How many Amps are needed to operate a "12 volt car antenna" automatic coop door?

[VallejoSheltie]

Agreed, the coop wouldn't be the problem. If the coop were near the house and it caught fire while you were away....

Probably not a problem though. I'd probably drop them in a metal bin of some sort so that if they were to start smoking they'd just die there.

 

[moetrout]

Please take a picture of your completed setup. I thought about doing this at one point and then a good friend of mine just up and gave me his auto door. It's an expensive one too! I have other coups and would like to try building my own for them one day.

 

[jimmywalt]

Please take a picture of your completed setup. I thought about doing this at one point and then a good friend of mine just up and gave me his auto door. It's an expensive one too! I have other coups and would like to try building my own for them one day.

Yes I plan to do that. I'll also post video of it working.

I'm still trying to decide if I want to go horizontal (everything is there already - track/door) or vertical. I just need to clean out the coop, climb in and try to figure out how to fashion all of this into place.

 

[joshremlin]

Has anyone done this using a 12v car battery im looking at doing that way as one I don't have electric in the coop and two I wouldn't fancey it being plugged in to 240v but im struggling getting it to work how can a ground it and do I need to coax cable to have power running through it, I can't find anywhere on the net were they have used the same aerial and a car battery.

Can anyone help?
Thanks

 

[codynewman]

Get a 6' galvanized grounding rod, a brass ground clamp, and 8-10 gauge wire. Pound the rod into an area that stays semi-moist for optimal grounding. Leave 1'-2' sticking up, and attach your ground clamp securing the negative lead to the ground rod, then run the wire to your negative pole on the battery.

 

[joshremlin]

Am I right in thinking this will work (pictured above) ? Because if I was fitting this to a car the black one is ground to the car body with the green and red being the + and -.

But would I just get away with cutting the coax antenna off ?

The +T on the timer is obviously the lived timed therefore been the switch, this would of been some much easier if I had a mains supply in the coop and wasn't nervous it was going to set on fire lol.

Thanks codynewman for the reply.

 

[joshremlin]

One more quick one these are the antennas connectors...

And the full antenna...

 

[codynewman]

I think it'll work! Let us know how it goes.

 

[jimmywalt]

Noticed someone posted in this thread.............. I just want to say that mine has been working great since July. I was worried winter weather (snow/ice) might make it hard too work, but so far it works without any problems.

 

[joshremlin]

I will do codynewman ill report back it just seems easier if you've got mains electric in the coop as you're gaurenteed a earth with the battery your not.