beelzerob
Senior Member
I know there are garage door close sensors, with the big fancy magnet and metal enclosed wiring.....well, ok, that's NOT what I want (mainly the buying more stuff part). This open/close detection is primarily for my amusement, not for security specifically.
What I'd like is simply an open/close sensor (aka a closed contact). I'd like to know when the door is fully closed and when it's fully open. So I figured some kind of sensor on the top of the door, and then the fixed sensor would go at the top of the garage door frame (for closed indication) and a fixed sensor along the rail the wheel rolls in (or coming down from the ceiling) for the open indication.
So here are some of my ideas:
1) I have some spare window/door magnetic reed switches. So I could somehow affix the sensor at the correct locations and put a magnet on the garage door. The magnet would probably have to be attached to something that holds it far enough away from the door so it doesn't interfere with the door travelling.
2) I could use the metal wheel guides that hold up the garage door as the "ground", and then use something to connect wires to that ground when its at its up and down travel spots. So, even just a bare wire would work if the garage door would push all the way up against it when it hits its travel limit. It'd have to be flexible enough so that the door pushes hard against it to get a good contact, but also move back to its original position when the door leaves.
3) I could use the open and close limit switches already on the garage door opener. While those wouldn't always tell me specifically where the DOOR was (if someone has disengaged the door from the shuttle), it should be very reliable and ready to go. The question is, can I just wire my digital input wires in parallel with the garage door limit switches, and will that harm or affect anything in the opener? If not, I'm thinking this would probably be the easiest way, and it will be very rarely that the door is disengaged from the shuttle (probably only when there's a power outtage, in which case, who cares about the sensors!)
any other suggestions? I'm ok with buying stuff from radio shack if I can't find it just laying around my house, but I'd rather make do with what I've got.
What I'd like is simply an open/close sensor (aka a closed contact). I'd like to know when the door is fully closed and when it's fully open. So I figured some kind of sensor on the top of the door, and then the fixed sensor would go at the top of the garage door frame (for closed indication) and a fixed sensor along the rail the wheel rolls in (or coming down from the ceiling) for the open indication.
So here are some of my ideas:
1) I have some spare window/door magnetic reed switches. So I could somehow affix the sensor at the correct locations and put a magnet on the garage door. The magnet would probably have to be attached to something that holds it far enough away from the door so it doesn't interfere with the door travelling.
2) I could use the metal wheel guides that hold up the garage door as the "ground", and then use something to connect wires to that ground when its at its up and down travel spots. So, even just a bare wire would work if the garage door would push all the way up against it when it hits its travel limit. It'd have to be flexible enough so that the door pushes hard against it to get a good contact, but also move back to its original position when the door leaves.
3) I could use the open and close limit switches already on the garage door opener. While those wouldn't always tell me specifically where the DOOR was (if someone has disengaged the door from the shuttle), it should be very reliable and ready to go. The question is, can I just wire my digital input wires in parallel with the garage door limit switches, and will that harm or affect anything in the opener? If not, I'm thinking this would probably be the easiest way, and it will be very rarely that the door is disengaged from the shuttle (probably only when there's a power outtage, in which case, who cares about the sensors!)
any other suggestions? I'm ok with buying stuff from radio shack if I can't find it just laying around my house, but I'd rather make do with what I've got.