Here’s a project a few of you may be interested in for controlling your shop vacs, pumps and other things from your RedLine controller. It basically accepts the low current outputs from the RedLine to drive relays that control your high current devices.
I constructed this for my own use after not being able to find a commercial ready-made product that did what I wanted. I provide a step-by-step how-to, complete with detailed parts list, including sources.
Hope some of you may find it useful.
If you undertake this project, know that you’re on your own. If you kill yourself, I’m not coming to your funereal.
Ok, I read it looked it over and all I can say is, oh hell no! not me not in a million years. thanks for the info though I am sure the electricians will love doing that but me not a chance I can see myself looking down at my cold dead corpse and say Robert you knew you shouldn’t mess with that and now you are dead. lol I’ll just turn the damned Vac on with a switch lol till someone comes up with a much easier contraption that what was just proposed. Way too complicated for my nonelectrical brain. looks like it would cost a pretty penny as well. I am sure it is well done but it is way beyond my limited electrical skills.
After I ordered my Gen 2 I lamented that there is a need to devise something similar to the added control functions I’d made for my X35 and you’ve come up with it for me! Your design and implementation is top drawer……an incredibly neat and tidy package build too.
In short you do not want this, because it will not scale. It would be best to have a control panel on a computer do shop vacs, pumps, cameras, lights and other shop controls. Maybe home assistant?
If I understand what your’e saying, yes this solution may only be capable of controlling 4 outputs, but that is the maximum outputs you can control directly from the Redline controller, so scaling in that context shouldn’t be an issue.
Certainly you could build out a solution using other home automation systems that allow you amazing flexibility and depth, but if you just want to be able to control the outputs directly from a Redline screen and through gcode sent to the controller (or the RTCNC Motion controller software installed on another computer) it’s exactly the right size solution for the problem.
The relays on the board are rated at 30 amps…most of the others are rated at 20 or less. The receptacles are rated at 20 amps as is the 12ga wire. About the relays…pay attention to the coil voltage. The relays I use are 12 volt coils, so that has to match with the power supply that is also 12 volts. You can purchase relays that work with other voltages…just make sure the power supply matches the relay requirements and the relay’s current switching capacity can support the device you intend to connect it to.
The relay boards I purchased are 2 to a package ,but if you’re only going to build out 2 sockets, then you’ll only need one board, one receptacle and a single gang electrical box. You might also be able to use a smaller box for the relay board and power supply. There’s lots of options depending on your requirements. For me, I have three things to control depending on what my project is, that’s why I built it for four devices.
If you built a unit as I described, the cost would be around $150~$170 assuming you had to purchase everything listed in the parts list. Scaling down could reduce that cost significantly. Also, if you’re a handyman type, I don’t know of a handyman alive that doesn’t have a box (or several) of screws and parts left over from other home improvement projects that might “be used someday” that could be applied to this project.
Oh, one other item…yes, it could support 220v. The little power supply will work well with 220v…I use the same one in my home automation to control an electric water heater. The only other thing is you may need different receptacles.
