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Using a motion sensor (in my garden) to trigger a door bell in the house.

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MichaelF

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Don't laugh (I'm, kidding, you can laugh). You all are infinitely smarter than I so I'm almost embarrassed to ask, but I have this lame-brain idea:

I want to use a motion-sensor outdoor light and wire it to an extension chord and place it in my garden. I would like it to trigger a door bell in the house so I know when the varmints are mowing through my garden, eating my hard-earned produce.

I don't know much, but I know this: when the motion-sensor is triggered it sends electricity to the light socket. How? I can't say. From my years building/remodeling houses, I also remember that doorbells are low-voltage. How low? I can't say for sure.

Anyway. This may well be the stupidest thing anyone has ever posted on this forum. If it is, I hope it was at least entertaining. If, however, this is something you think I could pull of and you're willing to help me pull it off, I will be your faithful friend forever.

Sincerely,
Michael who knows next to nothing in TN
 
Welcome to ETO!
For safety's sake you should use a low voltage PIR motion-sensor, such as one of these, and power it from an indoor mains adapter.
 
Thanks so much for the reply. What is a 'mains adaptor'? I really know nothing about electronics. If you have any links to resources about how all this works I'd be indebted. Thanks. And thanks for the welcome.
M
 
Since you know nothing about the hazards of electricity then stay away from it.
Why would anybody make a motion detector with enough sensitivity to detect a "varmint"?
 
The idea here Michael is to keep everything low voltage and a mains adapter in the house will afford the desired low voltage. A mains adapter can be as simple as what is commonly called a wall wort. The idea is it plugs directly into your house outlet (120 VAC) and typically outputs a low DC voltage like 12 Volts DC. The motion sensor is typically called a PIR sensor or just plain motion-sensor. This is not to say the system must be low voltage DC only to say it's a good idea in the interest of safety. My outside flood lights work off a motion sensor on house mains voltage of 120 VAC.

The problem here is I (or anyone here) could tell you to run out and buy a PIR (Passive Infra Red) motion sensor and start building a circuit. Unfortunately I don't see that going well since you have no experience building electrical/electronic circuits. In the interest of keeping this simple I would suggest a simple motion sensor from any home improvement store such as Lows or Home Depot. Here is an example from Home Depot. The merit here is it is a packaged turn key solution anyone can install and setup and it is wireless. You will need to run power to your garden area. I suggest using an outdoor approved GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt) approved outlet. Following fall harvest the thing can be relocated and used for another application or saved till next season. The idea being keeping things simple and safe.

Ron
 
Since you know nothing about the hazards of electricity then stay away from it.
Why would anybody make a motion detector with enough sensitivity to detect a "varmint"?
So the varmints quit eating your garden. Plenty of people use motion detectors around gardens which trigger devices like lights, a strobe or horn to scare animals away, like deer for example who will ravage a garden and not everyone has a fenced in garden. They make over the counter simple solutions which work just fine for those lacking an in depth working knowledge of circuit building.

Ron
 
I wouldn't say I don't know anything about "the hazards of electricity," but I know very little about electronics. I've pulled wired in houses (and torn out miles of romex). I re-wired large sections of my panel. That stuff is easy. I didn't mean to give the impression that I'm developmentally disabled. Just curious, cautious, but unafraid. Looking for help.


Since you know nothing about the hazards of electricity then stay away from it.
Why would anybody make a motion detector with enough sensitivity to detect a "varmint"?
 
Last edited:
I would suggest a simple motion sensor from any home improvement store such as Lows or Home Depot. Here is an example from Home Depot. The merit here is it is a packaged turn key solution anyone can install and setup and it is wireless.

I vote for this on that ReloadRon suggested. I have used one like it. Both units are battery operated so no wires. The one I had went Ding Dong twice when activated.
Motion detector with wireless receiver alarm
Motion sensor is IP44 protected for outdoor use
Place the alarm anywhere in your home, up to 180 ft. away
$33.80 /each
Simply identify the location that needs monitoring, insert the batteries, and position the motion sensor. The battery-operated receiver can be installed on a wall or be kept portable.
 
I sorta wanted to build something specific (motion sensor outside which triggers bell inside). There is a GFCI (for which I ran the wire and installed) on the exterior of the house which is about 20' from where I want to put the motion sensor. Just looking for help. If there are liability issues with giving advice to neophytes, I totally understand. I'm a carpenter. I simply don't know how to accomplish this. That's why I asked.



The idea here Michael is to keep everything low voltage and a mains adapter in the house will afford the desired low voltage. A mains adapter can be as simple as what is commonly called a wall wort. The idea is it plugs directly into your house outlet (120 VAC) and typically outputs a low DC voltage like 12 Volts DC. The motion sensor is typically called a PIR sensor or just plain motion-sensor. This is not to say the system must be low voltage DC only to say it's a good idea in the interest of safety. My outside flood lights work off a motion sensor on house mains voltage of 120 VAC.

The problem here is I (or anyone here) could tell you to run out and buy a PIR (Passive Infra Red) motion sensor and start building a circuit. Unfortunately I don't see that going well since you have no experience building electrical/electronic circuits. In the interest of keeping this simple I would suggest a simple motion sensor from any home improvement store such as Lows or Home Depot. Here is an example from Home Depot. The merit here is it is a packaged turn key solution anyone can install and setup and it is wireless. You will need to run power to your garden area. I suggest using an outdoor approved GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt) approved outlet. Following fall harvest the thing can be relocated and used for another application or saved till next season. The idea being keeping things simple and safe.

Ron
 
Clyde and Ron. Thanks. That sounds like the simplest, most cost-effective solution. Thanks also for not using my confession of ignorance as an opportunity to insult me. Also, Ron was right on the money. Two bucks came in and cleared out my tomatoes in about 15 minutes. There is also a groundhog which I look forward to relocating underground. If a bell would only ring when they are out there, I could do get busy dissuading them.


I vote for this on that ReloadRon suggested. I have used one like it. Both units are battery operated so no wires. The one I had went Ding Dong twice when activated.
Motion detector with wireless receiver alarm
Motion sensor is IP44 protected for outdoor use
Place the alarm anywhere in your home, up to 180 ft. away
$33.80 /each
Simply identify the location that needs monitoring, insert the batteries, and position the motion sensor. The battery-operated receiver can be installed on a wall or be kept portable.
 
No Michael, no liability issues. If you want to "roll your own" there are sensors out there like this one from Parrllax. PIR sensors like this can relatively easily be combined with uC (micro-controllers) available from Arduino for example. What I am trying to do is avoid having to fabricate a circuit board and solder a pile of components together. This was why initially suggested a pre packaged simple turn key solution from a home improvement store. What you need is a sensor which will offer enough sensitivity and range to get data (output a signal) and a means to process that data and make it useful.

For example the PIR Sensor (#555-28027) Data Sheet pretty much explains the sensor. The sensor outputs a logic High when it detects something.
The PIR (Passive Infra-Red) Sensor is a pyroelectric device that detects motion by sensing changes in the infrared (radiant heat) levels emitted by surrounding objects. This motion can be detected by checking for a sudden change in the surrounding IR pattern. When motion is detected the PIR sensor outputs a high signal on its output pin. This logic signal can be read by a microcontroller or used to drive an external load; see the source current limits in the features list below.

That logic signal could drive a micro-controller or be as simple as driving a simple transistor to switch a load on. The load could be a bell or buzzer, any alarm of your choosing. The actual sensor is powered by 3 to 6 VDC which could be provided by the wall wort we mentioned earlier. The amplified return signal could be run using some everyday bell wire to an alarm in the house. Matter of fact a 12 Volt wall wort could drive a 7805 voltage regulator to power the PIR on 5 VDC. The PIR could output to a switching transistor like a 2N2222 which can handle an 800 mA load intermittently, like a bell or alarm device. I believe by now you can see there are several ways to go about doing this.

Finally as a retired electrical engineering type my fetish and hobby is guns. I simply enjoy long range shooting and be it paper or varmint I will shoot it. :)

Ron
 
I live 30 miles south of YOU in Murfreesboro TN. I put a radio in the garden it keeps all the critters away. Turn it on a talk radio station and let it play 24 hours a day. It keeps squirrels out in the day and deer out at night. I use to have a cat that kept every thing away she died at age 14 first week of June. Radio works good.

I tried a motion detector many years ago it only works if the animals get in front of it to set it off. If motion detector is on 1 side of the corn patch and deer are on the other side the alarm never goes off. Radio is so simple don't mess around with a motion detector.
 
I sorta wanted to build something specific (motion sensor outside which triggers bell inside).
A friend recently got very enthused about Practical Electronics for Inventors and recommended it. My first was the Radio Shack book "Getting started in Electronics" by Forrest M. Mims III. Most of the content is here:
Index of Engineers Mini Notebooks
https://thelukens.net/science/electronics/Engineer's Mini-Notebooks/

Look through those and see if anything stirs your imagination.
 
I really appreciate you all helping me out. Ron, thanks for the turnkey solution. That's where I'm starting. BTW, if you get a bigger magazine you won't have to reload as often. Clyde, I ordered the book you recommended. I appreciate it. Thank you. Gary, I'm gonna try it. Maybe these Mid-TN groundhogs hate talk radio. Peace, ya'll.
 
BTW, if you get a bigger magazine you won't have to reload as often.
:) It's all about getting the shot right the first time. :)

Thanks
Ron
 
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