Dust collector bin level sensor

[@marcellemay7721]

I just wanted to leave you a comment and let you know that your wiring instructions in the description worked perfectly. I bought the exact same parts you used. The PNP version would work fine also but the wiring would be a little different. For anybody else that's watching this video; if you order the exact same parts as in this video and follow his directions ...it works just fine. I really don't think he wants to do tech support for everybody. This is an easy circuit to wire up, and his instructions are perfect.

[@CAAlvarez602]

Thanks, that's a great post. I do try to add support, but really, if you use exactly the components, it works as you said. Sometimes people will change not only the polarity of the sensor, but then also other parts, and wonder why it's not working.

[@evrlaw]

@@CAAlvarez602 I could only find the PNP version but can’t seem to make it work. Can you instruct me on how to wire the PNP sensor? thanks in advance

[@CAAlvarez602]

@@evrlaw there are a few people in the comments who have used that version and they have some notes on how to wire it to make it work. You are essentially reversing all of the negatives and positives. Have a look through the comments and if that does not answer your question, let me know, and I will try to do another diagram showing the other version. I’ll be happy to help further if that doesn’t give you the answer.

[@evrlaw]

Thank you very much. I returned the PNP and ordered an NPN and is arriving tomorrow. I will then follow your instructions and let you know. Again, thank you. We need more people like you

[@evrlaw]

I received the NPN sensor, followed the instructions (triple checked to make sure) but couldn’t get it to work. I’m frustrated. Could it be that they change the wiring requirements with each revision? I’m pulling my hair!!

[@SidKreis1]

Bought the parts for your sensor set up months ago. I had not got around to installing it and was planing boards today and stuffed my dust collection system for the last time. I stopped what I was doing and installed it. Works great. Thanks a bunch.

[@brianholmes8791]

If you buy the PNP version, it's not much harder. The positive from the transformer goes directly to the brown wire from the sensor.. The negative lead from the transformer goes to the negative on the strobe, one lead on the green light, and the blue lead on the sensor. The black lead from the sensor goes to the positive on the strobe, and the white lead from the sensor goes to the other side of the green light.

[@timzak1]

That just worked perfect for me. Followed directions from other videos and wouldn’t work correctly. Followed yours and worked perfectly. Thanks.

[@fluxcapacitr121]

Thanks so much for this, I just installed the exact same setup for about $55 in 2020. I love that I didn’t even need to consult a wiring diagram-your step-by-step wire color instructions worked perfectly. The only difference was my green light was an led and had polarity. If you order the green light off the above link, terminal X2 is positive and X1 is ground. Saved me $100 and it works perfectly. Oh yeah, throw a 1/2” to 7/16” ID oring on the sensor and it seals to the lid of the bin great.

[@alanh2077]

Excellent work! I knew there had to be a way for a DIYer to do this more economically. I ordered my parts today. Amazon suggested a two-tone alarm with the red light, so I will also have an audible alarm when my bin is full. Thanks for figuring this out!!

[@CAAlvarez602]

Sounds like a great idea. Would you share the URL for that? Also check the power specs, you *might* need a relay as the detector only supplies a very low current (100 mA).

[@alanh2077]

Sorry for the delay in responding, here is the url for the alarm.. www.amazon.com/Honeywell-WAVE-2-Two-Tone-Siren/dp/B0006BCCAE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1524079087&sr=8-1&keywords=Honeywell+WAVE-2+Two+Tone+Siren&dpID=31ADNGV7WML&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch It is the a Honeywell Wave 2 tone siren, it runs off 12VDC with a max current draw of 500mA I got a higher Amperage 12VDC power supply to power the 2 lights, (green and flashing red) as well as the siren.

[@CAAlvarez602]

Thanks. Do keep in mind that its power draw is FIVE times what the sensor is rated for. Therefore it really needs a relay. (And the light I used is slightly above the rating, but since it flashes that's not a constant draw.) When you use both, the total draw is six times the rating of the sensor.

[@alanh2077]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I finally received my red light today, but still working on my cyclone so I haven't tried to install this yet anyhow. I'll run everything through a relay so as to not overload the sensor.

[@BrentDaughertyMe]

@@alanh2077 Any luck getting the siren to work? I feel like this is more noticeable than the red light but I'm wondering how difficult it is to setup the relay.

[@jeremyspecce]

Holy crap that is the exact same sensor as the Oneida. Nice WORK! that is the only part the equation that i was missing. The lights and stuff I already have. Thank you!

[@TheNomadV]

Nice Carlos, Made this same sensor but used a $10 flashing red light with siren and 2 green lights one on each side of alarm for a total cost of $39 (was able to get the sensor for $26 on ebay) really appreciate your video!!!!!!

[@CAAlvarez602]

Awesome. Did you use a relay? All of the light/sound units I found used more power than the sensor is rated for. Do you know the power usage of the alarm? Do you have a link or model number?

[@TheNomadV]

light with siren max draw 180ma, green lights 20ma max draw+40ma since the senser is rated for 200 ma and is switched from the 180ma state to the 40ma state, so does not go beyond the rated specs. So no need for a relay, actual draw is much less and has been working admirably the items were purchased from amazon the links are as follows the light with siren was www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076J5H2W4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and the green lights were www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DH9WRLX/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@bobkubiak1549]

Thanks Carlos, your directions are PERFECT. THANKS FOR SHARING

[@JordanShowghi]

You just saved me a lot of money. Thanks. Im going to connect it to my Long Ranger starter switch.

[@markregan6772]

Just installed mine. Thanks for the detailed instructions.

[@ernestduncan6160]

Thanks works great and with the money I saved can buy an anotherH.F dust collector

[@namelessnameless3413]

excellent.... I am buying all the parts and getting to it.... Thanks for the post

[@tomgill6445]

Thank you sir!

[@namelessnameless3413]

Very cool, built as per your specs.... Works 100%

[@CAAlvarez602]

Great to hear it, thanks for the feedback!

[@jeremycarey4347]

I made mine! Thank you for the great video. I wish I could show a picture.

[@CAAlvarez602]

Glad it helped! If you put a picture on something like Imgur, you can post the link here. It won't show it directly, but people can click it to view it.

[@jeremycarey4347]

imgur.com/gYdDjiO

[@CAAlvarez602]

That's a great-looking build and attachment, thanks for the pic!

[@davidcohen2029]

What gauge wire do you recommend for wiring this setup?

[@CAAlvarez602]

It really doesn't matter, whatever you have or is convenient to work with. I probably used #18 or #20 because it would be easy to use, and I have it. There's VERY little power involved here so it just doesn't matter, electrically.

[@davidcohen2029]

@@CAAlvarez602 Thanks Carlos, this is a wonderful, albeit cheap work around, better than the original commercial version 🙂

[@patpower80085]

This worked perfectly for me, thank you. Now wondering if there is enough extra juice to power a white LED for the bin? Just to see the wood dust level through the plastic tub. Any thoughts?

[@CAAlvarez602]

That would just be a matter of the capacity of your power supply and the power need of the LED. Whatever LED unit you buy should have a rating, and your power supply has a rating. Overall, it would be hard to get a power supply that cannot do it, because LEDs use so little power. Short answer is, 99% likely.

[@patpower80085]

Thanks for confirming. Just looked at my power supply and it’s 1000ma, so I have lots of room to play around. Great DIY money saver, thank you

[@robbeaupre8110]

Great video and wiring instructions. I have a question if you can help...Assuming I can, If i wanted to add a low voltage toggle on/off switch, where would I add it? In the 12v positive or negative wire from the power supply? I bought the NPN sensor if that matters. I know I can put a switch before the power supply (@120v) but I'm designing a control box with a toggle switch for the full DC system and can piggy back off that switch. Thank you!

[@CAAlvarez602]

You can interrupt the circuit anywhere, and it will stop flowing power. The most common place to put a switch is right at the output of the power supply. But it uses a TINY amount of power, so I think it's not worth turning off. The power brick consumes almost as much power just being plugged in and not connected.

[@namelessnameless3413]

BIG THANK YOU!

[@ThePapabear2012]

Fantastic! Thank you!

[@mikekellar3899]

thanks very much

[@steverochon1620]

Do you have a video or info someplace on how you wired this? It's ingenious!

[@CAAlvarez602]

The wiring details are above in the description, you just have to click the "show more" option to read it all.

[@steverochon1620]

Great! Thanks. @@CAAlvarez602

[@marklindsay3367]

Great content!! Does this sensor allow you to adjust the sensitivity (i.e. how full the bin is) before it triggers the red strobe?

[@CAAlvarez602]

Yes, there's an adjuster on it. I just ran my hand under it until it was triggering at about 5". Seems pretty accurate once you set it.

[@marklindsay3367]

Awesome! Thanks for the reply and for sharing!

[@reidmaier9303]

Great video! However the link you provide for the Green light goes to a very small light (22 mm). Can you please provide the correct link to the light you have in the video? Thanks.

[@CAAlvarez602]

That is the light I used. It's about an inch around. The red light is much larger than the green light.

[@reidmaier9303]

@@CAAlvarez602 Ok - thanks very much for clarifying.

[@jadjohnson815]

Hi Carlos, I know you aren't technical support for this, but I was hoping you could help me figure out what's wrong with my setup. I got the PNP by mistake. I wired up everything as you outlined except I switched the white and black leads from the sensor. When not triggered, the green sensor light is on and the green light is on. When the sensor is activated, the sensor yellow light comes on, the green light goes off, but the red does nothing. I have hooked the red directly to the power and it works. Thanks for any assistance you can provide!

[@CAAlvarez602]

Try reversing the led polarity (leads). The PNP output has the reverse polarity from NPN.

[@jadjohnson815]

@@CAAlvarez602 to be clear, am I to reverse the leads on the red strobe? 99% I've tried that, but will do so again to be sure and report back. Thank you again for this great video and the assistance you've given to me and others.

[@jadjohnson815]

@@CAAlvarez602 I reversed the wires from the strobe. I connected the black wire from the strobe to solid black from the power supply and the brown wire from the sensor and attached to the positive terminal on the green led. The red wire from the strobe was connected to the white wire from the sensor with a wire nut. Still nothing out of the strobe.

[@Russeljfinch]

Thanks Carlos for a great find & video . If I was to use the sensor as a cut off switch for a power relay (eg vacuum cleaner power) so the sensor turns off the power instead of turning on a light. Would I use a pnp or npn & how would it be wired to the relay ?

[@CAAlvarez602]

The most logical thing would be to have the dust collector or vacuum on the "normally closed" side of the relay. Meaning that when the relay is NOT energized, the collection device is on. Then you'd wire the relay to the sensor in exactly the same way you wire the red light. Red light = energized relay = disconnected vacuum. Make sense? The NPN/PNP thing really isn't important in any case. It ONLY means that you either are switching on the negative or positive side of the 12v input power.

[@Russeljfinch]

Carlos Alvarez yes makes sense 😂...awesome thanks .👍

[@paulbowl]

hi im new to this so here goes im having trouble with getting the right wiring diagram for the Banner QS18VP6D ive tried numerous configurations but only getting a red light on sensor which is the correct for the detup the same as above thanks if you can help . im pulling my hair out

[@mccarthydesign1429]

Followed the directions but I'm having some trouble. Any idea why the strobe is so dim when connected to the sensor but when I just hook it up directly to the power source it's bright?

[@CAAlvarez602]

I really don't know, my only guess would be a bad sensor. It's hard to troubleshoot remotely though. Hook up a voltmeter to the output on the sensor and verify that it gives you about 12v out. Also, maybe the power source is too weak to power both the sensor and the light?

[@mccarthydesign1429]

@@CAAlvarez602 yeah that's a good idea to check the output. I have a feeling it's a bad sensor. Mine doesn't light up yellow and green like yours does. Just red when the senor trips

[@mccarthydesign1429]

@@CAAlvarez602 hmm only getting 10v out of the sensor

[@mccarthydesign1429]

@@CAAlvarez602 I'm getting 12v out of the power supply

[@CAAlvarez602]

@@mccarthydesign1429 A detail I should have mentioned is to see if you get the 12 V at the same time that the light is connected. If the voltage is low with the light connected then the load has something to do with it. So I would try a different power supply and then if that doesn’t help I would think the sensor is probably bad.

[@freitasllc5312]

Hi, Do you have a wiring diagram?

[@CAAlvarez602]

I don't, but there's a description of the four wires you have to connect in the description of the video above.

[@AlexK07010]

Hi Carlos. I Found 2 power supplies. One is output 12v 2000ma and second one is 12v 1A are these safe to use?

[@CAAlvarez602]

Both are fine to use. Having a higher current capability (the A or mA) is fine, it will only actually deliver what the circuit needs. Which is very little.

[@AlexK07010]

@@CAAlvarez602 Thank you

[@AlexK07010]

@@CAAlvarez602 got things wired but my green light and stobe both go off when triggered. Green light stays off otherwise. My sensor only has 3 wires. black, blue and brown. any ideas?

[@CAAlvarez602]

​@@AlexK07010 If you only have three wires, then it's a different sensor. The QS18VN6D has four leads. You cannot do a dual light setup with only three leads. You have to have a positive input, negative input, a warning output, and a no-warning output.

[@AlexK07010]

@@CAAlvarez602 Yep it works fine without green light after fixing up the wiring. weird packaging says QS18VN6D-801735

[@jeffreylonigro1382]

Great work! Can you list the parts or even what they are called so I can do a search for them? LOL...just click the down arrow...it’s all there. Thanks again...great video!

[@CAAlvarez602]

Haha, yeah, also read the other comments for some ideas from other people, such as a buzzer. Glad to hear the video has been helpful!

[@stevewright6675]

which wire on power adapter is the positive

[@CAAlvarez602]

I'm not familiar with your specific power adapter, so I don't know. You'll have to test with a voltmeter, or look up the specs on your power adapter.

[@jeffmartin5033]

I have a PNP version of this sensor. How do I change the polarity or rewire this to be able to use it? Thanks

[@CAAlvarez602]

Read the full description on the video, which has the wiring description. For the PNP version just reverse negative and positive connections on the sensor.

[@jeffmartin5033]

Thank you! @@CAAlvarez602

[@jeremycarey4347]

Did you ever put a relay or relays on the setup? If so, what did you use?

[@CAAlvarez602]

No, it's working fine as it is. Although the light power rating is slightly higher than the rated output of the sensor, it flashes so it effectively only runs half power overall.

[@jeremycarey4347]

Excellent. Thank you for the input and video. I only asked about the relay because of the siren that someone else used in the post. I'm still learning about relays and what they are used for. Again,, excellent video

[@CAAlvarez602]

Ah, no problem. Relays are used to "amplify" either voltage or current, or both. (Please note that's not a correct term, but makes it easier to understand.) A relay takes a low power input on its coil connections, which is an electromagnet. When you apply power, the coil forms a magnet, and pulls in the contacts. Basically it is like a remote switch, and the electromagnet causes the motion instead of a manual movement of a switch. The switched side then passes whatever power you put into the circuit side, which is typically much higher in voltage and/or current. In this case you would still only be switching 12v, but at a much higher current than what the relay needs. Here's an example of one that would be great for this job, though you do have to solder to connect to it. There may be others with spade connectors and you can then just crimp a connector onto the wire. www.amazon.com/uxcell-Mount-Power-Relay-JQC-3F/dp/B00H8S44EK

[@thelegendricky]

Need Help!! I'm ignorant when it comes to electrical stuff. I bought the exact same setup for my dust collector. I have tested the green and red lights by hooking them up separately to the power adaptor. Both lights work. The sensor is also working. I hooked everything up just as described in the description. The sensor comes on neither the red or green light is working when I first plug it up. I place my hand near the sensor and the GREEN light come on and goes off when my hand is removed. I can't get the red light to flash at all while the whole setup is hooked up. What could be the problem?

[@CAAlvarez602]

You may have the polarity reversed on that light, try reversing the wires. Also I assume you want the green on when your hand is NOT near the sensor, so that needs to move to the other sensor wire.

[@thelegendricky]

@@CAAlvarez602 Thanks for the reply. Do you mean reverse the polarity on the RED light? Yes. I want it set up like yours. The green light always on to indicate "all systems go" I want the red light to flash when the bin is full. Also I dont quite understand what you meant by "so that needs to move to the other sensor wire."

[@thelegendricky]

​@@CAAlvarez602 Sorry man. I got it working. I totally misread the directions. I didn't realize that all 3 wires ( Red from power, brown from the sensor and red from the strobe) went into one of the connectors on the green light. I got it all wired up and installed on my dust collector. It's working great! Thanks for the help anyway.

[@CAAlvarez602]

@@thelegendricky Awesome, thanks for the followup on making it work.

[@thelegendricky]

@@CAAlvarez602 Sure thing man.