SLVSIZ2 April 2026 FAN31790
PRODUCTION DATA
The I2C watchdog timer monitors communication with the host system and forces fans to full speed if the host becomes unresponsive. This is a safety feature for data centers and mission-critical equipment. When enabled, the device tracks the time between I2C transactions and forces all fans to 100% duty cycle if no valid I2C transactions occur within a selected timeout period. The I2C Watchdog bits (2:1 in the Global Configuration register 00h) set the timeout to 5 seconds, 10 seconds, or 30 seconds, or watchdog disabled. The WD_START pin sets the power-up watchdog configuration. Once the watchdog times out it forces fans to full speed. Normal operation resumes if valid I2C transactions resume and the FAN31790 returns to its previous PWM values. The host must periodically communicate with each FAN31790 device to keep the watchdog satisfied. For example, by reading a status register.