Just blink!

[antonio_robateau]

Hi, all!


At my home I am installing a garage door, and I want the light at the garage door to blink when the garage door and/or motor moves.

I am looking for a simple method to make a normal light blink and cannot find one.

If I buy a standard security light that comes with a motion sensor, I know I can install the motion sensor in the motor box and connect my garage light to the security light, and whenever the motor moves the garage light will turn on for a set period of time... but it will not blink.

I want it to blink.

The only solution I have found is for me too complicated for the task... it is an ARDUINO programmable Controller with an ARDUINO Motion Sensor and an ARDUINO Relay. The ARDUINO and ARDUINO Motion Sensor would always be on, and when the garage door motor moves then the ARDUINO Controller would trigger the Relay to blink the lights on and off exactly how I would program it like in complex robotics.

But is there a simpler way just to make a light blink?

 

[Pommie]

Your question is not very clear, what are you trying to do?

One point, most motion sensors use infra red to detect movement so will only trigger if a warm body moves, I doubt a garage door will trigger it.

Mike.

 

[Les Jones]

Depending on the motor type that opens the garage door you could probably extract enough power from the circuit that drives the motor and use it to drive a NE555 timer which could then drive a small relay to flash the light. You would need to give us information an the garage door motor such as is it a PSC mains voltage motor or a low voltage PM DC motor.

Les.

 

[antonio_robateau]

Your question is not very clear, what are you trying to do?

One point, most motion sensors use infra red to detect movement so will only trigger if a warm body moves, I doubt a garage door will trigger it.

Mike.

Thanks for pointing that out! There will be only moving metal.

 

[antonio_robateau]

Depending on the motor type that opens the garage door you could probably extract enough power from the circuit that drives the motor and use it to drive a NE555 timer which could then drive a small relay to flash the light. You would need to give us information an the garage door motor such as is it a PSC mains voltage motor or a low voltage PM DC motor.

Les.

I’ll be running most of the wires from the garage to the house today, so I can inspect that. The motor area only receives 110V AC for the motor and motor controller. I do not know yet what power the actual motor receives when turning.

Your solution is workable - powering the warning light specifically when the motor turns. I CAN go that route, however, I am preferring an independently powered sensor circuit of some sort that would also activate the warning light when the garage door is manually raised or lowered by the side chain - a plus. I am not concerned with a warning light during times of rare total power failure.

 

[Pommie]

If it has to work manually as well then the only solution I can think of is limit switches. Two normally closed (NC) switches are placed at each end of the travel such that they open when the door is either fully open or fully closed. These two switches wired in series will provide a circuit when the door is in motion - automatically or manually. Micro switches seem the obvious solution.

Mike.

 

[AnalogKid]

Blink once when motion starts; blink continuously during motion, then stop; blink a short pattern then remain on steadily ? ? ? You question needs many more details.

ak

 

[Pommie]

I'm assuming it needs to flash when the door is in motion hence the limit switches. However, instead of flashing a rotating beacon could be used.

Mike.

 

[rjenkinsgb]

At my home I am installing a garage door, and I want the light at the garage door to blink when the garage door and/or motor moves.

I am looking for a simple method to make a normal light blink and cannot find one.

What make and model of garage door operator are you using?

Some have facilities for external status monitoring, or for connection an optional adapter to do that - eg. the Hormann one I have has a status interface unit available that has relay contact outputs for open & closed, which I've got connected in to my home automation system.

If yours has something like that, it would just need both relay normally closed contacts in series to drive a strobe or beacon.

 

[Pommie]

What make and model of garage door operator are you using?

Some have facilities for external status monitoring, or for connection an optional adapter to do that - eg. the Hormann one I have has a status interface unit available that has relay contact outputs for open & closed, which I've got connected in to my home automation system.

If yours has something like that, it would just need both relay normally closed contacts in series to drive a strobe or beacon.

He added the requirement that it needed to work if the door was manually opened/closed! See post #5.

Mike.

 

[rjenkinsgb]

If the manual chain is a built-in part of the drive system (rather than the manual "disconnect" on a linear track type), that should still operate the internal limits.

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

Is there any place to mount a photo-detector, rotary encoder or small magnet/hall-effect sensor?

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[antonio_robateau]

If it has to work manually as well then the only solution I can think of is limit switches. Two normally closed (NC) switches are placed at each end of the travel such that they open when the door is either fully open or fully closed. These two switches wired in series will provide a circuit when the door is in motion - automatically or manually. Micro switches seem the obvious solution.

Mike.

Hmmm... that seems to be straying away from my ideal design, where if the garage door is intentionally stopped halfway the warning light blinks forever.

 

[antonio_robateau]

UPDATE: The garage wiring is progressing (motor, new outlets, street lights, yard lights, garage door warning light 110V AC power).

My brother-in-law recommended I add a warning sound to my project. He’s into robotics (used ARDUINO a long time ago). Sounds good, although I’d rather it neither be loud nor annoying... it’s just a door/gate.

And just to be clear, this is for a street-facing vertical roller gate with horizontal bars leading to a short open driveway that ends under the roof of the house. I especially want to warn passers-by on the sidewalk and little children so that they don’t have their fingers or feet on the gate or gate rails during operation or don’t stand/walk under it when it’s coming down (my dog is doing a great job for now... but he doesn’t blink on command).

 

[Pommie]

Hmmm... that seems to be straying away from my ideal design, where if the garage door is intentionally stopped halfway the warning light blinks forever.

You never clealy state what you want it to do. The above can be read two ways. As, your ideal design flashes forever!

Mike.

 

[Les Jones]

I suggest that you give us a CLEAR exact specification of your ideal requirement. There have been many suggestions that seem to meet your original specification but you seem to have found a problem with all of them. One particular thing is not clear. does the door have to be moving to flash the light or just NOT at the fully closed or fully open positions. The fact that you have now told us that it is a roller door means an optical encoder could be fitted to the roller shaft to detect motion. (Either when driven by hand or by the motor.) This could be as simple as painting black and white stripes at some point on the shaft and mounting a reflective opto sensor close to that point on the shaft. Adding sound is not a problem. If you used the limit switch suggestion a push button could be added to cancel the alarm. It could go back to normal next time the door reached one of the limit switches.

Les.

 

[rjenkinsgb]

Hmmm... that seems to be straying away from my ideal design, where if the garage door is intentionally stopped halfway the warning light blinks forever.

It does exactly what you requested!

Use a limit switch at either end of the travel, whether internal to the door gear or add-ons, one for fully opened and one for fully closed.

You have three definite states - one or the other switch operated for open or closed, and NEITHER switch operated (so using the "normally closed" contacts) when the door is part open, between the two limits.

eg.
Use two "change over" type limit switches.

Feed power (DC positive) to the common contact of one, say the lower "closed" one.

The normally open contact from that is "closed" status,

Connect the normally open contact from that to the common of the upper "open" switch.
[Edit - you could also use that connection to feed a "door not closed" warning light in your house, so you can't forget to close it].


The normally open contact from the upper switch is "door open" status.

The normally closed is "door opening or closing" - connect that to your warning device.

The other side of the warning device & any open / closed status lights etc. go to the negative of the power supply.

Use a 12V or 24V DC via a "wall wart" or similar ready-made power unit, that has a high enough current rating to run the strobe or sounder etc.

 

[Pommie]

Hmmm... that seems to be straying away from my ideal design, where if the garage door is intentionally stopped halfway the warning light blinks forever.

Looks like rjenkingsgb read it as "your ideal design (is) where if the garage door is intentionally stopped halfway the warning light blinks forever" as your requirement. The problem is the above sentence can be read in two ways. I'm guessing you mean't the other way.

Mike.

 

[antonio_robateau]

Blink once when motion starts; blink continuously during motion, then stop; blink a short pattern then remain on steadily ? ? ? You question needs many more details.

ak

I see you are getting really granular. Okay, my idea (which I am almost ready to invest in having wired most of the yard up now) is for blinking with any motion of the garage door (ideally inside the covered roller/motor box area since shaking does not translate as motion up there. No motion, no blinking. Motor or manual motion shouldn't matter.

So, so up until your post within this thread (I am still reading) you all have pointed out a kink in my original design which is the detail that a typical motion sensor is for warm bodies to help filter out false positives, and my setup is all metal moving.

 

[antonio_robateau]

Blink once when motion starts; blink continuously during motion, then stop; blink a short pattern then remain on steadily ? ? ? You question needs many more details.

ak

For further clarification as we are about to do this, these garage door warning lights are separate from the yard lights nearer the house a few yards away that already turn on when detecting motion. So there is no need for the garage door warning lights to remain on at any time.

Immediately on the street side of the roller garage door/gate is a public pedestrian sidewalk that frequents children and nannies in the morning and evening as I am near the neighborhood public park. They practically walk up against the door as kids do. I may not see them about to pass one day when opening up to leave or come home until after the door is already all the way up or down and its too late. Of course, I'd see them when I'm driving in or out, but not when operating the vertical roller garage gate before or after necessarily.