I built this for 2 things - 1. my computer is getting a little hot and I like quiet for as much as is possible so having a little automatic controller turning on a few fans when it gets too hot is ideal for me. and 2. my homemade power supplies could do with fans and again I don't want them running all the time but with this particular temperature sensor LM35DT as it is a TO-220 package you can screw it to the heatsink you have your regulators on (with the usual isolation of course) so the fan only runs when the regulator gets abit hot.
(v)R3 controls at which heat the fan will turn on at however it is a little tricky to calibrate so it will be a case of trial and error unless you have known heat sources.
I also used a TLC071 OP-AMP for a couple of reasons 1st. it is a single supply op-amp so I didn't have to piss about with dual supplies etc. and 2nd I got it free from Texas Instruments excellent sample service
I used a TIP41A because that's what was nearest to my hand. I know the schematic says TIP41C but it doesn't really matter - the letter designations just refer to the voltage the transistor can handle and none of them go below 40 volts so use whichever you can get or even any similar NPN power transistor will be fine.
