Remote gate actuator, driveway lights, relay wiring

[wyreman]

Hey do you guys know any good tricks for wiring up column and driveway lights at a remote gate actuator. I'm going to [over]Look at a fancy residence in the hills.
:rolleyes:
Seems to me when the gate is actuated, and it is dark, the column and/or driveway lights should come on for a one shot time period, if they are not already on. This should be able to be over-rided either on or off by a toggle at the house. At least turned on, I guess off would be ok. I remember there was often a magnet in the drive to automatic open.

Any other idears, dears?

[SpiderMT]

I just wired a home with a long driveway and did exactly the same thing. I put two of those loops in the drive, one at the top, one at the bottom. Depending on the length of the driveway one controller can work with two of those loops, you have to maintain the twists in the wire for them to work. I used two controllers parallel wired to a time delay relay controlling a 4 pole contactor. Control voltage for the contactor was fed through a photocell so they only come on at night. Also fed from the photocell was a switch looped to the front door so you could turn them on and leave them on if you wanted. Worked out great, I still need to go see the driveway at night.

[wyreman]

Hey SpiderMT thanks for answering and please help me to understand what are the controllers. 8-) . I'm kinda thick, I'm sure your solution is aces. I am just not up on the material, that's why I posted.
I put two of those loops in the drive, one at the top, one at the bottom. Depending on the length of the driveway one controller can work with two of those loops, you have to maintain the twists in the wire for them to work. So the magnets are the loops, but what are the controllers?

I used two controllers parallel wired to a time delay relay controlling a 4 pole contactor.

Why did you need even a little 4p contactor? Would a little 2p Idec relay be ok too? Was a full 20A>?
Worked out great,
Now that makes it all worthwhile don't it...
thanx SpiderMT

[wyreman]

and this way we get more posts. :roll: i think we need 100 to become señor member.

[Dennis Alwon]

I did one years ago and just wired a motion sensor at the gate for the lights. No interconnection was necessary. This way the lights only came on at night.

[brantmacga]

I did one years ago and just wired a motion sensor at the gate for the lights. No interconnection was necessary. This way the lights only came on at night.


How dare you interject your simplistic ideas into what is clearly a problem that requires a rube goldberg solution.






:grin:

Motion sensor. You jackass.

[wyreman]

So the magnets are the loops, but what are the controllers?


oh the controllers must be the things that hear the magnets click....:roll:

[dbuckley]

How dare you interject your simplistic ideas into what is clearly a problem that requires a rube goldberg solution.

Absolutely! I was just thinking this is a perfect job for a micro PLC...

[saratoga1]

here is some info :
http://gatedepot.com/equipment_manuals.html
and
http://gatedepot.com/sales_accessories_loop.html
I have hooked up quite a few Sarasota Brand Loop Controllers, I have not used the above company, just looked them up for info.

[SpiderMT]

There is a good reason not to use a motion sensor where this home was. Out in the boonies there are plenty of critters moving around all night long and the homeowner didn't want the lights coming on for every deer, raccoon, skunk, coyote etc. that wander around up there to turn the lights on and off, this was the solution I came up with. I used something similar to the Reno loop detector and harness in the link provided above.

[e57]

I too have done a set of motion detectors - one at each end of a long driveway.

As well as gone full blown Rube Goldberg using aux. contacts of the gate controller, alarm contacts at garage doors, a photo cell, a timed relay, a few motion sensing contacts from a video camera system, and a Homeworks panel in the house connected to the Internet.


Contacts at the gate and garage doors trigger Homeworks while gate is open.
photo cell disabled lighting scenes during daylight
the timed relay was for the camera system
Camera system covered 3 different gates - if you walked up to one it triggered a scene at each - as well as ringing security guard. (which also had to fill a certain amount of area in the camera frame due to critters as well - but only in certain places...)
the Homeworks panel could be manipulated via Internet globally from a cafe in Paris if so desired.