Hi there,
This is my first post here in the FOG forum (how appropriate on a late autumn day in the UK!) and so, by way of introduction I thought I'd share a solution to a problem I've been having.
I've recently become a proud Festool owner of a CMS table, a TS55 saw and an OF1400 router, as well as the CMS tops for both and the guide rails for the saw - I love it all! It all makes so much difference to my mobile workshop and helps me produce vastly better results.
Up to now, I've been using a wireless remote to start my vacuum (from Maplins, UK) and it's been fine - apart from when I leave the remote at home, I can't find it amongst the wood shavings or I accidentally flip the channel slider on the back and then spend the next half hour wondering why the damn thing just wont work!!!
Anyway, I started to look for an auto-start device, but soon found out that either a stand-alone 'system' cost £180 or I had to buy a Festool vacuum for £2-400 or buy another vacuum that has a built-in auto-start feature. None of these options were attractive to my wallet (my heart said 'yes' but my wallet said 'no!), so I looked and found a solution - which I've attached to this post, for others to use.
The Sealey PC200SDAuto.V3 Vacuum has the auto-start facility and the PCB only cost £13 - it was a no-brainer!
I put the unit in a box and included a pic of it here for you to see my preferred layout - but of course, with the wiring diagram, you can do your own. In the picture, the socket next to the switch is the vacuum power, the other two are for the power tools.
I did replace the Sealey switch with a more suitable DP 3 way switch that'd fit into the double socket blanking plate.
...and also, the variable resistor that's on the PCB, between the transformer and the relay will, I think, vary the time that the vacuum will stay on after the power tool is switched off. The default time is 10 seconds but I've only been able to reduce it to about 4secs.
If there's any electronic wizards out there who know whether a simple capacitor or variable resistor change could reduce the time delay to, say, 1 second, then please let me (and everyone else!) know.
The whole thing cost me about £25.
I hope this post can help others solve the same problem!
Jon
This is my first post here in the FOG forum (how appropriate on a late autumn day in the UK!) and so, by way of introduction I thought I'd share a solution to a problem I've been having.
I've recently become a proud Festool owner of a CMS table, a TS55 saw and an OF1400 router, as well as the CMS tops for both and the guide rails for the saw - I love it all! It all makes so much difference to my mobile workshop and helps me produce vastly better results.
Up to now, I've been using a wireless remote to start my vacuum (from Maplins, UK) and it's been fine - apart from when I leave the remote at home, I can't find it amongst the wood shavings or I accidentally flip the channel slider on the back and then spend the next half hour wondering why the damn thing just wont work!!!
Anyway, I started to look for an auto-start device, but soon found out that either a stand-alone 'system' cost £180 or I had to buy a Festool vacuum for £2-400 or buy another vacuum that has a built-in auto-start feature. None of these options were attractive to my wallet (my heart said 'yes' but my wallet said 'no!), so I looked and found a solution - which I've attached to this post, for others to use.
The Sealey PC200SDAuto.V3 Vacuum has the auto-start facility and the PCB only cost £13 - it was a no-brainer!
I put the unit in a box and included a pic of it here for you to see my preferred layout - but of course, with the wiring diagram, you can do your own. In the picture, the socket next to the switch is the vacuum power, the other two are for the power tools.
I did replace the Sealey switch with a more suitable DP 3 way switch that'd fit into the double socket blanking plate.
...and also, the variable resistor that's on the PCB, between the transformer and the relay will, I think, vary the time that the vacuum will stay on after the power tool is switched off. The default time is 10 seconds but I've only been able to reduce it to about 4secs.
If there's any electronic wizards out there who know whether a simple capacitor or variable resistor change could reduce the time delay to, say, 1 second, then please let me (and everyone else!) know.
The whole thing cost me about £25.
I hope this post can help others solve the same problem!
Jon
