My On-Off switch for my M2 24v

[jdacal]

I'm not really recommending anyone to do this as I'm still testing it, but it has over 90 hours of printing so far on my 24 volt M2 and seems to be performing like a champ to date.

Purchased this on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001Q9 ... UTF8&psc=1

Mounted the wireless transmitter with double-sided tape:

2014-09-26 15.49.08_1.jpg (179.28 KiB) Viewed 12077 times

The black box is the receiver, and its shown connected to the Kill-A-Watt:

2014-09-26 15.49.18_1.jpg (187.39 KiB) Viewed 12077 times

The Kill-A-Watt reads about 3.8 Amps max. I assume that's an average since its a switching power supply, not sure how that translates over to the AC side. Reads .2 amps with the printer idling.

The receiver unit has a relay not a solid state switching device rated at 13 amps so it seems to be handling things well.

Keep in mind that this is a 24volt M2 which may pull lower current than a 12 volt version, again not sure how that translates to the AC side since I usually work on the DC side of things.

I'm using a second unit on this super cool LED shop light that I also purchased on Amazon, puts out some awesome light:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FPP ... UTF8&psc=1

[Q*bert]

I've been using very similar remote switch on my M2 for at over a year and it works great.

[jsc]

That is a great switch, I wish I'd known about it. I bought this Belkin wireless surge protector, which is 2x the price: http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Conserve-S ... B003P2UMNK

If you don't already have a surge protector, or have a use for the extra sockets (some unswitched) and/or USB ports, it is a decent alternative.

[jdacal]

I hadn't seen that Belkin, good to know it exists though. The only thing I wish for my switch is that they would sell the transmitters separately so I could have a second one to use from far away if I need to switch it off from my desk or whatever. But I really like not having to plug in the darn printer whenever I need to switch it on or off.

[Tim]

A simple power strip works, too. Those of us who have (or had) the 12V/18V dual power supply setup need more than one socket, anyway.

[jdacal]

I was using the power strip but had a bunch of other stuff on it that I didn't want turned off, so this hit the sweet spot for me.

[jimc]

i dont know why i didnt think of this. we have a similar remote switch for our christmas lights. great tip. i like jins power strip as well. i might get one of those as i need another power strip anyway and i have the 19v m2. the strip my m2 is currently plugged into is in an area i cant easily get to so the remote thing would be great.

[jsc]

Oh, it doesn't have USB ports; I misremembered, that is my other power strip.

[Spotopolis]

I have a power strip plugged into a Belkin Wemo switch. I can control it using my smartphone, and the best part is that it works anywhere. I have two web cameras to see the printer - one is a close-up view of the print bed, the other is wide so I can see the whole machine and the filament spool.

On long prints, I can go to the grocery store and run errands, and I'm able to check on the print. If I see that the print has come off the bed or some other issue, I can turn off the Wemo switch and save my filament. For about $45, it's a pretty cool setup.

[jdacal]

I looked at the Wemo, its a nice setup. I actually placed the order with Amazon but ended up cancelling. I decided to hold off on it because they don't have a switch on the wall unit yet. At least I couldn't find one in the description. If I don't remember to bring my phone with me when I get ready to start the print job there is no way to turn it on unless I go and get the phone. I'm hoping that in their next version they'll include a button on the wall unit so that if you don't have the phone you can toggle it on-off with that switch. I remember having that same issue way back when the X-10 automation system was around. Once you connected to an X-10 module the only way to turn it on-off was with the remote, so if you didn't have the remote you'd have to start searching for it before you could turn the light on or whatever you were trying to turn on.

I was thinking of doing it with my Raspberry Pi, but same thing, it would limit me to having a browser in order to turn the printer on-off unless I add a separate circuit with a switch for a local override.

Are those Wemo cameras? Are you getting good resolution on them? My camera is kind of big I'd like to switch to a smaller one if its got good picture quality and night vision.