Announcing: MAXSYS Wireless Remote for CT-vacs

[Rick Christopherson]

Storm,
I think I just figured out how to integrate Maxsys into your existing controls without disabling your front panel On/Off buttons. If your machine is the same as the one shown in the document you sent last night, both of the contactors in the machine are the same. So if we add the voltage-controlled relay, you will have a spare/unused contactor already in place. We could then wire them up to work in parallel, with the upper contactor being controlled by Maxsys, and the lower contactor controlled by your onboard push buttons.

This is because your push buttons need a self-sustaining relay, but Maxsys does not. So the upper contactor would be active only when Maxsys is active, and the bottom one would operate in self-sustain mode for the push buttons.

So the first thing we need to do is get you that voltage-controlled relay and get it installed. Then we can do some manual testing to verify my assumptions about your contactors.

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Storm,
I did some searching on eBay and I found a potential relay that I like and at a reasonable price. (Supco APR5) It is solid state, and universal with an adjustable pickup voltage. It also has a cutout feature to protect the motor windings if the motor fails to start.

Here's the catalog sheet on it.
supco.e-shop.co.il/itemfiles/151_potential%20relays.pdf

There are a few eBay listings, and you can search for a few more for yourself (or Amazon). For $20 I think it worth the minor risk to go ahead and order one of these for yourself. While you're waiting for it to arrive, we'll figure out how to connect it. (I'll need to trace the wires inside the control box, so take several pictures from slightly different angles because so I can see where various wires are overlapping each other.)
eBay Listing 1
eBay Listing 2

 

[Flatsawn]

View attachment 1
This is the remote for the Powermatic DC. This particular Powermatic came with a remote that really didn't work at a distance.
Now I can be in another room and the MAXSYS Wireless Remote picks it up.

Thanks again Rick,

Mark

Thanks Rick for pointing that out. I bought it used ( he didn't tell me how to use it) for both line boring and 35mm ( I think it's 35mm) hole boring for hinges.
  But I never took off the line boring accessory, didn't know it was an accessory,  I just took out all the drills and replaced them with the cup bit after I drilled the hole I would put the hinge in the hole and drill the two screw holes by hand with a guide bit.  [embarassed] [embarassed] [embarassed] [embarassed]
I always wondered what that black arm was for. I'm going to have to look at this thing again because I do like euro hinges.

Again thank you
Mark

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Mark,
Yeah, there should be 3 bore bits for the hinges, the big 35mm, and two 8mm.

You need to order your hinges with dowels, but they should actually be cheaper due to popularity by professional shops. The dowels are barbed plastic so they just press into the 8mm holes. But you can still unscrew the hinges if ever necessary, and the dowels just stay in the holes.

Not only are they faster, but you never have to worry about splitting the wood from a screw.

It took me a while to find a picture of one of them upside down, but here is a common hinge with the dowels.

 

[Claimdude]

Rick,

Will the Maxsys work to power up the Vac-Sys?

Thanks
Jack

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Rick,

Will the Maxsys work to power up the Vac-Sys?

Thanks
Jack

Yes. All it would take is a power cord. Come to think of it, the new Vacsys could probably be wired right into the switch.

Edit to add, Didn't you get a Maxsys for your CT-22? If so, you could play with it to try on your Vacsys. The standard relay on Maxsys would easily handle the low power of the Vacsys.

 

[ATXStorm]

Rick,  That is great news.  Thank you for extra effort you are making.  I have attached a couple of pictures and will email the wiring diagrams.  If you think the SUPR APR5 is the way to go I will purchase one.  Is this Crouzet relay providing the same function just at higher pricehttp://www.onlinecomponents.com/crouzet-control-88827103.html?p=47290544?

Thanks, Storm

 

[Claimdude]

Rick,

Yes I have a Mxsys for my CT22 and my Jet dust collector. I will test it this weekend.

Thanks
Jack

Rick,

Will the Maxsys work to power up the Vac-Sys?

Thanks
Jack

Yes. All it would take is a power cord. Come to think of it, the new Vacsys could probably be wired right into the switch.

Edit to add, Didn't you get a Maxsys for your CT-22? If so, you could play with it to try on your Vacsys. The standard relay on Maxsys would easily handle the low power of the Vacsys.

 

[Cheese]

Rick,
Will the Maxsys work to power up the Vac-Sys?

That's a slick idea, my vacuum pump is located about 10 feet from my workbench, located on a lower shelf on the wall and the large production table of the drill press hangs overhead...rather inconvenient.  [eek]

 

[jwaite550]

Looks very nice.  Just ordered one for my CT26 and will replacement fobs be available and how to order.  I know myself!  LOL

Just wanted to let you know how much I love this unit!  I have used it doing pocket holes and routing and has saved me many steps.  Thank you Rick!

 

[promark747]

I've been loving my MAXSYS but was wondering about the range and how long the buttons should be pushed.  Do you guys just give it a quick click or do you hold down for a second?  Sometimes I do a quick click and it doesn't activate, so I'm trying to figure out if it's the button-pushing or the antenna (which I may need to adjust).

This is really a nice product.

 

[nclemmons]

This really is a game changer for how I use the CT-26.  I had a remote on the vac before from FastCap.  Always had to walk back to the vac to switch from auto to manual.  Now I NEVER turn it to manual.  The wireless remote is hanging from the hose on the boom arm and it's so convenient to connect to a tool or a vac brush for cleanup.

Really great job, Rick. 

 

[Rick Christopherson]

I really love hearing all of these success stories. It is really surpassing my expectations when I first envisioned this project. You'd be amazed at how many business associates told me this was a dumb idea, but I pursued it anyways. Boy, did they miss the mark!!  [doh] I'm supposed to be working today, but I haven't been able to break away from email inquiries since I woke up this morning.  [thumbs up]

What has really caught me off guard is how many people want to utilize Maxsys to control so many other things in their workshop. It's falling into the whole Festool concept of a system-wide controller for so many different tools in the workshop. That's something that I didn't see coming.

As quickly as I can, I have been developing different versions of the Maxsys system to universally control other devices in the workshop. What may not have been immediately apparent at first is that ALL of the Maxsys modules within the workshop will work together so that one remote will allow you to control several different machines. Because every Maxsys module includes another remote, this means you will have several duplicate remotes that can control all of your machines!

Because the core Maxsys module is so flexible, I can set this up for so many different uses specific to your shop's needs. The same core Maxsys module that can intelligently control your Festool CT-Vac, can also control your cord-connected tool, or even control your high-power stationary tools. And the beauty of this is that you can do it all with the same remote.

The default 2-button remote will work with 1 or 2 modules. If you order more than 2 modules, I automatically upgrade you to the 4-button remote to control up to 4 different modules.

So keep the comments coming!!!! I love it!!!

 

[Cheese]

Hey Rick,
[eek]  Looks like I'll be ordering a 3rd module...for the vacuum pump.  [cool]  very  [cool]

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Hey Rick,
[eek]  Looks like I'll be ordering a 3rd module...for the vacuum pump.  [cool]  very  [cool]

OK, cool. Looking forward to meeting you. My workshop is spotless, but the rest of my house is a disaster. Make sure your tetanus shots are up to date. [scared]

I've got all of your stuff sitting here waiting, but if you get the 3rd module I'll reset everything to include the 4-button remotes.

 

[epicxt]

This is another shout-out to Rick for offering such a great product and service. I ordered the Maxsys a few weeks ago and installed it when it arrived, but it wasn't functioning. The Maxsys would click, but the vac wouldn't turn on wirelessly. I emailed Rick with a description of the problem and minutes later we were emailing, then talking on the phone. Turns out the control board in my ct26 was faulty (part number 496274 for future reference). Purchased the part through Festool service dept (vac is long past the 3-yr mark) and received it yesterday. Replaced it this morning using detailed instructions Rick had emailed me and everything is functioning as it should.
Thanks again for all the support, Rick!

 

[LeeGinAZ]

I received my MaxSys last week (only three days after ordering) and got it installed.  Installation was at least as easy as it appeared in the instructions.

I am very pleased with the purchase.  It really makes using my CT-36 much more user-friendly.

 

[six-point socket]

Hi Rick,

Fantastic Idea!

Would you be willing to further pursue a solution for the CT(L)-SYS? (In my case 230V) I would love being able to start it remotely, even if it would be some kind of separate box.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[dalep]

Rick

Looks like I need another one as well, just bought another VAC

Regards

Dale

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Would you be willing to further pursue a solution for the CT(L)-SYS? (In my case 230V) I would love being able to start it remotely, even if it would be some kind of separate box.

I have a huge deadline right now. So I can't even take the time to go look at a CT-Sys for at least a week. However, an idea just occurred to me about making Maxsys work inside of a CT-Sys if there is enough room for a 1x2x3 (25x50x75mm) box inside the case.

If you or someone else were willing to pop the 4 screws from the top of the motor housing and email me some pictures, it would at least tell me if there was enough space inside to bother looking for a solution. It looks like there might be some unused space under the accessory outlet location.