Air solonoid anyone??

[Mitchell Andrus]

Is anyone here using a solonoid valve to turn their air on and off. I've got a 20 gal compressor in the shop... my son wants his airbrush comp back.

It'd need to be 120V so the laser can control it. If so, what've you got?

Mitch

[Joe Pelonio]

Mitch,

I think after a time you'll want to steal back the airbrush compressor or buy another one. When you're doing a big job even with 20 gallons that is going to run a lot and make a lot of noise. When my old airbrush pump died and I had to keep running until I got a new one I used my spray painting compressor which is 6 gallon, and it's in the warehouse/shop behind a wall and door, still drove me nuts. The laser when cutting is running a lot of air out. Your idea would help a lot for combination jobs though.

[Rodne Gold]

Go to a speedshop that sells Nitrous Oxide kits and use a very small NOS solenoid , 12v will control it. Easy to step down to 12v. they can supply you all the fittings etc.

[Michael McDuffie]

My Epilog Legend already has a solenoid.

And in the options menu on the machine, I can turn the air on for raster and vector separately.

Diaphragm type compressors don’t like being dead-headed, meaning having the output shut off. The solenoid valve vents the air out the back if air assist is not active.

If your machine is similar to mine, you can plug the exhaust port on the solenoid valve and connect a piston or rotary screw compressor. You will need to regulate the pressure to the machine, I’d keep it below 30-35PSI to be safe. The adjustable valve on the inside right on my Epilog is a flow control to adjust the force of the air assist and not a pressure regulator as someone discovered recently.

I can’t speak to the tank type compressors running time except that if the exhaust port isn’t plugged, they will run much more often than needed due to the “air leak”.

Michael

PS, IIRC, there was an option port on the Legends that would trigger an exhaust fan and maybe the compressor. I don’t know if anyone has hacked the port to make it work for what you are after, or even if it is still there.

[Brent Vander Weil]

I have an Epilog Mini 12x18 35w

When I hook the air to it it starts the flow out of the tube on the laser... Is this normal for this model? It seems like the pressure never changes at the gauge at all... if the air is hooked up it is coming out no change when I raster or vector... Any thoughts... anyone have this machine?

[Joe Pelonio]

PS, IIRC, there was an option port on the Legends that would trigger an exhaust fan and maybe the compressor. I don’t know if anyone has hacked the port to make it work for what you are after, or even if it is still there.
That's a 110 plug on the side, under the power cord input. It was meant for the exhaust fan. It comes on when the machine is actually running (not just on) and then goes off automatically a few seconds delay after the laser stops. Even if you press stop to pause, after the delay it will go off. I prefer my vent to run all the time so don't use it. You could use it for the compressor, but I'd limit that to a small airbrush type, not a 5 horse or more which I'd put on a different circuit. I have blown the breaker a couple of times when I have used the microwave to heat some food with the laser, exhaust, and compressor all on.

[Michael McDuffie]

That's a 110 plug on the side, under the power cord input. It was meant for the exhaust fan. It comes on when the machine is actually running (not just on) and then goes off automatically a few seconds delay after the laser stops. Even if you press stop to pause, after the delay it will go off. I prefer my vent to run all the time so don't use it. You could use it for the compressor, but I'd limit that to a small airbrush type, not a 5 horse or more which I'd put on a different circuit. I have blown the breaker a couple of times when I have used the microwave to heat some food with the laser, exhaust, and compressor all on.

When I bought mine, Epilog sold a box for several hundred dollars that plugged into the port and controlled the exhaust fan.0 Needless to say, I didn't buy it.

Michael