Automatic Chicken Coop door for only $5 bucks with a radio antenna from a junkyard

[jimmywalt]

Oh my gosh. I had seen a do-it-yourself set up that used a curtain timer. Dumb thing was going to cost over $100 for the motor. So I resigned myself to not having a remote pop door.
This is fantastic. Can't wait to show it to my hubby!! Particularly nice to let them get a little extra day light during the dark winter months by getting out earlier.
Thanks for sharing a fantastic idea!

You're welcome!

Yes... all those purchased doors and curtain motors are just OUTRAGEOUS prices!!! They are nailing it to everyone, and I'm frugal so making this myself fit right into my budget.

It's easy to do. I'm not creative and have no mechanical/electrical/etc skills!!! Anyone can do this!

 

[DriverMan]

Yes, you can run the motor on batteries.

Over the years there have been a number of articles on using a power antenna for a coop door opener.

In a post back in 2009 https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/136433/automatic-pop-door-opener shows this. However, another BackYardChicken post also in 2009 leads readers to another site that shows the antenna connected to a car battery and that great article shows how to configure it; http://www.nifty-stuff.com/auto-coop-door-ii-antenna.php

I built one of these automatic coop door openers myself some time ago. It worked fairly well for two years before the motor burnt out.

I want to try something else this time. I found this post and thought the idea of using weights as a motor to be more to my liking and I think this is the one I will try next.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/717940/my-diy-automatic-chicken-pop-door-opener-closer

Either idea is better than those expensive ones they sell on the Internet. Especially those over price D20 motors with plastic gears.

 

[Mehjr10]

Here Is my take on the Chicken Poop Door , two timers, two limit switches, one car window motor, one wheel (barstool top) or you can use a bar, one paint stick or connector rod, one 12v battery and a door.

When the door is down the cam or wheel is applying pressure to keep it closed, so it makes it extreamly difficult to open without raising it.

 

[Primo]

Just out of curiosity, why is that door drilled so heavily with a spade bit?? Was it to reduce the weight of the door?

 

[Mehjr10]

Yes at first i was trying to run it with a 6v battery, motor ran slower but it did not have enough juice to lift the door. So I tried to lighten the load some it helped but end up using a 12v battery, which give it enough to probably lift it before boring out the wood.

 

[basser]

That's cool ! But how does it reverse & shut ?

 

[Mehjr10]

That's cool ! But how does it reverse & shut ?

The motor turns the wheel, which has the rod/stick attached. When the attachment point rotates to the top then the door is open when the point is at the bottom the door is closed.. Limit switches stop the up and down travel. This was easier to make with what i had on hand, without having to do a reversing situation.

Add this Basically like a piston in combustion motor or a wheel set on a old steam engine.

 

[bcboy]

I like junkyards.

 

[basser]

oh, ok thats cool !

 

[Davidhalpern2]

Hi,
Thanks for sharing your wonderful invention!
I'm pretty lame when it comes to electronics so I have a question;
What tells the antenna to "retract" to open in the Am? In other words how does it know to go up and close the door in the pm and retract to open the door in the am?