** MOTOR OPTIONS for DIY Automatic Coop Door ???

[Trefoil]

Above about covers what I have heard. For more help go to the coops section and search for home made door openers. There have been several other good posts about this subject. I agree with you about the prices for ready made ones.

 

[nelson51740]

I am currently working on this project , I'm not real amazed by the STRING operated 3volt cordless screwdriver option, Because it can fail. I am sure not going for the "kill your food supply" guillotine style doors.

what I'm currently working with is a 7 dollar pawnshop ryobi screwgun, the motor and gear assy stays assembled when removed from the housing. MODEL HP496
I wired it to a double pole relay and to the limit switches.
THIS PART works wonderful. i have removed the screwgun trigger and the relay /switches control the foreward and reversing of the motor
2 - 1$ radio shack limit switches and a dpdt relay rated for @ 16 volts @ 9$

I chucked up a piece of all thread and some 3/8" nuts to a bracket on the door and it works beautiful.

my problems are :
*keeping the nuts in place/ but allowing them to move up and down the all thread rod. I have it rigged with zip ties and hose clamps for now. Researching bicycle chain sprocket drive now.


* i was using a 18 volt dewalt battery for the setup and testing, but its too much speed for the door, i would like it to go slower

I used an old power supply for a trigger , that plugs into the chicken coop wall plug ( photcell controlled ) for the plug, lights , and will trigger the relay to close my door.

if anyone has problems interpreting the online wiring schematics for this project
(not everyone can understand them) - email me and i would be glad to Explain how to wire the relays and switches and send pictures or details whatever helps
jnelson51740 (@) gmail.c0m

 

[falcon77]

I've tried the Chicken Coop Motor made by Add-a-motor and have had dissappointingly mixed results. I would never actually recommend it, since its inner gears are made from cheap plastic and broke very easily on one of my applications (even though I was using it with a pulley). It also lacks a safety shut off so it literally pulls itself apart if the rope becomes tangled. God forbid your chickens ever get tangled in the rope/pulley system; you'll have to eat whichever one gets strangled. May be OK as long as you use it with a pulley in a vertical application (i.e. pulling a sliding or hinged door up to open, and letting gravity do the work of closing it (rather than a spring). All the same, it is way overpriced for the lack of quality.

 

[Mouthpear]

I am interested in installing an Automatic Coop Door on my newly built Coop and I've tried to make my own auto door by using an electric CAN OPENER motor.. I didn't take into consideration that the motor doesn't have a reverse!
So, I need some help trying to figure out what other MOTOR options I can use on this system


Anyone make their own using a misc.. AC Motor from old appliances, or other electrical devices?

I thought about using a used ELECTRIC CAR WINDOW REGULATOR / MOTOR.. but priced them locally at a junk yard and they're more than $35 used !!! Crazy!

______

If anyone's done this using a very common motor then please let me know how you went about designing and putting it together.


~Thanks in advance

Well this post is 10 years old now. LOL. Was recommended by BYC to me. In any case I still like looking at other people's work on doors. So I do still comment to maybe get an update. What did you go with, how's it doing, did you make use of any of the suggestions? I think asking will still help others to see what worked and what didn't.

So update maybe? Pix?

 

[Mouthpear]

I am currently working on this project , I'm not real amazed by the STRING operated 3volt cordless screwdriver option, Because it can fail. I am sure not going for the "kill your food supply" guillotine style doors.

what I'm currently working with is a 7 dollar pawnshop ryobi screwgun, the motor and gear assy stays assembled when removed from the housing. MODEL HP496
I wired it to a double pole relay and to the limit switches.
THIS PART works wonderful. i have removed the screwgun trigger and the relay /switches control the foreward and reversing of the motor
2 - 1$ radio shack limit switches and a dpdt relay rated for @ 16 volts @ 9$

I chucked up a piece of all thread and some 3/8" nuts to a bracket on the door and it works beautiful.

my problems are :
*keeping the nuts in place/ but allowing them to move up and down the all thread rod. I have it rigged with zip ties and hose clamps for now. Researching bicycle chain sprocket drive now.


* i was using a 18 volt dewalt battery for the setup and testing, but its too much speed for the door, i would like it to go slower

I used an old power supply for a trigger , that plugs into the chicken coop wall plug ( photcell controlled ) for the plug, lights , and will trigger the relay to close my door.

if anyone has problems interpreting the online wiring schematics for this project
(not everyone can understand them) - email me and i would be glad to Explain how to wire the relays and switches and send pictures or details whatever helps
jnelson51740 (@) gmail.c0m

How is yours doing, as well?