Consolidated Kansas

[1idwillie]

Quote:
MY BROTHER-IN-LAW "bnjmik" is 3/4 done with his coop door but he is an electrical engineer by trade
But some of the stuff he is doing to his coop is ...quite extreme but with the basis of it is an old garage door track and rollers.....put a motor, sensor,and stop switches and you got a auto door
here is a little of what he posted
Quote:

 

[KansasBoy]

Wow optics and all, man after my own heart... I can view my home security from my phone (arm/disarm even) from anywhere... Why not be able to check the chickens! Love it! I have a buddy that has something setup like this for saltwater tanks (crazy expensive)... Really can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[ChooksChick]

There's a good thread or two on here about auto doors with different motors, like car antenna motors or electric curtain motors...it's pretty interesting to read if you're a geek like me

I haven't gotten around to it yet, because I'd have change my security doors, as they all have different locks...some have a pulley guillotine-style with a 6# window weight holding it down, and that's too heavy for the motors.

There is a motor kit you can add to many doors for cheap- look for the ad on the bottom of the site- it's a banner.

 

[KansasBoy]

Quote:
Yeah I think I know which ad you're talking about... It's one of the one's I was refering to about being too expensive, I think it's like $80... And for that much it should atleast have a remote control! I've seen the car antenna one... It just think it looks bad (but maybe that coil be remedied). I'll try searching for a thread and see if I can find anything that might work out.

What I'm kinda thinking at the moment is using a doorbell inside the house by my back door and running a line out with the power line I need to run still and placing a motor system in one of those radio shack project boxes, hopefully I can find a motor (or something) in one of the threads you mentioned that will fit and work!

 

[ck_dunham]

Quote:
Yeah I think I know which ad you're talking about... It's one of the one's I was refering to about being too expensive, I think it's like $80... And for that much it should atleast have a remote control! I've seen the car antenna one... It just think it looks bad (but maybe that coil be remedied). I'll try searching for a thread and see if I can find anything that might work out.

What I'm kinda thinking at the moment is using a doorbell inside the house by my back door and running a line out with the power line I need to run still and placing a motor system in one of those radio shack project boxes, hopefully I can find a motor (or something) in one of the threads you mentioned that will fit and work!

Just a thought.

Get the door opener that works with a timer on 110vac and at walmart they sell a outdoor waterproof timer with remote that will work On/off with timer but you can turn on/off early via the remote. Down fall would be that its range is 200'. I have one in use on my water garden so I can turn on the lights if my dad wants to sit by the pond late at night.

Will this help?

 

[KansasBoy]

Possibly, but what door that works with a timer are you referring to?

 

[ck_dunham]

This is the one I was looking at ( http://www.discounthomeautomation.com/Add-A-Motor-Chicken-Coop-Motor-AAD20 ) but any coop opener that uses 120VAC can do it.

 

[KansasBoy]

Yeh that's the same one Chooks mentioned... No way the wife's going to be happy about me spending $80 for a door opener just so I can be lazy, she just got over the lift kit on the truck!

 

[ChooksChick]

You could have a pulley and a VERY LONG rope...and a window weight for a lock. I'm telling you, if the rope could go the 11 miles to my door, I'd do it. I have a couple of coops that are duplexes and tri-plexes, and the pop-doors are on ropes with a spring-loaded hinge. I pull one rope and put it on a hook to open the door, and release that one, but pull another and place it on that same hook to lock it with a strap hinge that comes up and prevents the door from raising. I'll take pics and post them later. This allows me to manage all 3 doors from one spot around the corner from the pop doors, without ever going into a singe run.

Alternatively, you could have the ropes be inside and run up the wall and across the ceiling if you did them guillotine-style. I'm making Rube Goldberg machines in my mind to make them work without power or an expensive motor...

 

[KansasBoy]

That seemed like a functional idea too... Atleast I wouldn't have to go into the run to open/close the door!