Cheap...err...FRUGAL Wireless Remote Control....(maybe?)

[Mike Langford]

Well, Once again in my never ending quest to be cheap....err I mean....Frugal ;) I think I may have found a inexpensive wireless remote for my dust collector......Maybe!

Lowe's is selling a wireless remote for $13.97....spec. are 125V - 60HZ -1,000W - 8A Tungsten

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I hooked it to my dust collector tonight and I turned it on and off a few times from different locations in the shop and it worked fine....then I turned it on and let the dust collector run about 4 or 5 min. straight to see if the unit would get hot or whatever and everything was o.k....but here's where my "maybe" comes in!....

This is where I need to pick the brains of the electrical/electronic wizards here at the creek! :o......My dust collector's (Delta AP400) specs. are: 125V - 60HZ - 12A!!
Will this remote burn out prematurely or will my dust collector suffer any power loss and strain from the unit not having enough amp??? etc....What does "Tungsten" mean???....will this work???

....Am I being to frugal this time?......help me out here guys!

[Don Bullock]

That's a great find if it does the job on your DC. WoodCraft has a DC remote for on sale for $49. My wife told my BIL that I wanted one (it's far better than the shirts that my SIL picks out for me).

[Robert Payne]

"8 Amps Tungsten" means that this device is designed to handle an incandescent light load such as lights, versus a resstance or inductive load like a motor. It will probably handle your DC for a little while, but it won't last long. Ace Hardware has a $25 unit made by Carlon (http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1290269&cp&kw=hw2190&origkw=HW2190&sr=1), that can handle a bigger load (up to 1500 watts), but your best bet is to get a Shop Fox Dust Collector Remote Control (http://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-H2797-Remote-Control/dp/B0000DD3EV) that can handle a motor load up to 1-1/2 HP. I have the Shop Fox on my Penn State and it whas worked flawlessly for 3 years. I also have the Carlon unit and will use it to activate the 110V coil in a 30 Amp 240 V contactor that will control my ClearVue Cyclone that I'm installing.

HTH -- Rob

[Art Mann]

I hate to discourage you, but I wouldn't use a device that is overloaded by 50%. You might want to keep a close watch on it in case something starts getting hot. It might become a fire hazard. Also, I noticed the device is plugged into a power strip that doesn't seem adequate for a 12A load.

[Mike Langford]

Thanks for the info guys....

Oh Well.....Some days it just don't pay to be frugal, does it? :D
(I had better luck when I was just plain 'ol cheap! ;))









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[David G Baker]

Mike,
You can always use it to turn your Christmas lights on and off. Having a remote can be a very handy thing at times. The price you paid isn't bad either.
If you really want a remote keep an eye on the sales and you might luck out and find one at a good price that will work well with your DC.

[Mike Langford]

...Mike,
You can always use it to turn your Christmas lights on and off...

:D:D LOL! That's their intended use! :D:D

I just thought I'd "stumbled" onto a undiscovered "low cost" woodworking application...;)

[Tom Veatch]

If you're handy with a soldering iron, you might want to look at issue 91 of Woodwork Magazine. It has an article with plans for automating dust collector operation. I implemented it in my shop, and it seems to work quite well.

Along the same lines, Issue 98 has plans for blast gate switches (and a recommended mod for the system in Issue 91) and Issue 89 has plans for building your own current controlled (rather than voltage controlled) magnetic switches for those machines which don't already have one - a router table is probably one example.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Woodwork Magazine or with the author of the referenced articles.

http://www.woodwork-mag.com/back_issues.html

[Curt Harms]

You could do sort of what Robert is doing above--use the remote to control a contactor. Then You could use a cheap remote to control a 5 h.p. 240 volt load if You needed to. Here are some examples:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/productIndex.shtml?search_type=brand&QueryString=SQUARE+D&operator=refineSearchResults&originalValue=Contactors%2C+Definite+Purpose&searchIndexId=1

[Jim Becker]

You could do sort of what Robert is doing above--use the remote to control a contactor. Then You could use a cheap remote to control a 5 h.p. 240 volt load if You needed to. Here are some examples:

Exactly what I was going to say...deal with the load with a contactor switch that can handle it appropriately and use the inexpensive remote to control that device. When you upgrade to a larger DC later, you can just change the contactor.

[Mike Seals]

:D:D LOL! That's their intended use! :D:D

I just thought I'd "stumbled" onto a undiscovered "low cost" woodworking application...;)

You have. Everything has a current limit. So to turn on the switch in you control there will be a tiny chip that turns on another transistor that turn on another device that......

Each one has a higher load rating for an easy explanation.

All you need to do is turn on a relay with a higher current rating on the contactors.

[Paul Johnstone]

Well, Once again in my never ending quest to be cheap....err I mean....Frugal ;) I think I may have found a inexpensive wireless remote for my dust collector......Maybe!



Just as another altenative..

I broke down and wired my shop with 3 way and 4 way switches. I now have 4 wall switches that I can turn my DC on and off on (through a relay). A switch is always close, and I don't have to worry about losing a remote or dead batteries. It's more expensive with the cost of wire nowdays, but not outrageous. It's very easy to do.

[Mike Langford]

Great suggestions guys, but I think we're kinda moving away from the frugal aspect.......I reckon it'll probably be cheaper to just get a wireless remote from Woodcraft on sale! :eek::D:cool:

[Mike Seals]

"8 Amps Tungsten" means that this device is designed to handle an incandescent light load such as lights, versus a resstance or inductive load like a motor. It will probably handle your DC for a little while, but it won't last long. Ace Hardware has a $25 unit made by Carlon (http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1290269&cp&kw=hw2190&origkw=HW2190&sr=1), that can handle a bigger load (up to 1500 watts), but your best bet is to get a Shop Fox Dust Collector Remote Control (http://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-H2797-Remote-Control/dp/B0000DD3EV) that can handle a motor load up to 1-1/2 HP. I have the Shop Fox on my Penn State and it whas worked flawlessly for 3 years. I also have the Carlon unit and will use it to activate the 110V coil in a 30 Amp 240 V contactor that will control my ClearVue Cyclone that I'm installing.

HTH -- Rob

Robert,
Normally a tungsten rating is 20% of a resistive rating. Reason being is that the inrush current on tungsten is 10 plus that of a resistive load. Once the filement heats up the current drops to normal.

[will sanders]

I use one of those for a Halloween prop control. I use it to control a drill motor and notice that sometimes it won't turn it off. As already said it is really only for lights and I think even says in the package somewhere that it is NOT for motors.

[Kelly Anderson]

I have one like that and have used it for a couple of years with no problems. It turns on and shuts off fine and dose not get hot. No problems at all.

[Gilbert Vega]

I bought one from Ace Hardware a couple of years ago for $6 and have used it on my Delta 1.5hp DC without any problems. I did buy a spare in case it went out but haven't used it except for Christmas tree lights.

[Robert Malone]

I bought this remote (http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1290269&cp=&sr=1&origkw=wireless+switch&kw=wireless+switch&parentPage=search&searchId=20377399693) from Ace Hardware. It's rated 1500 watts.