Air-Powered Star Trek Style Door

Air-Powered Star Trek Style Door


I always wanted a piece of Star Trek and the Disney Monorail in my house, and one thing they have in common is that they both have automatic sliding doors. It would be the perfect, most geek-ified entryway for my bedroom.

Edit:  Not every detail is included in this Instructable.  I did the best I could using pictures I had taken 4 years ago.  There are some more details on my blog if you would like to read more:  http://uiproductions.blogspot.com

To be acceptable as a permanent renovation to our house, I knew the door had to have a normal appearance, as well as be practical and maintenance free. To reduce the number of moving parts (and maybe for a little coolness factor) I decided to make the door air-powered. The air would be supplied by a small compressor and storage tank located in the attic. In order to open and close from the inside and out, the door needed a little bit of brainpower. I decided to use a small PIC microcontroller, my platform of choice still to this day. Arduino didn't exist back then.


With a rough plan in my head, I drew a quick CAD model of the door and the brackets that would connect the pistons to the door halves. I was ready to start purchasing parts.
 
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Step 1Buy Parts / Tear Out Wall

Buy Parts / Tear Out Wall
Here are some of the parts I used: 

- Craftsman 1 Gallon Air Compressor / Tank
- 32" wide, solid wood door from Home Depot (to be cut in half)
- Pocket Door Track from McMaster.com
- Two 16" stroke, 3/4" bore pneumatic pistons from McMaster.com
- A 5-way, 12V solenoid-operated valve from McMaster.com
- Various pneumatic hose, fittings, a regulator, push-on hose connectors, two valves for air supply and purge

Your parts will vary depending on your door size, your wall configuration, etc. 

Start tearing out your wall with a hammer, crowbar, or any other destructive tools you can find laying around.  This is the fun part of the project!
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151 comments
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Dec 8, 2011. 10:22 PMfarmerboyk says:
HAHA! no one EVER post comments on steps! XD :P
Dec 8, 2011. 10:21 PMfarmerboyk says:
Awesome! gotta remember this....
Nov 1, 2011. 8:46 AMWo0kiE says:
I am quite sure I will not see anything else today, or this week for that matter, that will rock near as hard as this...

thank you so much for sharing this one!
Aug 13, 2011. 8:34 PMCajundweeb says:
SWEEET! Now THAT'S how you pimp out a room. If you could sell kits to do this, you'd make a killing!
Jun 6, 2011. 3:10 PMultralegomaster5096 says:
This. Is. Awesome!
May 25, 2011. 9:41 PMacidbass says:
awesome
P.S. don't mind Dr. who he was bugging me also
May 25, 2011. 9:41 AMPolarize says:
To cool...
May 25, 2011. 7:43 AMGodOfGreen says:
I love this instructable. I love this project. Why? because it REALLY took guts, know-how and hard work for a totally selfishly motivated unique zesty custom doorway! You rock! Nothing but love from here. I custom designed and built our swimming pool, my secret laboratory, our bathrooms, and an Arizona room. I'm now building big, heavy robots in my "laboratory", and I run an algal biodiesel plant during the day. Your carpentry and compressor set up is well thought out, durable, and was even finished like a pro! Solid core wood doors? Your weren't messing around from the start!
Hats off to all your work :)
May 25, 2011. 5:48 AMgeekgrl5000 says:
OMG that is awesome!
May 24, 2011. 11:46 AMoRelyTo says:
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Yay! This is gonna be fun to make! Very freaking impressive.
Mar 4, 2011. 7:30 AMjoeezz says:
LOL all the Supermarkets in the Netherlands has it :-P
Apr 9, 2011. 9:21 PMagis68 says:
i think its not exactly the same system! they use motor not pressured air
Feb 15, 2011. 2:33 PMMcNoodle says:
about how much did this project cost
Feb 8, 2011. 1:16 PMguitarwizard94 says:
you know what would be great would be hooking up an arduino of some sort that would allow you to open it using a voice command, and I believe also that there is an instructable on knocking a certain pattern on the door to make it open. Either way would be pretty awesome... Great instructable, very inspiring haha!
Feb 8, 2011. 1:27 PMguitarwizard94 says:
I like the original way too don't get me wrong just have a habit of overcomplicating things lol
Jan 2, 2011. 3:42 PMrhino21 says:
you could also put a motion sensor near the door so that it opens automatically like the doors at the mall
Jan 13, 2011. 3:46 PMsmtgr14 says:
He would of but the door is in a hallway and a small room, the sensor would trigger when people want to pass through the doorway but it would also trigger if someone passed by or when he goes toward the door with no intention of going through the doorway.
Feb 6, 2011. 12:33 AMthirtyfivefox says:
directional passive infrared hung from over head and aimed down would cut down on a TON of false opens... just a thought...
Jan 20, 2011. 8:34 PMcrfive_0 says:
Everyone needs to quit bitching about safety. This is incredible. But more practical for a walk in closet. Imagine typing in a keypad and your closet door opening and turning the light on, of course you wouldnt want it closing behind you, but that's an easy thing to work around. Brilliant. I want to build one!
Jan 19, 2011. 11:08 PMjavipz says:
I'm a huge Star Wars fan but... this project is AWESOME!!! keep being the best trekkie over the world! ;-)
Dec 11, 2010. 6:38 PMfinbar galdeep says:
i needs a speaker so that the door can inform them that it is "its pleasure to open for them and it is its satisfaction to close again with the knowledge of a job well done"
Jan 17, 2011. 11:45 AMhintss says:
where is that from? it sounds familiar...
Jan 17, 2011. 8:48 PMnanio says:
the quote is from the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.
Dec 13, 2010. 6:40 PM_-MacGyver-_ says:
Dude! Thats Brilliant! :D
Dec 12, 2010. 8:41 AMRabidAlien says:
ROTFLMBO!!! Great idea!!
Dec 12, 2010. 4:30 PMhintss says:
and make people feel guilty for not going through*

*xkcd reference
Dec 9, 2010. 11:16 AM-=Dr.Who=- says:
This is very cool. An automatic door is always nice. There is a question of safety that comes to mind as yoguy121 brought up. What if the door were to get stuck? What if you lost power or worse, there was a fire. If you don't mind some suggestions, this may save your life or your child's.
The "return action" of the Star Trek Turbo-Lift doors didn't really have a sound to them (until much later in the series that is). So, perhaps the "return spring" method of closing isn't such a bad idea.
The thing I find dangerous is that you didn't incorporate any kind of "Manual Override" in your design. Since you're using compressed air as the actual power for the door pneumatics you wouldn't need electrical power in an emergency. Just a bypass valve in one of your access panels or add a new panel or two. One for both sides of the door, because you never know what side you're going to be on when power goes out and you need to get in (or out) of the room.
Also, if you're thinking that a battery backup will suffice to answer these issues, you're just begging for problems. Battery powered UPSs are notorious for having the battery go bad from non-use. Yes I said NON-use. Plus the power that compressor takes at start-up will just pop the weak little breaker on the UPS leaving you still stuck on one side or the other. So I wouldn't bet my life or my kids life on a $50 UPS you got at Best Buy.
This is a mechanical device and it should have a manual bypass. Seems to me that this is a no-brainer and all that's needed is a couple 1/4turn ball valves and a couple anti-reversing valves installed.
A "Neat Door" is not worth dying over because you cheaped out. In my opinion, there is never a "Good day to die".
This is very cool though. There are still other things that you could do to it. Like add an RFID system or Thumb-print scanner or freak out your friends with an Ocular or Handprint Scanner to open the door! How about Voice operated command system or just a simple contact pad (like in the grocery stores) or a short range motion detector to activate it.
Also, there is a "single ram" method to open both doors that goes hand-in-hand with the "spring return" closure, using a thin cable and a couple small pulley-type wheels. Super simple design uses only 1 air line to the ram! This would decrease the cost and complexity of the build by a factor of 4 (don't ask, it just sounds good). So, you could have done either 2 doors with the parts you now have or just saved youself from buying the second ram, the extra hosing and fittings and the time it took to install all that extra stuff.
If you're interested, PM me and I'll send you a drawing of the modification.
These are just some things to think about.
Good job with the instructable. I liked it and so did a bunch of other people!
Jan 13, 2011. 3:48 PMsmtgr14 says:
There is a manual override inside the room where the system can be shut off and the air vented so the door can be opened manually.
Dec 15, 2010. 8:18 PMyankees3142 says:
1. How do you figure a factor of 4?
2. So you actually made a drawing of a random modification to someone elses project, yet you decided to skip the video and go right to the instructions for fear of wasting time? lol
Dec 16, 2010. 1:09 AM-=Dr.Who=- says:
1. I guess you don't understand satire because I said "don't ask, it just sounds good". But if you want to get technical... There are 3 complete air lines and 1 ram that you wouldn't have to buy and install. That's 4 components. So, factor of 4, per-say.

2. I didn't make a drawing. It says "PM me and I'll send you a drawing of the modification". Meaning I could draw it up, not that I drew a picture for him.
&
"These are just some things to think about." You must not have read that last line...

And I did watch the video, after I read threw it, but all the suggestions I made are based on first-hand experience with the different technologies involved with the controls and mechanics of automated doors.
And as I said, the video wasn't all that useful. it just showed the final product in action but it didn't show the build process. But he had a lot of nice pictures that did. So watching the video first wouldn't have given me the information I was looking for.
Just because something is at the top of a page, doesn't mean you HAVE to start there. It's just a suggestion.
So thanks for trolling.
Dec 9, 2010. 8:06 PMSenKat says:
BRAVO ! You may not have said IN the 'ible about the manual release...but I DO recall a little something like, "...Check my site for ALL the details.." To paraphrase a bit :) Hey - GREAT JOB !
Dec 9, 2010. 3:27 PMpaganwonder says:
Great 'ible! Really like the "Disability" angle. Having broken more than one door by "accident" I would say- "When the flames are lickin' your a$$", even a small child can bust thru most non-secure doors.
Dec 10, 2010. 1:51 AM-=Dr.Who=- says:
Ya, we hear so many stories on the news about children in house fires busting doors down to get out that it's just old news now.
Get real, fires DO happen and kids die in them. When a child panics, they usually ball up in the fetal position.
I wasn't being glib or joking. I've run in to a burning building to drag people out then gone back in to find their child. I only did that 1 time. And I'll never do that again! The smoke almost got me.
And that's when it hit me that I could have been the one to die.
Go look at the doors again. Its a solid door with no hinges. Still think a small child could get it open? They couldn't even get near that power cut-off. It's 7ft off the ground.

Food for thought, anyway.
Dec 10, 2010. 4:25 AMSenKat says:
Dude - SERIOUSLY ? Not going to ruin this incrediblly talented 'Ible - not even to counter argue with your "salient" points...The author deserves a helluva lot more respect than that ! If I understood the time frame here - HE IS THE YOUNG KID IN THAT HOUSE ! And moved out (was it 4 years ago ?) and comes back to visit his cool door...I mean his parents ! No, "dr Who" I am not slamming, stabbing, trolling, whatever else may pop into someone's head - simply congratulate the inventor for his wonderful idea, and move on ! You "made" your point - and he covered every one of your concerns a lot more polite than some on here have done when being attacked by Sam Safety. Anyways - whatever - I think it is an awesom project, wish I had the ability to do it in my house, but I don't really wanna try mudding a wall from a powerchair...talk about ASKING for trouble !
Dec 9, 2010. 1:45 PM-=Dr.Who=- says:
I went over your instructions a few times and nowhere in it did I see a mention of a manual release nor could one be seen by any obvious means. I must not have been the only one who missed it as I saw a couple of comments about these things.
The reason I wrote so much was to make my point clearly understood. I'm glad to see it was, thanks for answering.
I just think it's kind of strange that you didn't mention these things as they would undoubtedly come in to question the first time someone else tried this and stuck in or out of the room. And I'm always looking at the safety of things in our everyday lives to see if I can improve on the original design. I'm a hobbyist inventor and I have a some experience with these types of doors. You see, I used to work on elevators. And the worst part about losing power to an elevator is that there is no manual release for the outer doors. They can be opened but I had to create the tool to do it. What a pain! But, it was part of my job and that's part what I do for a living.
So, not finding any info on releasing the door manually and your response to one commenter with the Worf quote, made me think that you totally overlooked these things. I know how these things work. You build first, then test, THEN put in safety devices. I do it all the time. it just would have been nice to have had that included in your instructions. That's all I was saying.
But you did this and took all the pictures over 4 years ago? When did you post this?
Dec 15, 2010. 8:09 PMyankees3142 says:
Elevators have been around for how long? and a device/procedure had never been created in the past to open an elevator door from the outside?
Dec 15, 2010. 8:49 PM-=Dr.Who=- says:
That's right. There's no easy way to open the outer doors when something like a power failure happens. You can lower the car to ground level but the doors are still locked closed and there is no panel you can open to release the outer doors. That's why it takes so long to get people out an elevator. Not too sure about elevators that use cables, but the hydraulic ones I've worked on were all like that.
Have you ever worked on Ben Dover Elevators or ever worked on any type of elevator for that matter?
Jan 17, 2011. 11:43 AMhintss says:
why? also, isn't there another door on top of the elevator?

wait, the outside doors are usually opened by a motor on the elevator car, right?
Nov 26, 2011. 9:02 PMDavAnt says:
Sorry to reply on such an old post, but actually, I know of elevators that have a system to open them from the outside when there is a power failure! There is a small hole in the door, usually near the top, where a key/tool can be inserted to crank the doors open by security personnel or staff.
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