Has anyone done this? I just re-did my DC system (Made all the blast gates my self) Right now I use the longRanger remote which works fine. But I want to add and auto switch on my chop saw - The blast gate is right above it - I want to pull it and have the DC turn on - make my cut and push it closed. For what ever reason only when I use that machine I find it too cumbersome to hit the remote.
TIA
I'd be curious to see the schematic for this too, both a 120V and 220V version (one for the shop-vac, one for a future dust collector). I haven't done any research yet, and I have no real electronics experience, so please dumb it down. :) Fairly specific details and a pretty picture would be ideal! For my part, I'll commit to putting together the documentation and putting it up on a website, if it's not already on one.
My very quick and dirty research gave some information on hooking up the relay, which is what I think I need to do. But the actual details are still pretty fuzzy. My understanding is that I'd have a 12V (steal a transformer from some dead electronic device, or buy a Radio Shack one?) loop that would go to the different blast gates. Opening one of those gates would complete that circuit. This current would cause the relay to close, which would turn on the power to whatever device was connected to it. Is it that simple?
Another scenario (the "really" ideal one) would be this. I turn on the power to my saw. Doing so magically opens the blast gate for that device (solenoid?) and turns on the dust collector/shop vac (relay). But how do you detect the power flowing to the saw? I know that Sears has their handy-dandy power bar for that, but to be perfectly honest, I'd rather keep the saw and filtration device on separate circuits, as I'm not a big fan of blowing circuit breakers. Also, I'd like to hook this up to my table saw, router, miter saw, bandsaw, and drill press. The tablesaw is 220, the rest are 110, and scattered around the gara-shop.
Again, I am willing to document this and publish on the web so you only have to help once! :) Thanks for any input.
Clint
| Has anyone done this? | I just re-did my DC system (Made all the blast gates my self) Right | now I use the longRanger remote which works fine. | But I want to add and auto switch on my chop saw - The blast gate | is right above it - I want to pull it and have the DC turn on - | make my cut and push it closed. | For what ever reason only when I use that machine I find it too | cumbersome to hit the remote.
I like Clint's idea; but it may be more practical to just put a Hall-effect switch on the blast gate body with something for it to detect recessed into the gate's slide.
-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA
One way would be to tap into the wires going to the motor. Run them to a transformer, then a rectifier/filter to give crude DC, then use that to drive your solenoid on the dust gate.
Alternately, you could tap into the hot/cold wires on the power line, run it through a high-power low-resistance resistor, then use the voltage drop across the resistor (appropriately transformed and rectified) to trigger the dust gate circuit.
Chris
I see this question posted occasionally, and I have a suggestion for those cheap.. uhhh.. frugal DIYers out there.
Get a bunch of burglar alarm switches with N.O. when near the magnet switches and mount the switch on the outside of the blast gate. Glue a magnet, perhaps the one from the alarm switch pair, to the slide. Wire them all in parallel, but in series with a 12v DC power source (an old 12vDC 500ma wall wart) and a 12v relay whose contacts are sufficient for the job of switching the Dust Collector. Try to keep the coil current on the selected relay below 100ma.
Remote (wired) DC for a total cost of an old all wart, a relay, a few switches and a hank of wire. The use of alarm switches is suggested due to their widespread availability, but anyone who has access to reed switches can order them separately.
FWIW,
Greg G.
Yes, it's that simple. But simpler yet is to just buy this:
It exists: the Ecogate system. Uses coils in the electrical panel to detect current flow to individual machines. Lotsa bucks.
snipped-for-privacy@fast.net wrote in news:1132266026.765738.76720 @g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
I just bought this for my new HF DC with Wynn filter conversion kit). I was told by PSI that it is not compatible with an RF remote. Also, this socalled multigate system comes with just 1 blastgate, I guess I'll have to go to Radioshack and get some microswitches for the plastic blastgates that came with the Woodcraft dustcollector starter kit (tubing, etc).
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