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Solenoid
I used two 110V solenoids out of an icemaker, but you may want to build your lock using DC solenoids. Some of them are very strong, and your options for powering the lock in the event of a power outage are greater. Just something to think about. IMPORTANT! -- Make sure you get a continuous duty solenoid, some solenoids are only meant to be energized momentarily, which will cause a problem if you leave them energized and walk away. Read up on the various types of solenoids here.
X10 Controller
I got my X10 controller (Keychain Remote type) on eBay for about $15.00 shipped. This is a simple kit that includes the receiver/appliance module and one remote. Search for "X10 Keychain Kit" or "RC6500" on eBay to find the one I bought.
Hardware
In addition to the above, you'll need 2 return springs per solenoid used, 1/2" steel dowel rod (about $6.00 for 3'), an extension cable long enough to reach your outlet with enough to spare for some additional wiring, and possibly some bits of steel for reinforcement. Depending on what kind of connections your solenoids have, you'll probably want to get some crimp-on connectors. Solder and shrink tubing work better, but are harder to get apart if you should need to.
Optionally, you can buy a couple of magnets to mount inside the recessed mounting hole. This will help the bolt to stay extended, and make a great noise as the bolt closes.
Another improvement on my design would be to use a small hobby box as an enclosure for each solenoid. This would look a lot cleaner and keep the electrical contacts under wraps.











































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There is AC 110 power out there, and I happen to have an old icemaker that is unused. What I'd like to do is make a gate latch "popper" so I can remotely pop the gate latch, and allow a spring and gravity to pull the gate open.
This would save me one stop/trip each time I go through the gate in a vehicle, and the hundreds of dollars I would spend on a Mighty-Mule that would probably only last a few years at the most.
Where to start? Should I take apart the ice maker to find the solenoid?
I've tried googling it but most all are valves and pool supply stuff.
Thanks in advance.
My thought right now is something along the lines of this:
(\/) (Servo with gear w/ teeth)
[^^^^^^^^^] (Bolt)
and then the servo just spins the bolt... However, I doubt this is the best way.. Any other thoughts?
here's how the "diagram" will look with only one
However, be aware that using X10 (especially wireless) for security this way is a bad idea. X10 signals are simple, well-known, and published. Someone would need to know only that you are using X10 to be able to quickly gain entry. A brute force search of all 16 housecodes and the TM751's fixed unit code (1) can be completed in seconds.
I'm thinking of doing something like this for my school's Engineering Fair (if you don't mind, I can still cancel the topic)
Can anyone tell me exactly what type of solenoid is used here? Because I can't seem to find anything like it anywhere, including home depot and ebay.
If you decide to use high voltage in your project, be careful and make sure you understand what you're doing. In the time since I made this instructable I've done a lot of stuff with 110/220V AC, mostly rewiring the house we bought. I now know that it was through sheer luck that I didn't wire this wrong and cause some damage. Just make sure you understand what you're working with before you even start the project. If I could make a suggestion, find a cheapo car alarm with a keychain remote and use that to trigger as many DC solenoids as you need to. You can also integrate a solar charging circuit and really impress some people. If you do that, make sure you post it on this site so we can all see, and so I can copy your design. :0P Good luck, and let me know if I can help out.
Shawn
Shawn
Shawn
Hope to see you there.
Home Repair, Refurbishment, and New Projects
To get in, use an adaptor & an UPS.
My garage was broken into a couple of months ago. Well, I should say that my neighbor's side of the garage was broken into a couple of months ago. Someone popped the lock with some bolt cutters and rummaged around in her side, but my 1/2 of the garage was undisturbed. So, that was pretty cool...
I can now open this lock from my Blackberry, using the X10 firecracker, an open-source X10 app called Bottlerocket, and a SSH client for the Blackberry called MidpSSH. If anyone wants more information on how to do this, I'll post it.
That is all.