Sawstop main power indication

[Roger Feeley]

Some will call me overly fussy for doing this:

I've always believed that if a thing has a power switch, it should be turned off when not in use. Most power tools are intuitive in that way. You turn it off to turn off the motor. But the Sawstop is different in that it has a separate main power switch that controls the electronics. Leaving that stuff on just rubbed me the wrong way.

What I wanted was an obvious indication that the main power was on so, when I leave the shop, I won't forget to power down my table saw. Unfortunately, the only indicator in the saw is this little LED and that faces away from the door. What to do???

I called Sawstop to see if there was a way I could tap into the main power switch and pull enough power to light a small light. Nope. That would void the warranty and I don't want to do that. Besides, they told me, drilling a hole in the switch box for the wire could let in sawdust and mess up the electronics.

Finally, I found a solution that is entirely passive. It turns out there is such a thing as a Ground Fault Sensor Relay. You run one of the 240V power wires through a sort of doughnut thingy and it picks up the power draw of the electronics (about 20Ma). This thing has a SPDT relay on board and can turn on or off up to 15A of stuff. I wired it up last weekend and now, when I turn on the main power to the saw, a flood light goes on over the saw providing plenty of light. The relay is not on a switched circuit so if I forget, the light is there to remind me.

For those among you who are equally fussy, you can buy the relay at CR Magnetics.

CR7310-EH-120-.011-X-CD-ELR-I

Get a co-signer. I probably shouldn't have done this but it sort of became a quest. I figured there had to be a way and when I found it, I couldn't resist.

[Victor Robinson]

Kudos for finding a solution for something that was bugging you! Personally I would have gone with an appropriately placed mirror but your method is more elegant, not to mention techie.

[Dan Hintz]

I don't know where the LED is located, but often times a piece of acrylic can act as a reflector... aim it back towards the door and you can see if it's still running.

[Roger Feeley]

I'm not that observant. I wanted something more obvious. Like I said, this became a quest. In a sense it was more about seeing if the thing could be done and doing it than about a pressing need. Once done, I really like it. I switch the saw on and get all this light.