New High Dust Alarm

[Alan in Little Washington]

I originally tacked this onto another thread, but figured it might get lost, so I moved it here.

For those of you with cyclone-based or other dust collection systems that use cartridge type filters that can get clogged if your dust bin overflows, I have designed a new high dust alarm.

Unlike my original DIY system that uses an off-the-shelf day night sensor and supplemental light source, this is a complete, modular, yet more advanced plug-and-play system designed for the retail market. It is Patent Pending and I will soon be trying to license it to one of the usual suspects (Oneida, Grizzly, PSI, etc.). I have no plans at this time to manufacture and market it myself, either as a full-up or DIY unit.

This incredible unit was designed and engineered from the ground up and does not utilize any parts from garage door openers or other devices.

Here is a system description:

NEW HIGH DUST ALARM

• Small master unit that:
  • is slightly larger than a pack of cigarettes
  • runs on an inexpensive wall wort low voltage power supply
  • has a miniature, each about the size of a sugar cube, detector/sensor pair. They strap on and can be easily mounted almost anywhere- on the outside of the hose leading to the dust drum or dust bag, on the dust drum or bag, or even inside the dust drum- and require little aiming, so you are good to go immediately.
  • is unaffected by momentary heavy concentrations of dust- has integral false alarm rejection circuit.
  • has an internal, Ultra-bright LED alarm indicator with selectable modes, flash and steady, for standalone operation where the DC is visible from your work area.
  • has a blinking (heart beat) system health status indicator. No need to worry if the system has power and is working.
  • has two accessory outputs that can control:
    • a small, low voltage module that works with the power contactor to automatically shut down your DC in a high dust condition.
    • a wired (two conductor, low voltage) external remote alarm unit module.
• Available Accessories:
  • DC contactor control module (wired)
  • External Ultra-bright LED-based alarm module (wired) if you can't see the master unit and/or you want to mount an alarm away from the master unit.
  • External Ultra-bright LED based alarm module (wireless)*

* The master unit comes equipped with an internal transmitter. Users with DC's located outside their shop or not visible from the work area will be able to locate one or more wireless alarm modules around the shop.

This is not "vaporware"! The circuits have been designed and tested, and an operational prototype has been running flawlessly on my DC for a few months now. I am currently costing out parts and manufacturing but only for reference, since, as I said, I plan to license this system to an appropriate manufacturer rather than attempting to retail the unit myself. Preliminary indications are that a full-up system like this could retail for well under $150 and possibly less than $100 (I would like to see the basic unit go for $50-$75).

Would anyone be willing to spend that much on a high dust alarm - to protect and extend the life of your cartridge filter or to avoid the nasty job of cleaning it after a backup?

[NCPete]

$75 seems pretty cheap the third time one is beating out the filter pack!

[CarvedTones]

Here is another thought for you - a rental kit. Maybe $25 (plus require a credit card with $60 approved but not charged as deposit) to have a box arrive with a sensor and return label. You get 2 weeks to use it to figure out whether or not your solution for dust control really works or not.

One other thought does occur to me because of today's litigious (sp? so sue me ) society - make sure you have a seriously good disclaimer about health problems that might occur from exposure to dust. Maybe recommend still using a respirator and somehow state that your device helps monitor dust levels but does not guarantee the environment in the shop is dust free.

[Alan in Little Washington]

Originally Posted by CarvedTones

Here is another thought for you - a rental kit. Maybe $25 (plus require a credit card with $60 approved but not charged as deposit) to have a box arrive with a sensor and return label. You get 2 weeks to use it to figure out whether or not your solution for dust control really works or not.

One other thought does occur to me because of today's litigious (sp? so sue me ) society - make sure you have a seriously good disclaimer about health problems that might occur from exposure to dust. Maybe recommend still using a respirator and somehow state that your device helps monitor dust levels but does not guarantee the environment in the shop is dust free.

Andy, para 2 is the reason I would rather license the design to a manufacturer/retailer (like I am doing with my other "thing"). It doesn't completely protect me in this "litiginous (?)" society, but give me some protection- a buffer if you will, and some coverage- I am a listed insured party on manufacturer's policy. I may investigate if incorporating gives me protection- they would be suing my company which has no assets. I'm sure the type company selling this already includes warnings and disclaimers in their product manuals and info.

Who knows, there may not be enough interest. But based on what is available (I believe PSI and Oneida sell an expensive sychronous motor-based unit, that doesn't do what mine does) I hope there is.

[merrill77]

Originally Posted by Alan in Little Washington

... and I will soon be trying to license it to one of the usual suspects (Oneida, Grizzly, PSI, etc.)....

Have you talked to the guys at ClearVue? As a smaller, more innovative company, they might be more approachable. Just a thought.

[Alan in Little Washington]

Originally Posted by merrill77

Have you talked to the guys at ClearVue? As a smaller, more innovative company, they might be more approachable. Just a thought.

I talked with Ed Morgano awhile ago. He and CV are not positioned to take on something like this. He said he would be happy to sell it if I got someone to make it.

[mlzettl]

Alan,

I would certainly be interested in this for my Oneida cyclone. The stated price range seems reasonable. My "sight gauge," a window installed in the side of the barrel, is pretty effective, but doesn't work unless I look at it. If I'm working in another part of the shop and doing something that really produces a lot of dust or chips, like planing or jointing, problems can arise. I have had the entire cyclone fill up, followed by the canister filter. I would have paid that amount of money on the spot just to have someone clean the whole thing out.

Matt

[fesgeek]

I would be interested. I do dislike going back to the closet to empty the dust barrel, only to find out that I have to spend an extra 30 minutes because it was overflowing.

[gdoebs]

I'd take one! I've only had to clean out my filters once, and it was such a pain!