Control panel with E stop

This was my first project. I wanted to have an E Stop control panel and came up with this. Everything was pretty straight forward except for the E Stop. The ones I found for a 20A circuit were expensive. I ended up using a low cost DC E Stop switch and connected it to an 20A AC relay. It was basic wiring from there. One switch operates the spindle, another the vacuum and the third will eventually operate the laser head when I get one.



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Nice, where did you get the metal switch holders? I have never seen those for sale here.

Glad to see that I am not the only AR person. I always dress up my wiring with velcro ties and route them so there is not a rats nest of wires. I have a label maker and label everything.

Nice looking console.

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Hi Luc, that is hand made. It’s just a heated and bent piece of plastic I screwed to two wood side I made on the Shapeoko. Pretty simple really.

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Thanks Guy, the only thing I would change are the switches. They are a nightlight version, so the light on the switch illuminates in the off position and goes off in the on positions. I thought I could reverse this but the switch is a closed unit. The alternative is to use AC indicator lights. I have them but haven’t had the time to install.

Aren’t those already attached to a switch? That’s how you mount them to your box.

If you are referring to the metal straps around the switch and outlet bodies, in the US (and other NEMA countries), those are part of the device. The strap is called the yoke, and it provides mechanical strength to the device, provides secure mounting via threaded holes for machine screws, and is required to be bonded to ground (earth ground, safety ground).

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Well here, in Canada, there is no metal at the back of the switch, it is completely plastic except for the top and bottom part where you pass the screws to attach to a box.

It doesn’t always wrap around the back, but I believe it will be there for mounting, possibly sandwiched between plastic parts of the assembly with only ears sticking out. I just looked through my stock (sample of about 40 lever and deco style, all at least commercial grade) and roughly half have the yoke wrap around.

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