Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question. Updated/Resolved

[farmerbw]

I picked up one of these 110v DC remotes from Klingspor several months back and finally got around to hooking it up to my Jet 1hp DC last week and so far I'm not to pleased with it's performance. I was wondering if anyone else had one of these, post recall, models and if they were having the same performance problem I'm seeing?

I've got it plugged into a ceiling mounted 110v outlet and the base unit itself is mounted on the end of a wall cabinet not too far from where my TS currently lives. The product specs say the unit is good for a range up to 75 feet, but when I first tried it out it would only trigger when in the 10-12 foot range. I thought no big deal the battery included in the remote must just be old, so I installed a fresh 9v battery and tested it again. That had very little effect as it only allowed me to get another 2 feet or so from the base unit and normally I could only get it to trigger when in a direct sight line with the antennae. One of my thoughts when buying this was that I might be able to move the DC unit up into the attic over my garshop to free up some floor space. If it only works line of sight and won't go through the ceiling that's not going to be an option. I read through some older posts regarding these models and saw that some folks had good results with them and I even think McRabbet mentioned he had one in his basement that triggered successfully for him. I'm wondering if it's only my unit or if I'm expecting too much in regards to it's usage range?


TIA,
Brian.

 

[bobby g]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

I don't have experience with the post-recall units but lost all confidence in the product that I purchased before that, due to the poor quality. I returned it and replaced it with the "Long Ranger" and was very pleased with quality and performance. You can check it out here. http://www.amazon.com/PSI-Woodworking-Products-LR220-3-Collector/dp/B00004S9AG

HTH.

bobby g

 

[CDPeters]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

Brian - I don't have any direct experience with this unit per se, but it appears by virtue of the antenna that it is an RF unit, not optical, so line-of sight should not be an issue. Relative to RF, hear are a couple of suggestions:

1. If the base unit antenna telescopes, be sure it is fully extended. This can have a big impact on the strength of the signal the receiver is presented with.
2. Don't set the remote unit on a large slab of cast iron (table saw table) when you push the button. The proximity of a large mass of iron to the transmit antenna can completely detune it.
3. Try rotating the remote unit 90 degrees (horizontal / vertical). The polarization of the signal can also have an effect on signal strength.

I will do some more research and see if I can discover some specs on this unit which might lead me to more useful suggestions.

C.

 

[farmerbw]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

Thanks guys for the replies.

Bobby, unfortunately I'm probably past being able to return it since I wasn't able to try it out closer to the time I bought it. So I'm probably stuck with it. I saw the Long Ranger mentioned in some of the older posts as well and wish I'd seen it before I bought. I guess that's what I get for making an impulse buy while I was in the store with some leftover Christmas cash!! :no:

Chris, those are all good suggestions and unfortunately I've tried them all with no noticeable improvement. :cry_smile I've even played with the antennae angle since it swivels and didn't get any better range. Your suggestions did however remind me of one thing I hadn't tried yet. I haven't put the new battery in the second remote that came with the unit to see if it acts the same.:eusa_doh: I'll give that a try when I get home and see if maybe it's an issue with just the one remote.

Thanks again,
Brian.

 

[MarkE]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

If it is out of the warranty period, I have one more suggestion. Break open the receiver and make sure the antenna wire is securely connected to the external antenna.

 

[CDPeters]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

Good suggestion Mark - can't hurt.

One thing to remember on these things is that it is the remote unit that does all the work - i.e. it is the transmitter. Unfortunately these things likely work in the 310 MHz band. A resonant 1/4 wave antenna for 310 MHz would be a little under 10 inches long. The antenna is these small remotes is usually a circuit board trace of only about an inch or so. Add to that the transmitter likely only produces 50 to 100 milliwatts - and you have a recipe for not-so-good performance.

IR (infrared) units tend to be a bit more reliable, but then you need line-of-sight. If your DC is mounted in a separate room, you can overcome this by placing the IR receiver in a high corner of the shop and routing the low voltage control wire back to the DC relay box.

The Long Ranger devices seem to be a little better designed, but I have also heard stories of bad range problems on those units too.

 

[RayH]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

Hi Brian,

Before I broke into the remote, I'd stop by Klingspors and talk to them about the problem. My experience with them has always been good, and they may be able to help out. Their web site does not list the warranty period, but doesn't most all their stuff have at least a one year warranty?:icon_scra

Good luck,
Ray

 

[farmerbw]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

Ray, depending on what I find upon further testing that was also going to be a course of action. I'm sure they'll be more than willing to try to do something for me as seems to be most folks experience. I guess my only concern would be possibly getting another one from them and having the same issue, maybe they'd give me store credit if it's been too long for a refund. I never have any problems spending money when I go there so I'm sure that wouldn't be an issue!!! :gar-La; I guess I should dig up the receipt so I can find out when exactly I bought it and go from there.

Thanks again for all the input and I'll gladly welcome more.

Brian.

 

[tar1heel]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

I have that exact same unit. I can activate my DC from anywhere in my two car garage workshop. Have never had a problem with it.

 

[McRabbet]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

Brian,

As you read from earlier posts, I have one of these units from the 90's and it works great -- obviously they have changed it somehow. I cannot remember when I replaced the batteries in the two transmitters and yes, the received is mounted on a floor support post below my shop (I have tested mine from the main floor of my home (through 2 floors and at least 35 feet away) and it still works like a charm. I would concur with Bobby G's recommendation for a Long Ranger if you cannot get this one to work adequately.

 

[RayH]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

I guess I should dig up the receipt so I can find out when exactly I bought it and go from there.


Brian.

They have a pretty good computer system, and have been able to recover prior sales info for me. Worth a shot if you can't find the receipt.

Good luck,
Ray

 

[Ben325e]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

I've thought about dismantling an old garage door to roll my own "long ranger" My remote on my garage door works from the other end of the neighborhood every single time.

 

[junquecol]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

Just wait a couple weeks and Christmas light remotes will be available at borgs. Sometimes as cheap as $5. Add a relay with a 110 volt coil. A couple years back, I put shop air conditioner on one. Cut AC on, and went to house (50+ feet from shop. Landscaping lights lights in bushes were on. Used remote in house to turn them off. Got back to shop and AC was off. Used remote to turn AC back on, guess what else came on:rotflm:? Changed the frequency on shop unit, and problem solved. My overhead air cleaner is directly controlled by one of remotes. Been that way for years.

 

[KenOfCary]

Re: Klingspor/Shop Fox 110v DC remote question.

I have this unit from Woodcraft.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2005117/8394/110V-Remote.aspx

It works from anywhere in the shop. The only time it doesn't work is if I lay the remote down on one of the cast iron surfaces like the table saw and try to press the button without picking it up. Guess the large surface area metal just sinks the signal and doesn't let it transmit to the air.

There is both a 110 and 220 version of this one available. My DC is 110V.

- Ken.

 

[farmerbw]

So, I got out the second remote and the battery in it was completely dead. Put a new 9v battery in it and wallah, it worked from outside the garage. I even went up in the attic to the spot where the DC might get relocated and was able to activate the DC in it's spot below.:icon_thum So only one of the remotes was bad. I had some errands to run over near Klingspor so I took the entire unit with me to see what we could work out. I wasn't able to find the receipt, but that wasn't really a concern other then it meant maybe I had bought the unit longer ago than I thought.:eusa_thin So I get to Klingspor and Mike tells me I can either take a new one off the self, get a refund, or try remotes from the units in stock to see if one of those worked as well as the one I had that worked.:icon_thum:icon_thum So he hooks up the base from the unit I brought back to their grinder at the register and has me try remotes from a unit on the self. It wasn't a good sign when neither of the remotes in that box worked as well as the one I had. One of them would only activate from about 2 feet even with new batteries.:no: So we opened the last one on the self and neither of those would activate from even on top of the base.

Needless to say, at that point I decided I would take him up on the offer of a full refund at that time and he was more than happy to process the refund back to my CC.:icon_thum:icon_thum:icon_thum Mike already knew that there had also been some issues with the units and wasn't really surprised to hear the one I had had problems. Now I have to decide which route I want to take for remote DC activation.

So in the end I'm happy with the outcome and as usual Klingspor stood behind the products they sale. They've shown yet again that they're willing to do what they can to keep and earn everyone's business.:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and feedback.
Brian.

 

[farmerbw]

Just wait a couple weeks and Christmas light remotes will be available at borgs.

Bruce, the Christmas stuff has been out at the Lowe's near me since before Halloween.:rotflm::rotflm::rotflm:

I'll have to look into that solution though if they're not already sold out of them. Do they also carry the relays there or is that going to be a mail order item?

Thanks,
Brian,

 

[junquecol]

Bruce, the Christmas stuff has been out at the Lowe's near me since before Halloween.:rotflm::rotflm::rotflm:

I'll have to look into that solution though if they're not already sold out of them. Do they also carry the relays there or is that going to be a mail order item?

Thanks,
Brian,

I get relays from either Grainger, or Johnstone Supply (both supposedly wholesale only). Lowes can order what you need from Grainger

 

[McRabbet]

Here is a link to a very stout but inexpensive relay with a 120VAC coil that is designed to control a 30Amp 240 VAC source. If you wanted, you could use it to switch a 120VAC motor load as well. It just needs to be enclosed in an appropriate junction box. I use this unit with my remote outlet connected to the coil and it controls my 5HP cyclone.

 

[farmerbw]

Thanks Rob, now at least I know what one looks like and how to look them up if I decide to go that route. :icon_thum

Brian.

 

[Cato]

Late to the thread here, but I had to return my first unit as the remotes didn't work .

The replacement one they sent me has worked flawlessly, but it appears that can be a roll of the dice with this model unit.

I use mine all the time on the DC from anywhere in the shop. Course that's anywhere in 24 feet .:wsmile: