Cyclone High Dust Alarm IT WORKS!!!!! *w/new pics*

[Alan in Little Washington]

My shop is above a garage and my dust collector and cyclone are on the garage level so I can't see it. My push-through cyclone uses a bag instead of a drum for the dust and chips and after over-filling my cyclone dust bag, having it back up into the cyclone, and having to clean out my cartridge filters one too many times, I finally had enough!!!

I started building a high dust alarm. Actually, with hearing protection I might not hear an audio alarm and also I figured I might not see a flashing light (though so far I haven't missed seeing my shop door bell and phone strobes) so I decided to configure it so it cuts off the DC.

For the sensor I am using a standard replacement dusk-dawn electric eye I got for less than $10 at Lowes. It uses 110V power and turns on (provides 110V output) when the sensor is no longer sufficiently illuminated.



Here is a close-up of the sensor.



The sensor's three wires were only 8" long so I added a longer cord. I drilled a hole and mounted a wood block which holds the sensor just above the chip outlet near the bottom of the cyclone cone.



Close-up of mounted sensor:



I drilled a hole on the opposite side of the cone, covered the hole with plexiglass, and sealed it with silicone. I mounted a low wattage light on outside. This provides enough light to keep the sensor activated (dawn).



Another view of the light source:



The way the system will hopefully work- as long as the light illuminates the sensor no voltage comes out of the sensor. As soon as dust has filled the bag and starts to back up into the cone it will block light to the sensor (dusk) and sensor will send current to and energize a relay. If I had just wanted an alarm light that would take the place of the relay. The latching circuit of my low voltage DC control will be wired through the "normally closed" contacts of the relay. When the relay is energized it will break the latching circuit and turn off the DC. That way if the light source bulb burns out the DC will turn off rather than allow the DC to keep running and possibly overflow. Tomorrow I need to get a relay at Radio Shack and test everything out.

I got all the relay and a few other parts today at tested the high dust alarm- It works like a champ!!!!!!!

When viewing these pics, remember, my cyclone is configured in a push-through mode so I use a bag not a drum to collect the dust. This pic was taken after the first test. I planed a wide oak board to generate the dust. I put a twist tie around the top of the bag so I wouldn't need to create tons of dust to for the test. The dust backed up into the bottom part of the cone and the DC shut off- just as it was supposed to. I removed the twist tie and let the dust fall into the lower bag. Without banging on the cyclone or wiping the inside of the sensor or light window I hit start and the cyclone started up. I repeated the test three times with the same results.



Here is another view of the test setup. Also visible is the start/stop buttons mounted to a box that also contains the relay. If the system starts acting up all I need to do is unplug the power cord and the DC works like it used without the auto shut off.



Here is a pic of the DC running without the twist tie on the bag. In addition to pulling a big bunch of dust from the planer hose I also generated more dust with no false shut downs!!!!!



The only negative is that it is not immediately evident when the cyclone has shut down, especially when wearing hearing protection. I may also add a strobe alarm. Anyway, I'm a happy camper. Now I just need to clean the filters, hopefully for the last time

[DaveO]

Brilliant idea ...that's one to send into the magazines as a Top Tip


Dave

[NCPete]

great idea!

[cpowell]

That's a good idea Alan.

We use photoeyes at work but I asure you they are nowhere near the 10 dollar range. That's a sensible solution. Let us know how well it works.

Chuck

[erasmussen]

homemade photoeye system good deal

[Travis Porter]

I look forward to seeing how it works. Even with the cyclone in my shop, I recently overfilled it, and it was a ROYAL PITA to clean out the cartridge.

[Steve D]

Please post details, I'm curious to see if the swirling dust will be enough to block the light and cause problems. If this works out, I'd love to do the same thing with my cyclone.

Great idea!

[sapwood]

Looks like another winner Alan!
Keep sending this stuff into the magazines. I'm beginning to think the reason you don't receive their notice is because your tinkering is over their heads

Roger

[Bernhard]

Alan,
That's a slick idea!! Very elegant solution!!
I think I am going to plagiarize this idea when I move my collector outside (I hope you don't mind?).
Cheers,
Bernhard

[toolferone]

Wonderful idea Alan. The first thought that comes to mind is that by the time the eye shuts off the collector you will have a mess empting it as the drum will be overflowing to the level of the sensor. What if you installed it at the top of the drum? Make a quick connect mount so you can use different drums. My .02 cents worth. I look forward to the testing stage and your follow up report.

[Steve D]

Originally Posted by toolferone

Wonderful idea Alan. The first thought that comes to mind is that by the time the eye shuts off the collector you will have a mess empting it as the drum will be overflowing to the level of the sensor. What if you installed it at the top of the drum? Make a quick connect mount so you can use different drums. My .02 cents worth. I look forward to the testing stage and your follow up report.

That's a nice tweak, it would also cut down on the abrasion from dust across the window in front of the light.

Brilliant

[Alan in Little Washington]

Originally Posted by toolferone

Wonderful idea Alan. The first thought that comes to mind is that by the time the eye shuts off the collector you will have a mess empting it as the drum will be overflowing to the level of the sensor. What if you installed it at the top of the drum? Make a quick connect mount so you can use different drums. My .02 cents worth. I look forward to the testing stage and your follow up report.

My cyclone is rigged in a push-though mode so I use bags, no drums. Anyway it worked like a champ!!!!! See my updates to the original post

[dino drosas]

I like that setup. Great idea. I just let mine overfill and it is a real PITA. Have you ever had a problem with the bag bursting or leaking being exposed the way it is?

Thanks, Dino

[Alan in Little Washington]

Originally Posted by dino drosas

I like that setup. Great idea. I just let mine overfill and it is a real PITA. Have you ever had a problem with the bag bursting or leaking being exposed the way it is?

Thanks, Dino

Actually, the plastic bag I used in the tests had a small hole from mishandling that I had taped closed. I usually have the bag sitting in a trash barrel- protects the bag and makes it easier to remove it from the cyclone. The pressure on the bag is normally not bad when the filters are clean- I haven't cleaned the filters since the last overflow.