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Thread: Dust Bin Fill Gauge

  1. #1
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    Dust Bin Fill Gauge

    I had to move my DC into a different building and I have overfilled it a few times lately. I came up with a simple device that uses suction and a ping pong ball that I thought I would share. I did not find another post similar, but maybe there is. Anyway, I will see how it works in the future. I am sure I will have to clean the tube each time I empty the bin.

    Dust-BIN-Fill-Gauge.jpg

  2. #2
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    Have you tried it with a full bin yet. The negative pressure in the collection bin will be the same regardless of whether the bin is full or empty, my suspicion is that it will not work all that well.

  3. #3
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    Not yet, but I will see soon enough. You might be correct if the end of the pipe that projects down from the top of the bin into the chips does not fully plug off when bin is full.
    Last edited by Brad Shipton; 05-24-2017 at 2:56 PM.

  4. #4
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    You might add a flap or trapped pingpong ball in the bin that the dust would float up to trap the suction tube. that might be more reliable then just shavings and dust to block the tube?
    Bill

  5. #5
    Rob Payne makes a sensor to fit in neck of DC bin. It uses a light and sensor for post lights.

  6. #6
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    I extended the tube inside the bin down into the chips I currently have in the bin and the ping pong ball no longer rises so that is good. The ping pong ball fits inside the tube a bit tighter than I wanted, so I will have to wait and see if the ball drops immediately after the bin fills to plug off the tube. It is possible the vacuum may not release the ball immediately. It is just a silly test idea.

    I found the device that uses a light and sensor. The one I found did not have a long enough cable to mount inside my shop where I could see it and I do not have the shed wired up where the DC is located. I was ordering other parts from McMaster so I ordered the $15 worth of parts to give this a try.

  7. #7
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    My suspicion is if it works you have an air leak between the bin and the cyclone. My memory says that on initial start up there will be air vented from the bin but after that none unless there is an air leak.
    Chris

    Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening

  8. #8
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    There is an air leak. The bottom of the tube that houses the ball is vented. When I first hooked it up it would not work because the ball was creating a seal at the bottom of the tube. I installed a piece of mesh in the bottom of the tube and then it worked. I essentially created an open flow port that is 1/4" in diameter.

  9. #9
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    Aahh! I like that!
    Chris

    Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brad Shipton View Post
    There is an air leak. The bottom of the tube that houses the ball is vented. When I first hooked it up it would not work because the ball was creating a seal at the bottom of the tube. I installed a piece of mesh in the bottom of the tube and then it worked. I essentially created an open flow port that is 1/4" in diameter.
    Thought it was bad practice to have an air leak in the bin as it drops the separation efficiency of the cyclone (assuming your DC is cyclone based)?

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andy Giddings View Post
    Thought it was bad practice to have an air leak in the bin as it drops the separation efficiency of the cyclone (assuming your DC is cyclone based)?
    Typically, any air entering the cyclone bin, such as from a poor seal on the lid, will cause sawdust to be blown into the filters making a horrible mess.

    ClearVue sells a bin-full sensor/control (for contactor powered cyclones) that uses a couple of garage door type optical sensors. When full, it turns off the cyclone, flashes a strobe light, and sounds an audible alarm.

    JKJ

  12. #12
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    An air leak that size might not cause a real issue but then I would not be worried about it too much if it did because I vent my cyclone to atmosphere. I think it is pretty clever but that is just me because I like out of the box thinking. I have another idea, buy an elcheapo monitoring camera and mount it in the lid pointing down through a piece of perspex glued into the lid. Put a low powered LED in the bin at a set height and when the camera can't see the light the bin needs emptying. Monitor the camera on a cheap tablet and put the tablet next to the power switch for the cyclone.
    Chris

    Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening

  13. #13
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    The thread started by Ben explaining how to build a cheap version of the Oneida gauge is worth a look - easy to build, cheap and it works without causing any leaks

  14. #14
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    My DC is a Clearvue Cyclone. It is about 8yrs old now.

    Andy I know you are correct that it is not a great idea to have created a leak. I will see how much difference this makes. I am not sure I will see a lot of difference since I think the ping pong ball seals the hole once it rises to the top and seats against the barbed fitting end. That is not a perfect seal for sure, but it will reduce the amount of flow to a very small volume. I will likely add a valve at the top of the tube so I can throttle the amount of air loss. I am curious to see how well it works as the tank fills.

  15. #15
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    Interesting idea. No idea on how well itll work, but if youre interested here are the threads for building the Oneida Filter Effieciency Gauge and Bin Sensor: LINK and LINK
    If at first you don't succeed, redefine success!

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