Formostar - Hooking up with TMax Timer (detailed instructions with pics)

[Din]

I know there are many people on here with formostar that don't have it hooked up to a timer and want to know how to do it. It's very simple. Here are the instructions. Someone else was asking for it elsewhere and since i took the time and took pictures and disassembled the unit to help them, i figured i'd post it here as well for future reference, cuz i know it will come up again.

See the black speaker wire (use a 2wire...left/right channel) that comes in the back of the formosar unit. (top right of picture) drill hole and pass wire in to formostar) run it to the front left of the formostar inside (bottom left picture)



Closeup of it below...

disconnect the blue wire from the green clip. The clip unplugs and you unscrew the wire and remove the blue wire. Connect the blue wire to one of the speaker wire and electrical tape them together. Connect the other speaker wire to where the blue wire was plugged in (top position in the green plug) Shown below.







Run the speaker wire to your 3A timer and hook the 2wires up to the J3 CONTACT on the back of the 3A...as shown below. (bottom left corner of picture)



Make sure you change the chip to go up to 99min....chips that come with 3A timers only go up to i believe 30 or 40min MAXIMUM. The rectangle chip with the rectangular white sticker on it in the middle of the timer board shown in picture. I bought it for $30 CDN from a distributor. It goes up to 99min. I believe they are like $15-$20 US.

These are not so bad pics....from my cell phone.

[Pumpkin]

So when you do that, are you simply bypassing the electric timer inside the Formostar?
As you run the session, does the Formostar display simply remain "00" ?

[Din]

When you turn the formostar unit on, it will light up the switch but no time will display. I sent time to the tmax 61min.

When i press start on the tmax timer, the formostar timer powers up and shows 60min (default). you then have to press start on the formostar unit as well.

If you send 20min to the tmax and press start on tmax, the formostar will still show 60min.

The tmax just bypasses the power to the timer until you start it from tmax, so you can't run a session unless it's through the tmax. No stealing sessions. There is no communication in time between the unit and the tmax 3a timer.

I set 61min, this give me time to then go press the start on the formostar unit as well. Just because i want proper shut down on the formostar. When it shuts down properly, it does a loud and long beep to tell you the session is over. I don't think it does that if it stops short due to stopping it through tmax timer.

This way if an employee is not watching the timer on the computer and is cleaning a bed....they'll hear the formostar has stopped and go unwrap the customer. otherwise, customer is sitting there waiting for you.

[Pumpkin]

Got it, thanks.

I ran my T-Max to the power outlet for the Formostar unit, so in order to start the Formostar unit, you have to switch the outlet on with the T-Max before starting the Formostar. Achieves the same thing -- no stealing sessions.

[Brian Oshman]

Doing it that way will burn up the T-Max. It is not designed to handle high current. You should not run the power through it. Din's method is the way it should be done as it is interupting the control circuit in the unit and not carrying the load of the unit.

[Din]

BUMP....

a few people PM'ing me for formostar to tmax timer hookup instructions.

Here are the instructions.

Dean.