Coolant Level

[Mooser]

So far...so good... (famous last words)
Coolant level indicator appears to be working well. (old method of listening for the pump to start to moan and the coolant stream stop just long enough to fry a cutter just wasn't working out very well for those of us who forget when we topped it up last.)

Added a simple circuit board to the tank, a few LED's to the panel and a power supply and now we've at least got a sense of where the level is.
Crude but it works
Mooser

(Still need to work an oil skimmer into here somewhere, maybe next project when there's some downtime)

[Mooser]

Factory tank (delux stand), which isn't actually a bad size, as long as you don't let it get too low
Mooser

[impact]

Nice job. Handy failsafe.

[LENS_CAD]

Hi Mooser,

That looks great! How is it working? I'd like to make one too.

What kind of level sensor is that and what did your circuit board involve? Is it connected to power from the machine or is it battery powered?

Regards,
Len <><

[howecnc]

What are the chances of you selling those as a kit with installation instructions?

[Mooser]

System works for what I wanted, my tank (stock) is hard to get at (have to move the rack with all of the vises and tooling and whatnot to get down that side) And I hated being in the middle of a cycle when the pump starts cavitation and I have to baby sit it through the rest of the cycle until I can go mix up some more. Just wanted a simple low-mid-good-high indicator to see where about it was.

I've just actually changed the "in-tank" panel a little to deal with the coolant "scumming" over on it. Other than that it works perfect.

Talking with Greg it seemed that there wasn't really any extra power within the PCNC. to take a 5vdc tap off anywhere, so I just used a small 5vdc transformer (wall wart type) and tapped into the switched computer outlet within the cabinet so it comes on with the machine.

The circuit was fairly straight forward, checking for continuity at different levels on the panel in the tank and then through some simple amplifiers and logic gates to trigger the LED's. This mill goes unused for days, (well weeks right now) and the coolant began to scum over and would give false readings for the level. I think I've fixed that now. Should know in a couple of weeks.

Never really thought of making another one... Suppose I could put together a small kit if there was enough interest...

Anyways, I'll let you know how the new tank sensor works out in a bit.
Mooser

Originally Posted by LENS_CAD Hi Mooser, That looks great! How is it working? I'd like to make one too. What kind of level sensor is that and what did your circuit board involve? Is it connected to power from the machine or is it battery powered? Regards, Len <><

[LENS_CAD]

Thanks Mooser. I'll stay tuned for the results.

I don't have any experience with electronic design so it would be a challenge for me to put the required circuitry together. Does the sensor work simply by conducting current through the coolant?

As time goes by, I notice my coolant seem to get more concentrated due to evaporation (it's dry here in Calgary). So I just add a gallon or two of water to the drip tray from time to time. I recently obtained a refractometer to check the mix. By the way, I haven't had any leaks so far.

Len <><