HardwareArduino

 

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 From:  Chris (CHRISSS)  
 To:  ANT_THOMAS      
40898.386 In reply to 40898.385 
Yup, using a nRF24L01+. Transmits between every minute and, er, 7 or 8 minutes. Depends if the temp has changed since last check.

Me
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 From:  Chris (CHRISSS)  
 To:  ALL
40898.387 
Oh no, it's gone down by 0.1V. Not bad after 3.5 months. Not sure if it would have lasted slightly longer if there wasn't a power outage the day before yesterday and the sensor was trying to send to a switched off Pi for over 24 hours.

Me
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 From:  ANT_THOMAS   
 To:  ALL
40898.388 
I'm in the process of doing some work in my loft - boarding it and opening up the loft hatch so it's much bigger.

Hatch was been made bigger today, it's massive and maybe a bit too big (nj). Gone from 35cm x 51cm to 78cm x 90cm.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to work the ladders and hatch. Motorised ladders cost an absolute fortune so I'll be going for some regular loft ladders. But a motorised hatch door seems like a reasonable possibility. The hatch will be over 3m high so that's why I like the idea of it being motorised.

I'm thinking an arduino, a motor and 433 MHz receiver (plus 433Mhz 2 button remote).

The door will be opening inwards into the attic, rather than down into the landing space. It will also be able to fall against the wall next to it, rather than open to 180 degrees flat.

Something like:
Code: 
               |
              /|
       Door  / | Wall
            /  |
           /   |
__________/    |


What would be the best sort of motor for this sort of thing? A stepper motor so I can move it a specific distance?

The hatch door will be made out of MDF and will probably be a decent weight.

A simple case of having string/rope attached to the door and winding/unwinding it around a spool?

But with it going past 90 degrees that means I'd need something to get it past the 90 degree point to shut it. That might be difficult to do all that without it slamming and/or putting a huge strain on the motor.

Or I put something in place to prevent it going past 90 degrees and maybe have an electromagnet to hold it open. 
 
Code: 
                  |
          |       |
      Door|__ Post| Wall
          |  |    |
          |  |    |
__________|__|____|


Or I just get a really long post to push it open (yj).
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 From:  graphitone  
 To:  ANT_THOMAS      
40898.389 In reply to 40898.388 
Could you have the door on the back on the ladder, like this:

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 From:  CHYRON (DSMITHHFX)  
 To:  graphitone     
40898.390 In reply to 40898.389 
Where's his helmet and safety harness?

----
"EPA plan offers all pain, no gain" – President, National Mining Association
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 From:  koswix  
 To:  ANT_THOMAS      
40898.391 In reply to 40898.388 
Windscreen wiper motor.

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          │   ──┐  ┌──   │ ▪                    
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┌─┤       └──┐  │  │  ┌──┘                      
│ │          │ ││  ││ │   ┌─┐                   
│ │          └─┼┤  └┴─┴───┘ │                   
│ │           ─┘│           │                   
│ │   ┌──────┐  └┬──────────┘                   
  │   │      │   │                              
  │   │      │   │                              
  └───┘      └───┘                              
If Feds call you and say something bad on me, it may prove what I said are truth, they are afraid of it.

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 From:  graphitone  
 To:  CHYRON (DSMITHHFX)     
40898.392 In reply to 40898.390 
Indeed, for a man who stores his dustpan upright on a shelf, he should know better... he'll have a boiler suit set aside for DIY matters, a utility belt/kilt for demanding jobs and his screws all sorted into individual compartments in a wall thinger.
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 From:  ANT_THOMAS   
 To:  koswix     
40898.393 In reply to 40898.391 
And just run it for x seconds?
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 From:  ANT_THOMAS   
 To:  graphitone     
40898.394 In reply to 40898.389 
It is a nice idea, but I think they're still too expensive, pretty tight budget.
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 From:  CHYRON (DSMITHHFX)  
 To:  graphitone     
40898.395 In reply to 40898.392 
Mine are piled in cardboard cartons -- when I remember to put them back.

----
"EPA plan offers all pain, no gain" – President, National Mining Association
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 From:  ANT_THOMAS   
 To:  ANT_THOMAS      
40898.396 In reply to 40898.393 
Or I could use a hall effect sensor or two to detect whether it is open or shut.
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 From:  graphitone  
 To:  CHYRON (DSMITHHFX)     
40898.397 In reply to 40898.395 
Mine are in an old Fairy tub. :J
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 From:  koswix  
 To:  ANT_THOMAS      
40898.398 In reply to 40898.393 
They use a mechanical linkage which reverses direction (motor runs continuously in one direction), so just install it so that turn in direction coincides with the max open position of the hatch, then add a limit switch to stop the motor when it reaches there.

They use a worm gear in the gearbox so produce substantial torque, but I've no idea if it's enough to lift a MDF door from horizontal. If there was torque figure available somewhere it's fairly trivial to work it out, though. Or just try it and see, if I doesn't work you have a spare motor for making a robot.

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          │   ──┐  ┌──   │ ▪                    
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  ┌┘      │              │ ▪                    
┌─┤       └──┐  │  │  ┌──┘                      
│ │          │ ││  ││ │   ┌─┐                   
│ │          └─┼┤  └┴─┴───┘ │                   
│ │           ─┘│           │                   
│ │   ┌──────┐  └┬──────────┘                   
  │   │      │   │                              
  │   │      │   │                              
  └───┘      └───┘                              
If Feds call you and say something bad on me, it may prove what I said are truth, they are afraid of it.

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 From:  CHYRON (DSMITHHFX)  
 To:  ANT_THOMAS      
40898.399 In reply to 40898.396 
Is it finished?

----
"Our ... approach is to create a soulless, dystopian workplace" Jeff Bezos
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 From:  ANT_THOMAS   
 To:  CHYRON (DSMITHHFX)     
40898.400 In reply to 40898.399 
Which bit?

It's half boarded and the hatch frame is in. Should get it pretty much finished tomorrow. Then I'll design some ridiculous way to open the hatch door.
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 From:  koswix  
 To:  ANT_THOMAS      
40898.401 In reply to 40898.400 
What about having a piece of hanging 'art' on the wall beside where the hatch is?

Use it as a counterweight, if you want to open the hatch then just give it a gentle tug downwards and marvel at your secret entrance skills :D

 ▪                    
             ┌────┐    ┌────┐                      
          │    │    │    │ ▪                    
          │    └────┘    │                      
          │   ──┐  ┌──   │ ▪                    
   ┌──────┤    ▪    ▪    │                      
  ┌┘      │              │ ▪                    
┌─┤       └──┐  │  │  ┌──┘                      
│ │          │ ││  ││ │   ┌─┐                   
│ │          └─┼┤  └┴─┴───┘ │                   
│ │           ─┘│           │                   
│ │   ┌──────┐  └┬──────────┘                   
  │   │      │   │                              
  │   │      │   │                              
  └───┘      └───┘                              
If Feds call you and say something bad on me, it may prove what I said are truth, they are afraid of it.
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 From:  ANT_THOMAS   
 To:  koswix     
40898.402 In reply to 40898.401 
My dad has suggested a counter-weight method too, with the weight in the attic.

It would still require the door to be pushed (at least initially), but it would make it much easier.

We've also realised that with a top opening door it may need some space for the loft ladders, unless the door actually goes within the frame rather than on top. Anyway, I've got enough MDF left over to sort that.
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 From:  CHYRON (DSMITHHFX)  
 To:  ANT_THOMAS      
40898.403 In reply to 40898.402 
Spring(s)?

----
"Our ... approach is to create a soulless, dystopian workplace" Jeff Bezos
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 From:  graphitone  
 To:  ANT_THOMAS      
40898.404 In reply to 40898.402 
Have you got any pictures of what you've done so far?

Whenever anyone's telling me about their DIY projects my mind automatically imagines an Ikea-like paradise where everything fits neatly, walls are perfectly straight, you've got all the right screws to hand and there's never a dead battery, all in a room lit by white light coming through diaphanous curtains. I don't know why, 'cos my own DIY projects are usually messy affairs covered in filler, caulk, paint, blood and much swearing.
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 From:  ANT_THOMAS   
 To:  graphitone     
40898.405 In reply to 40898.404 
My DIY project sounds very similar to yours. I've taken a few photos of the hatch progress, I'll put them up later. I'll take a photo of the finished flooring once it's done. I was going to put a camera up there and timelapse it, but it's so so filthy.

My dust mask from yesterday

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