i opened it up to clean it, hoping it was just jammed, and when i did i realized the screws were loose - somebody had recently taken the device apart. 

there is a black chip attached to the motor, but i can't say for sure why it's there or what it does. it doesn't look like a part of the device, but i don't know for sure.

what i know is that the fan had clearly been dismantled recently and now no longer works.