Blinking Light to Notify Resting Machine

[Austin Shafer]

Hello all,

It has been a while since I have been on this forum but I remember a while back seeing somebody say they had installed a buzzer or light of some sort to notify the machine has finished its current run. I can't seem to find the thread so I figured I would ask. We have two shopbots and I would love to have a strobe light for each machine that would come on when the machine has finished its run. We have a very large shop and we are very very busy so we all bounce around everywhere, it would be nice to be able to just look and see a blinking light to let us know we need to change the sheet or bit. I am thinking it will have something to do with the spindle control, Any ideas?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Martin Reid]

Dear Austin

No doubt someone will remember the post.

Just as an aside Gary Campbell posted this video to keep us on our toes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2xoxPlDnW4

Sincerely
Martin

[EricSchimel]

I have these:

https://goo.gl/photos/L1m3NugY1ZQyQDLe9

I just followed an Arduino Neopixel tutorial and wired them up. I've got them triggered by the spindle output. When the tool is in motion they flash red, at rest they are blue. I love them because they look cool, but it's also very easy for me to tell with hearing protection on if the machine is done or not.

[genek]

First guys you should never leave a cnc running with out being in the room with it. Even with hearing protection I can tell when something is not right. Second could not believe the condition of the shops????? My insurance company would cancel me in a heart beat. We have 6 inspection each year. I have no clue when they are going to show up. We just had an inspection this week. I got gigged because of five extinguisher one fire extinguisher was out of date, not empty but past its expiration date. I had two hours to have it replaced. the inspector stayed there till I went and purchased one. we had to shut down all production till then. We have a 5hp dust collection system hooked up to our cnc and other equipment. We have two shop vacuums, as soon as a job is done and before the next one starts we vacuum the floor and all equipment. At no time is there very much on our floors or equipment. We are required to keep a cleaning log, where we blow out the outlets and all electrical boxes blow down the whole shop and clear all hanging dust particles.. one five gallon bucket of saw dust with a slight breeze and a open flame can produce an explosion equal to 2 sticks of explosives. We have garbage cans at each station. Guys this is your equipment take care of it and keep your shop clean.. Fires do not worry me. the explosion that can occur you can not out run, the concussion is deadly.

[EricSchimel]

I don't think either one of us said that we were going to run away to lunch with the machines running. I certainly don't. I just like the visual indicator as I'm working around doing other things while it's running.

[Gary Campbell]

I have pictures of a machine and shop of an operator that did just that. The damage to the adjoining leaseholds were in the tens of thousands.

[JimmyD]

Eric,. If you're willing to share any further information on your setup I would be very interested in utilizing it.

I promise to only use it while I am standing near the machine sweeping, vacuuming and blowing all the dust around my shop.

Thanks,
Jim

[EricSchimel]

Check out this guide:

https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neopixel-uberguide/neopixel-strips

I have a relay board on my machine and I just hooked one of the inputs on the arduino board to it so that the arduino knows when the machine is in motion. If you look up the ShopBot docs for the relay board there are actually instructions for hooking up a light in them. Just substitute the light for the arduino board.

[mark_stief]

Also if you get that much sawdust laying or blowing around you need a bigger dust collector I don't get a five gallon pail on the floor after cutting 2000-3000bd ft up for mouldings but I do run a collector that moves 8000cfm too

[genek]

I have pictures of a machine and shop of an operator that did just that. The damage to the adjoining leaseholds were in the tens of thousands.

Gary you should post the pictures.

[tri4sale]

I have pictures of a machine and shop of an operator that did just that. The damage to the adjoining leaseholds were in the tens of thousands.

and it doesn't even take much fire to do that, just some smoke and water to put out the fire can cause many thousands of dollars in damage. I'd rather not say how I know :) but it wasn't from leaving a CNC unattended.

[genek]

go here and watch a saw dust explosion...https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-mozilla-004&hsimp=yhs-004&hspart=mozilla&p=sawdust+explosion#action=view&id=16&vid=41a689f00d84c86bf9adafd653d83408

[Austin Shafer]

I do not think a saw dust explosion would be my problem seeing that we only cut HDPE and only work with PLASTICS in our shop. Plus there is a good 20 employees in our shop at all times so nothing could be any worse than if the CNC guy went to the bathroom with it running. The CNC's are in a high traffic area in an open shop, there is just a couple of corners where if the CNC operator walked the machines would not be in sight. I understand that wood is way different than plastic and I would never leave the machines cutting wood unattended but being able to clean some finished parts on the other side of the shop while they are engraving some HDPE signboard would be fantastic.

[Brady Watson]

Guys please!!! Don't even LOOK at your machine!!!

Whatever you do, just don't!!!

It will BLOW UP if you turn your back for even a SPLIT SECOND!!!

Holy stromboli...:p

[genek]

I do not think a saw dust explosion would be my problem seeing that we only cut HDPE and only work with PLASTICS in our shop. Plus there is a good 20 employees in our shop at all times so nothing could be any worse than if the CNC guy went to the bathroom with it running. The CNC's are in a high traffic area in an open shop, there is just a couple of corners where if the CNC operator walked the machines would not be in sight. I understand that wood is way different than plastic and I would never leave the machines cutting wood unattended but being able to clean some finished parts on the other side of the shop while they are engraving some HDPE signboard would be fantastic.
Dust is dust, even metal dust is explosive. Plastic dust is just as explosive as wood dust. All dust is and can cause a major explosive.

[EricSchimel]

Agreed Brady! If you do, this will happen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKqd27h7KjM&feature=youtu.be&t=5

:)

[khaos]

If you have a relay board installed just wire a buzzer/light/siren/nuke launch ;) in to it just like we do with the vacume, drill and some router setups. Easy Peasy.

I got this source tip from Brady years ago after I pulled the trigger on the one from SB. Just checked it and its still good. Winford Engineering (http://www.winford.com/products/cat_rly.php) way less than I paid. Mine has been working for 11 years, so the money was not wasted.

[mark_stief]

Jeeezz Gene take a deep breath and calm down just a little we're not letting them run unattended all week by themselves