Cyclone Dust Bin Sensors-What brand/product are you using?

[richard poitras]

I have been installing an Oneida Pro 2000 with a 5hp 30 amp single phase motor and em looking for a dust bin sensor so I don’t over flow the bin and clog up the filter. What are your recommendations commercial or made? I don’t need anything that shuts down the system just notifies me with a light and horn.

Thanks Richard

[Chris Parks]

You could make one, how about a slow turning paddle in the lid and when it stalls an alarm comes on.

[Alan Lightstone]

I use Oneida's. There have been many home made ones. Try searching the forum, or a few other woodworking forums. Should get a few options that way.

[Matt Meiser]

Mine is an industrial unit found surplus on eBay. You do need to be careful though as I didn't understand and the listing wasn't very clear that mine didn't come with the motor which cost me another $75 from the manufacturer. The overall price was still good, but not as good as I'd hoped. I have it wired so it runs while the cyclone is running, and if the switch closes it triggers an industrial panel-mount indicator that beeps, and an industrial strobe I found at a surplus store.

Bindicator is one industrial brand. Mine is something else but I don't remember off the top of my head.

[Alan Schaffter]

A replacement lamppost day/night sensor and an LED (needs some extra light) worked great for me for years- all for under $20.

Here is the link. (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?159572-A-Dust-Bin-Full-Detector-Option)

[Dick Mahany]

I'm using the Oneida unit with the solid state sensor and flashing LED array. Works great. Have only emptied my bin about a dozen times in the last two years that I have had it, but it has been reiable and never a problem.

[Jamie Buxton]

I put an acrylic window in the side of the bin near the top. Just remember to look over there to see if it is filling up. No moving parts, no need to plug it in. Inexpensive too.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Richard
I use Alan's lamppost day/night senor. Works great and very low cost. I have it turn on a flashing red light that I can't miss. Can't hear a buzzer or horn with all the tools running and hear protection on. Tom

[Rick Moyer]

A replacement lamppost day/night sensor and an LED (needs some extra light) worked great for me for years- all for under $20.

Here is the link. (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?159572-A-Dust-Bin-Full-Detector-Option)

That's a nice inexpensive idea, but by the time the indicator reacts you already have stuff up into the flex hose at least. I guess it will keep the cone and filter from getting full but you'll still have a mess overflowing the collection drum, right?

Jaime, could you explain/show how you put the acrylic in??

[Alan Schaffter]

That's a nice inexpensive idea, but by the time the indicator reacts you already have stuff up into the flex hose at least. I guess it will keep the cone and filter from getting full but you'll still have a mess overflowing the collection drum, right?

Jaime, could you explain/show how you put the acrylic in??

I have a 3D cone on my cyclone (length of the cone is 3 X diam. of cylinder versus the typical 1.64X) and also use a instant on sensor instead of the ones with built in time delay. I get no dust in my filters. The sensor could also be added to a window in the side of the drum as long as you can get enough light to it from the other side.

If I you have a drum, don't want a window, but want to control the level dust, you can insert a sleeve/duct extension - once the dust reaches the bottom of the sleeve it fills the sleeve and not the drum. That will leave you with whatever amount of free space you want at the top of the drum. I don't have that problem because I don't have a drum- I attach a ordinary trash bag to the bottom of my push-through cyclone.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/HighDust-10.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/1329/medium/P10100531.JPG

[Rick Moyer]

Thanks Alan. I knew you'd have a solution.

[Robert Payne]

Alan's solution works well, but it requires a light to be shining all of the time. I have adapted another design that uses reliable InfraRed garage door safety sensors in conjunction with a low-voltage circuit board with relays to detect full dust bins. The system features an interconnection with a cyclone 240VAC contactor, a bypass feature and both bright strobe and loud horn to warn the user. Over 3 dozen have been installed in the past six months. PM or email me for details.

248641

[richard poitras]

Lots of ideas guy’s thanks for all the tips. I just finished the install of the metal pipe today. So it’s time for flex hose and a sensor.
Richard

[Jamie Buxton]

...Jaime, could you explain/show how you put the acrylic in??

Here's a pic. The bin is shop-built from scrap plywood. I made a hole on one side, and screwed a piece of acrylic over the hole. I also threw in a little caulk between the plywood and the plastic. That's all there is to it. To give you a sense of scale, the bin holds about 30 gallons of chips.

[Kirk Poore]

I have Robert Payne's. It works well, with the only quirks due to certain peculiarities in my shop setup.

Kirk

[Jim Andrew]

I have Oneida's dust sentry, installed it by the directions, and it didn't work. Sent them an email, they said to turn up the sensitivity. Turned it all the way up, still is not dependable. So I cut a hole in front of the cyclone for a window. I put my trouble light on the hose so I can see if it fills up. Amazing how fast it fills the hose when the dust gets to that level.

[Rick Moyer]

Here's a pic. The bin is shop-built from scrap plywood. I made a hole on one side, and screwed a piece of acrylic over the hole. I also threw in a little caulk between the plywood and the plastic. That's all there is to it. To give you a sense of scale, the bin holds about 30 gallons of chips.

Oh, ok. I have a metal drum from Grizzly. i can see how it would be easier with your set-up.

I have Robert Payne's. It works well, with the only quirks due to certain peculiarities in my shop setup.

Kirk
Relative cost? The nice thing about Alan's is it's very inexpensive. I could just buy someone's (Oneida's?) if I wasn't concerned about price.

[Alan Schaffter]

Oh, ok. I have a metal drum from Grizzly. i can see how it would be easier with your set-up.

Relative cost? The nice thing about Alan's is it's very inexpensive. I could just buy someone's (Oneida's?) if I wasn't concerned about price.

My original unit was very simple and very inexpensive, but it may be difficult now finding the right sensor. There are two- ones with up to a two minute delay designed to reduce false alarms and one that responds almost instantaneously. The delay, if there is one, will be mentioned on the packaging. I used the fast acting type made by Summit lighting (CP688). They were available at most Lowes a few years ago, but I haven't seen them there recently. I probably have a few spares sitting around the shop.

For me a bin window was a non-starter. My shop is on the second story above my garage and the DC is out of sight at garage level. Even if I could see the bin, I would likely forget to look. I wired my unit using a small relay to control the big DC contactor so my DC shuts down in a high dust condition.

My brother and I designed a new, fully integrated high dust detector/alarm unit that could likely be produced for under $50. It has options for selectable variable false alarm rejection delay (we subsequently decided this was unnecessary), selectable alarm mode, and DC shut-down. Also it could accept a small plug in board we developed for a wireless remote alarm unit so you don't need to string wires if your DC is located in another room or outside. I was about to start looking for licensees to manufacture it when Oneida came out with their LED unit- they would have been my main target, so I terminated development. The prototype for the new unit with all options except the wireless remote alarm has been working flawlessly on my DC for almost 3 years.

[mreza Salav]

I have built one similar to Alan's design: a $15 light sensor with 45seconds delay, a $7 high output LED light (off e-bay), connected to a red light:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?172787-Setting-up-a-Clearvue&highlight=

[Ben Hatcher]

I use oneida's. It needed calibration out of the box but works pretty well now. The light will blink a bit when the bin is close to full and goes solid red when the chips are within a few inches of the top.