Overfilled My Cyclone Barrel

Would you like a relatively inexpensive approach to not having that problem? I put a Magnehelic on mine. This is a pressure/vacuum gauge (hooked up for pressure in my application) that simply displays a reading that indicates whether you have good air flow. In my case I put it on to gauge when my filter needs cleaning. By definition that also shows when the filter is getting clogged. I bought the gauge for about $25 off e-bay, it included everything needed to hook up except the plywood frame (see pic). Installation is little more than drilling a hole in the outlet plenum (just ahead of the filter) and screwing the NPT bunge in that comes with the gauge. That bunge connects to the high pressure port (as opposed to the low pressure port) on the gauge with a piece of 1/4" tubing. See what it reads while the machine is running, then watch for it to climb. An increasing reading indicates restricted air flow; ie: a filter clogging. For me, it also told me when I could no longer get my filter clean enough for optimum performance, and I replaced it. Anyway, if you choose to do this, I suggest a gauge that reads between 0-10" of water. I tried a smaller one (0-4") and had so much needle bounce that it was very hard to see changes. In the pic, you can see the tube I mentioned curling around the DC discharge.

As someone else suggested, this is a poor way to determine when dust bin is full as it won't read until after filters start clogging. Planer chips can fill a filter very fast if the barrel fill, and you have to have the magnehelic mounted where it is visible in the shop. My dust collector is in the basement under my shop so cannot be seen.
 
I'll need to percolate on this a bit.

Hmm, instead of putting something in the bin, and given that you don't like to have your bin too heavy, I wonder how hard it would be to come up with a weight-related switch. Put the bin on top of some kind of a scale that trips a switch once it gets to a certain weight?
 
Hmm, instead of putting something in the bin, and given that you don't like to have your bin too heavy, I wonder how hard it would be to come up with a weight-related switch. Put the bin on top of some kind of a scale that trips a switch once it gets to a certain weight?

Pine chips from the planer, and mdf dust or maple planer chips have a great discrepancy in weight. the sensor I have weighs a lb or so. Not enough to notice. if you mount it to the lid you will never notice the weight.
 
for anyone questioning my motives, yeah, I signed up to sell these, but at the same time, i want to sell them for the purpose I use them for as I found it extremely frustrating to overfill the bin. this is the best, most reliable method I have found, and it's dead simple to install and customize to whatever you want it to do. if you know just a little bit about electrical circuits you can set this up very easily. I bought six at once from a surplus deal and kept two for myself.

It's expensive to buy these at retail so I figured there wer some woodworkers out there looking for a deal like I was.

Here are a couple pics of the controls for the automation as well as the homemade blast gates. They have pneumatic actuators. blast gate open.jpgblast gate closed.jpgcontrol panel.jpg
 
It seems that a laser beam and a sensor would only require two small holes....
I am pretty sure even with heavy material pick up there would be enough light passing thru. Simple LED diodes might work but a pointer laser would have enough power to cut thru the dust and chips. I don't have any data and use clear bags so it isn't an issue for me.
 
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Welcome Tom and thanks for all your posts. Just for you to be aware we do have a section for goods like this for sale. You may have been better recieved had u posted the items for sale there and then discussed them in the thread. But now you know.

I read about this kind of detector many years ago when i was first researching buying a cyclone. I think its one of the best solutions especially for the material we trying to measure in the bin. At $60 i would jump on one if i still had my dust collector.

You might do a bit of explaining how it works and exactly where you mount it etc.

Glenn give this serious thought. From my past reading they really work.

sent from s4
 
Welcome Tom and thanks for all your posts. Just for you to be aware we do have a section for goods like this for sale. You may have been better recieved had u posted the items for sale there and then discussed them in the thread. But now you know.

I read about this kind of detector many years ago when i was first researching buying a cyclone. I think its one of the best solutions especially for the material we trying to measure in the bin. At $60 i would jump on one if i still had my dust collector.

You might do a bit of explaining how it works and exactly where you mount it etc.

Glenn give this serious thought. From my past reading they really work.

sent from s4
I understand. It's a pretty specific item and I thought it could help him. I guess when I say I only signed up to sell these that's not really a fair statement. I saw the thread about it and had a good solution available so signed up. I just happen to have four. I certainly am not here to get rich off it, lol.

As far as how it works, the bindicator spec sheet and website may do a better job, but here is a rough idea.
It extends a few inches past the mounting surface. All you need to power it is a 110 plug and wire to power it, and it makes or breaks a set of switch contacts when it senses enough debris. Has a slow moving paddle in the bin, when the dust covers the paddle enough to slow it down it makes (or breaks) a switch. It has a normally open or normally closed contact. Contact ratings are enough that you could run a light build circuit directly through it.
 
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