Air Compressor

[nat_wheatley]

Here are several photos of the drill airlines with the solenoids installed:
(I had to shrink the pictures quite a bit to post them, I can e-mail them if they haven't come out clearly here.)


38096.jpg


38097.jpg


38098.jpg



Basically all that I've done is to re-route the air to the cylinder, and put a solenoid in that line. This allows the cylinder to act independantly of the drill.

The new solenoid is wired to a relay in the control box. I used the tan 'telephone wire', and was able to find a 100' roll at HD for around $10.

The final step is to modify the PostP file to signal the solenoid to open/close at the begining/end of each drill file, and to have the solenoid for the drill turn on/off before/after drilling each hole. I'm still working on this as I get a short pause between each hole, you'll notice it in the video.

When I first set this up I used a manual toggle, which eliminated the need to do any wiring. I put a prompt in the drill files that reminded me to plunge/retract the drill cylinder at the beginning/end of each file.

Here are the part numbers for both the manual toggle and the solenoid that I used:

Toggle:

62475K24
http://www.mcmaster.com

Solenoid:
2V035 1/8 24VDC

http://www.stcequipment.com/I-Solenoid-spec-2V025.htm

(Its the 2VO35, not the 2VO25)

Here are the item numbers for some of the other parts I used (also from McMaster-Carr):

5648K334 (5/32 tubing)

5111K104 (Push to connect fitting)

Look through the options for the inlet/outlet for both the toggle and the solenoid and the available fittigs, it may be that there is an easier arrangment than I've used.

Also be sure to modify all the files that involve the drill (drill offset) etc. to account for the added cylinder activity.

Let me know if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

[fmihm]

Nat --

See "Easily reduce graphic file sizes for Posting, while preserving much of their quality."

It's at:
http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/mes...tml?1232587412

[nat_wheatley]

Thanks Frank. I do definitely need a new way to do it, I'll take a look.

[bill_lumley]

Thanks Nat & Gary for the ideas here . I added a solenoid in series with the Shopbot supplied solenoid and the drill itself and changed my Post Processor with Nat's help . My drill now only operates when being plunged to drill . I also changed the fittings to the drill to standard quick connect fittings to allow easy oiling of the drill from time to time . I am now able to drill an entire sheet of cabinet parts with Shelf holes with no issues . My compressor does cycle during the run but it also catches up which it could never do before . After only a small number of holes the compressor previously would come on and stay on for the duration of my drilling and eventually fall too far behind and the drill would loose power .

I also added a heater to my shop but in retrospect this was not my main problem . Also a big contribitor in my mind to the issue was that the hose supplied to the drill was leaking at the fittings because of an improper installation at the factory . I discovered this by installing an air pressure guage at the drill assembly and noticed an abnormal pressure drop when the drill came on . With all the noise this was the only way to find this . Leaking air sounds no different than the running drill

[josh_g]

Nat - Yes, it's quite common that the air compressors will use a lot less air, therefore increasing your productivity. These are great machines...and yes, it would be a good idea to look through the options for the inlet/outlet for both the toggle and the solenoid and the available fittings.

Good luck!

Josh
http://wisconsin-auctions.com

[alister]

Finally getting around to this Drill mod and also installing Garys DustFoot.
Could someone point me to/send me the file to make this plunge?

[Gary Campbell]

Alister...
Send me an email, I have some questions for you and then I can send a file that will work.
Gary islaww(at)comcast(dot)net