I recently bought a Super-PID v2 to gain computer control of the router on/off. It also controls router speed, which might help my endmills last a little longer. Nice.
It has a closed-loop feedback system (it commands a certain RPM from the motor, then counts motor revolutions with a sensor, and adjusts as necessary to maintain that RPM), and the RPM sensor requires a modification to the router.
My DeWalt D26670 laminate router has no extra electronics, so it’s a pretty easy modification. I needed to pop the unit open, then paint part of the shaft white (the sensor uses light levels to determine when it’s detecting a full revolution), then mount the sensor in such a way that it detects the white area of the shaft.
The white “paint” I used was a white-ink art pen that Kristi had lying around. This was a perfect tool for the job, as it was very small and accurate and I could put the white exactly where I wanted it.
Getting the sensor mounted is a 3-step process. Step 1, I needed to mount a tube so the sensor would have a stable home. The S-PID shipped with a nice solid tube that didn’t work for me, so I cast about for a suitable alternative and landed on drinking straws. I don’t know if it will be sturdy enough, but I siliconed in a piece of straw and moved on. The next morning, the silicone was stable enough for me to work on step 2, mounting the sensor in the tube. I got the sensor placed OK, tested to make sure it was getting vastly different readings between “white” and “black” (it was full bars for white, about 1/3 bars for black, hope that’s good enough), and then more silicone to get that stuck in place.
Step 3 should be easy, but ended up being a bit tricky — putting the cover back onto the router without disturbing the sensor placement. I’d chopped a small hole in the router cover, and fed the sensor through, but when I put the router back together, suddenly the sensor wasn’t seeing the paint anymore, and I realized that it had gotten jarred loose. I went back in there, and the silicone was a total loss; I hadn’t waited long enough for it to cure. argh. So I re-siliconed, and left it to dry for the weekend. I will attempt re-assembly when I get back in town on Sunday.
I still need to figure out how to get mains power into the unit; I have a bunch of ways to get a plug attached, but not as many ways to get a receptacle. Hmm. I have really been thinking that I’d like to be able to plug/unplug things as well — I am going to work on some connectors for everything, because I hate it when I have a huge cable hanging off of something. Something along the lines of the “recessed, female” power cord outlets, like computer power supplies have. Maybe a real power outlet for the router side. And then I’d like to be able to unplug the sensor both at the router end and at the S-PID end; It’s a “standard” 3-wire connection, so I will have to think on what type of connector to use. I lean toward headphone jacks, although something with the ability to screw together could be good, maybe microphone cable. Shrug.
I will probably start by cutting the ends off an extension cord.