Turning Router Off at End of Program

[knoxdude]

I'm not quite sure what to look for in the archives, but did a few searches and came up with nothing. What I'm looking to do is rig up something to plug my router and dust collector into that will allow it to be turned off by a command at the end of my program. I often run fairly long programs (I build mandolins and guitars) and would love to be able to put a command at the end of a long program that would trigger a relay/solenoid to turn off these two items. I'm sure it's been done, but I don't have a clue as to where to start. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Lynn Dudenbostel

[gerald_d]

Lynn, a simple option is to put a switch on top of the z-slide. Put a high z-value at the end of your file and the slide will go up and hit the switch. Heath Robinson, but easy to understand and implement.

[knoxdude]

That makes sense. A friend of mine has a wooden finger mounted on his ShopBot and Z's up until the finger flips the switch on his Porter Cable router. I'm using a Milwaukee right now and the switch is on the side. Didn't think about using the Z axis for this. Would still be interested in seeing what it takes to do it from the control box. I'd think with the Z axis you'd have to be a bit careful with the mounting height of the switch and the amount of Z travel at the end of the cut.

I've been using my PRT48 since 2001 and just got moved into a new shop. Finally, I figure it's time to do a few things I've been thinking about for a long time. THis is one of them.

Thanks!
Lynn

[gerald_d]

An electronic relay connected to an output will do it, but the more competent electrical blokes around here should be able to explain more about sources/sinks....

[srwtlc]

Lynn, check your manual, there was a diagram and Radio Shack parts list for a relay that can be assembled and wired into the output switch terminals in your control box. If you don't have it, let me know and I can copy that page for you.

Your parts file commands will be like this...SO,1,1 'Router on and SO,1,0 'Router off if you hook it up to switch terminal 1.

[knoxdude]

Scott, thanks! That's what I'm looking for, My manual mentions the possibility of doing this, but stops short of giving specific instructions. As a matter of fact, it kind of discourages using a program to turn the router on and off for safety reasons... but, I'm a former safety guy from Lockheed Martin and think I can manage the safety aspects of it. If you could please copy the info for me, I'd greatly appreciate it. IF you will just e-mail me at knoxdude@charter.net, I'll send you my mailing address. I'm trying to remember if my digitizing probe is connected to switch terminal 1. I'll check after the part I'm running now is complete. What would the command look like for output switch terminal 2?

Thanks,
Lynn

[knoxdude]

Now that I look at it, SO 2 commands would probably be SO,2,0 and SO,2,1 right?

Lynn

[gerald_d]

Scott, you reminded me now why I went for a mechanical switch - that circuit (which was at the back of the Programming Manual) was susceptible to interference from other electrics and caused spurious inputs to the control board.

Here are some threads on output relays:
http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/28/12290.html
http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/27/3977.html
http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/28/778.html
http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/28/4662.html

[richards]

Controlling AC devices with your Shopbot is really easy if you use Solid State Relays (SSR), such as the SSR-240D25 from Tyco (Potter-Brumfield). The SSR is about the size of a squarish hockey-puck with four electrical connections. Two of the connections are AC, to control the AC device, i.e. router, vacuum, etc. Two of the connections are DC to turn the SSR on/off.

If you use the SSR-240D25, connect terminal 1 to the AC line (hot) side of your AC power line. Connect terminal 2 to the AC line (hot) side of the router/vacuum, etc. that you're controlling. Connect the neutral side of the router/vacuum, etc. to the neutral side of the AC line. Connect terminal 3 to the +5VDC connection on your Shopbot's control board. Connect terminal 4 to an unused output on the control board.

Assuming that you connected the SSR to output 1 on your Shopbot, when you give the command SO,1,1 you will turn on the router/vacuum (probably after pressing the START button - at least on my Alpha). You give the command SO,1,0 to turn off the router/vacuum.

It's always a good idea to put a mechanical SPST (on/off) switch between terminal 1 on the SSR and your AC line (hot) conductor. A SSR 'leaks' enough that you can sometimes get a good shock even though the SSR is OFF. By adding the SPST switch, you can turn the power off when changing cutters in the router or servicing the vacuum.

A really nice feature of the SSR-240D25 is that it has a zero-crossing detector, meaning that it turns the power on/off as the AC sine wave passes through the zero point of the wave. I once connected a 100 watt light bulb to an SSR and cycled it one second on and then one second off to see how long the bulb would last before blowing out. I finally stopped the experiment after several days when a family member said that the test was driving her nuts. (A similar test with a mechanical relay blew another bulb in less than an hour.)

(Boy, you guys are fast - three posts between the time I started writing my post and actually posting it.)

[knoxdude]

So, Mike, as I understand it, I could just put the relay AC connections in line with a powerstrip that the router and dust collector are plugged in to? In other words the neutral would just go thru from the power source to the strip, and the hot lead would go from the power source, thru the SSR to the hot lead of the powerstrip?

Thanks,
Lynn