Finds: i-Socket Vacuum Automator
By Sean O'Hara
Kick-butt dust collection system: $750. Wiring: $150. Plumbing: $100. Remembering to turn it on: Priceless.
You could always leave the vacuum running continually, which is highly annoying and would shorten the life of the vacuum motor. Or, you could just give up and clean up manually. Both options suck. Literally. The iSocket connects between your wall socket and power tool. When it senses current flow to the tool outlet, it switches on the second outlet to automatically kick on your dust collection system.
After you power down the tool it keeps the system running for an additional 7–seconds to clean out the dust collector’s inlet pipe.
It works with any standard 15/20 Amp, 125 Volt outlet and can be used with any 125 Volt power tool, miter saw, sander, table saw, router – any tool that has a dust collection port.
Street Pricing starts at $29.99 on the DGC site.
i-Socket 110m [DGC Products]
August 30th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
I don’t get what this thing does. Where does it attach, and what do you do with it?
August 30th, 2006 at 11:13 pm
Sorry ’bout that. Better?
August 29th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Seems like you could use this for a lot of unintended uses. I’m not sure what yet .
October 29th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Does anyone make one of these you could put in the shop circuit box, so that several tools could trigger the vacuum system?
January 11th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
You can easily power the dust collector using one box hooked up to several different tools by using a power strip. I have done this with a similar unit for over seven years and it works fine. Problem I have is figuring out how to fire up a 110V dust collector when I turn on my 220V saws. I could rewire my collector for 220V, but don’t know if there is a “smart box” available for 220V. ‘Sides, it the 220V collector couldn’t be fired if I used one of my 110V sanders, so I guess it still boils down to manual operation.