IVac Switch

[Birdhunter]

I have an Ivac device on my SawStop that senses the current flow to the saw's motor and starts a vac connected to the overarm blade guard. A bit complicated but it works well.

I've been using X10 remote switches to control my two Oneida 1.5HP dust collectors. The starting surge current zaps the switch contacts and they cease to work. Sometimes immediately and sometimes after months of use they fail.

Thus, I am converting to the Ivac switches. The issue is that the Ivac switches each have a dedicated remote, thus I have to have two remotes and remember which one to use.

Are there any third party remotes that are compatible with Ivac and can control two systems?

 

[ChuckM]

Like you, I use the iVAC Switch Box to turn on the 1.0 HP dust collector (for under-the-table dust collection) and the shop vac for the overarm dust collection as soon as the table saw is powered on (see image - correction 20A outlets for both the dc & shop vac and SawStop).

iVac has products to suit a variety of situations, and would this one meet your needs? (I am also assuming your 1.5HP dc is plugged into a 20A outlet.)
https://www.ivacswitch.com/ivac-pro-auto-sensor/

If not, I suggest you contact iVAC and they may have the advice you need.

 

[rmhinden]

I have two sets of iVac in my shop.  Each with its own remote.  Each set uses a unique code.

It's my understanding that a single remote can control multiple iVac units if the codes are set to the same value.  Have you tried that?

Bob

 

[Birdhunter]

I have that device (current sensor) to switch on a small vac that connects to the overarm blade guard. All IVAC stuff.

Each big cyclone connectors are ducted to 5 or 6 power tools each with a blast gate.

Thanks for the response.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

They have gotten way more sophisticated with those things than when I used one. The ability to be connected to 2 separate circuits was a big deal back then. I may have to look into it for a way to control the bigger dust collector. The CTs will still do most of the everyday, but a higher volume unit will be needed for the jointer and planer.

 

[Alanbach]

[member=58857]Crazyraceguy[/member] - You may also want to look into Grit Automation. I looked into their system a couple of years ago. It’s pretty cool. I am not associated with them and cannot vouch for them but the tech looked pretty cool. In the end I decided not to go that route.

 

[rvieceli]

[member=58857]Crazyraceguy[/member] if you are getting a new big dust collector, many of the units come with a remote included. My JET cyclone did.

Ron

 

[Birdhunter]

The IVAC customer service guy, Tom, has been ultra helpful. He told me that the units I ordered were marginal for my dust collector’s starting current surge. He cancelled my order and reordered the heavy duty switches. Since wiring the 220v switches is required, I will have a licensed electrician do the work.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

My original plan was to use one of the common 1hp or 1.5hp 120v units, from the usual suspects. I even went so far as to buy one of the Jet cyclone separators, to go with it. They were part of a big Christmas sale at Woodcraft, last year.
Then, my boss offered me the one form his shop, since he was up-grading to a much larger Leguna unit.
IIRC, it is an Oneida mini Gorilla.
As I said before, I plan to house it is an isolated secondary room. So, I may just be wired to a simple switch, that I can access from the main room. I'm not sure that I even need a remote? The shop is only 12' x 24' and the DC will only need to deal with a 6" jointer, 13" planer (which will share a hose) and a DeWalt job-site table saw.
It's all a work-in-progress, somewhat variable

 

[thudchkr]

[member=58857]Crazyraceguy[/member] - You may also want to look into Grit Automation. I looked into their system a couple of years ago. It’s pretty cool. I am not associated with them and cannot vouch for them but the tech looked pretty cool. In the end I decided not to go that route.

I bought into the Grit Automation system.  My favorite item is the control for the air filter.  It monitors the air quality and starts your air filtration when it detects your air is bad.  It will then run until the air quality improves back to an acceptable level and an additional time period that you can set.  If you have their dust collection also installed you can even have your air filter start automatically in conjunction with equipment that puts a lot of stuff into the air.

Their controls that start the dust collector are just installed inline with your power tools electrical line.  I just unplugged the tool from its power source, plugged the Grit sensor into the power source and then the tool plugs into a pigtail on the Grit sensor.  You use your existing blast gates so no changes are needed if you already have a system in place.  And that also means you're not limited to either a 6" or 4" blastgate, which are the only iVac options. 

They have been great to work with when I had issues and I highly recommend them.

 

[Birdhunter]

For years, I have been using two remote 220volt switches from a company named X10. There is a unit that I plug into a 120volt outlet. The unit has an antenna like the old cell phones used. There is a I itthat plugs into the 220volt outlet. The power code to the dust collector plugs into that unit. The remote can control both dust collectors.

These X10 units have usually lasted about 2 years before they have to be replaced. My guess is that the 220volt contacts get burned out by the starting current.

I think the new IVAC units will handle up to 10hp motors. Should last longer than I will.

 

[smorgasbord]

These X10 units have usually lasted about 2 years before they have to be replaced. My guess is that the 220volt contacts get burned out by the starting current.

I've been using my X10 220 volt outlet for a few decades now. Had heavy usage a while back. It might have just failed for the first time.

From where do you get new ones now?

 

[Mini Me]

The problem of remote switching the DE can be overcome by using a 3 phase powered unit and controlling it with a VFD. A simple garage door remote can then be tied into the VFD. The VFD can be programmed to control speed as needed, control start up times to reduce current in rush, when no machining is being done it can idle along at a reduced speed to scrub the air etc. I would not buy a single phase dust extractor for a bet because the advantages a 3 phase unit offers are so great it is a no brainer. The GRIT system is the best that can be used offering a huge amount of flexibility but for some reason people have an aversion to spend money on dust extraction.

 

[squall_line]

The problem of remote switching the DE can be overcome by using a 3 phase powered unit and controlling it with a VFD.

I see this come up time and again on the site. 

The aversion to three-phase in the US isn't an aversion to extraction and clean air, it's more that it's vanishingly rare to see three-phase in a residential neighborhood, and to get three-phase pulled to a house in a neighborhood without any light industrial means puts you at the mercy of the power company.  At that point, you're usually better off just packing your bags and moving to a farm or other area where three-phase already exists, which could be a few miles or dozens of miles away from your otherwise perfectly functional and comfortable home.

 

[Birdhunter]

Amazon sells the X10 units.

 

[Birdhunter]

The electricians finished installing the two new IVAC HD units today. They work great. I can really hear the contractors clack together when I hit the remote ON button. Definitely heavy duty stuff.

 

[luvmytoolz]

The problem of remote switching the DE can be overcome by using a 3 phase powered unit and controlling it with a VFD.

I see this come up time and again on the site. 

The aversion to three-phase in the US isn't an aversion to extraction and clean air, it's more that it's vanishingly rare to see three-phase in a residential neighborhood, and to get three-phase pulled to a house in a neighborhood without any light industrial means puts you at the mercy of the power company.  At that point, you're usually better off just packing your bags and moving to a farm or other area where three-phase already exists, which could be a few miles or dozens of miles away from your otherwise perfectly functional and comfortable home.

What he's talking about isn't running it off 3PH, but off single phase using a VFD, same as the 3PH spindles used for CNC machines.

Most modern 3PH motors can be reconfigured to run off a standard VFD. It's actually a pretty neat solution for some machines.

 

[Mini Me]

The problem of remote switching the DE can be overcome by using a 3 phase powered unit and controlling it with a VFD.

I see this come up time and again on the site. 

The aversion to three-phase in the US isn't an aversion to extraction and clean air, it's more that it's vanishingly rare to see three-phase in a residential neighborhood, and to get three-phase pulled to a house in a neighborhood without any light industrial means puts you at the mercy of the power company.  At that point, you're usually better off just packing your bags and moving to a farm or other area where three-phase already exists, which could be a few miles or dozens of miles away from your otherwise perfectly functional and comfortable home.

I apologise for my presumption that others would know what I know. A VFD is used as explained above to convert single phase to 3 phase at the same voltage as the single phase grid supply and can be sized to the motor the VFD supplies. The advantages for dust extraction are huge as I pointed out and it means that given a big enough single phase supply a 3 phase supply is redundant and unnecessary. I introduced Clearvue Cyclones to Australia and 99% of those run on single phase converted to 3 phase due to our grid supply being different to the US. The US has a 60hz supply where Oz has a 50hz supply and that means the motor in the US runs at 3450 rpm and in Oz the same motor runs at 2850 rpm which means the extraction is about 33% less. The VFD gives the user in Oz the ability to run the motor at whatever speed is suitable and can be instantly changed. I for instance run my Clearvue at 70hz and it will support three blast gates open at once if needed. it is possible in many cases to swap a single phase motor for three phase in many instances so the advantages of 3 phase can be used.

In Oz we have a 415v 3 phase grid supply but a Clearvue here runs at 220v 3 phase supply because our single phase grid supply is 220v so that voltage is converted to 3 phase by the VFD. it amazes me that Oneida, Clearvue and other major suppliers have not simply built a VFD into their equipment and abandoned single phase altogether though I think Oneida may have in one instance. VFD's are cheap for small motor operation, certainly way cheaper than any other alternative such as phase converters.

 

[Birdhunter]

I have been using my 2 IVAC switches for my 2 Oneida cyclones and I am very satisfied. I do wish the remotes could operate both units. I have to carry both remotes with me. I may just buy 2 more remotes, one for each end of my shop.