require their proprietary fan. Obviously, BBQ Guru makes products that work with their fans. Not sure if either will run fans on battery power.

I’ve had nothing but good luck with Fireboard products. They do generally recommend that the fan be run with a power cord connected to the Fireboard even though it will power it without. Step one for troubleshooting on a couple of the drive FAQS is plug it in. There are also mentions of fans likely not being able to run at 100% on battery power. So, I take it as an unsupported feature.

[Richard Chrz]

I will speak against getting the billows. I don’t hear very many good things about the signals either. But, I would not purchase a billows again. Some day I will be able to get a different set up. I do not have the signals though, I have the smoke x4

[Truckbutt]

Just a follow up if you haven't seen it on the other thread, This unit was found to have bad fan controller by FireBoard. I received my 4th unit yesterday and all seems to be well.