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Fan Interface

The Radxa Cubie A7Z features an onboard fan interface. You can connect a fan using a 3-Pin 0.8mm cable (fan operating voltage: 5V) to provide cooling for the motherboard.

Interface Location

For the specific location of the fan interface, please refer to the interface description section in the Hardware Interface tutorial!

Usage Guide

Connect a fan to the fan interface with the following specifications:

  • Interface Type: 3-Pin Female Header
  • Pin Spacing: 0.8mm
  • Arrangement: Single-row 3-pin
  • Installation Method: SMD, 180° SMD mounting
  • Operating Voltage: 5V
tip

Pay attention to the positive and negative polarity when connecting the fan.

Checking Fan Devices

  1. Use the ls command to view the registered fan devices in the system.
radxa@device$
ls /sys/devices/platform/ | grep fan

Terminal will display output similar to:

radxa@device$
pwm-fan
  • pwm-fan: Control device for the motherboard's built-in fan
  1. Locate the PWM Control File

The fan's PWM control file is typically located in the /sys/class/hwmon/ directory. You need to find the hwmon directory corresponding to pwm-fan.

Use the ls command to view the PWM control files for the pwm-fan device.

radxa@device$
ls /sys/class/hwmon/

Terminal will display output similar to:

radxa@device$
hwmon0
  1. Identify the Fan Control Node

Use the ls command to view the PWM control files for the pwm-fan device in the hwmon directory.

radxa@device$
ls -l /sys/class/hwmon/hwmon*/device

Terminal will display output similar to:

/sys/class/hwmon/hwmon0/device -> ../../../pwm-fan

Based on the terminal output, we can control pwm-fan through hwmon0.

Controlling Fan Speed

Use the echo command to set the fan speed. The PWM control range is typically 0~255 (0=stop, 255=full speed).

  • Full Speed
radxa@device$
echo 255 | sudo tee /sys/class/hwmon/hwmon0/pwm1
  • Half Speed
radxa@device$
echo 128 | sudo tee /sys/class/hwmon/hwmon0/pwm1
  • Turn Off Fan
radxa@device$
echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/class/hwmon/hwmon0/pwm1

Interface Specifications

Technical Reference

For complete technical specifications and pin definitions, please refer to the Hardware Design: Schematic document in the download section.