Options for electric gates

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  • drod
    Automated Home Jr Member
    • Nov 2008
    • 30

    Options for electric gates

    Hi All,

    I'm looking to install a pair of electric gates and hook them into my Cortex system. The current state of install is that I have a pair of wooden gates on order and have been looking at buying some components from The Electric Gate Shop (www.theelectricgateshop.co.uk) to complete the installation. I have power and Idranet connections running into my garage, which is about 10m from the gates, so should have no problems hooking up to my system.

    The best room for me to control the gates from would be my Kitchen. I have a DFP installed within site of the gates, so I thought it would be good to put a button on there to allow me to open/close the gates - that would give me mobile access too.

    I wanted to connect Cortex in parallel with the std. connections in case of power outages and to allow me to disconnect the device whenever I sell the house if needs be.

    Has anyone done something similar or got any good suggestions for things I should be doing or taking into account?

    Thanks, Dave
  • chris_j_hunter
    Automated Home Legend
    • Dec 2007
    • 1713

    #2
    we've done this ... will expand when back online ...

    our allowance has run out, so have to wait for the new account period to begin ... roll on B4RN !
    Our self-build - going further with HA...

    Comment

    • chris_j_hunter
      Automated Home Legend
      • Dec 2007
      • 1713

      #3
      OK ...

      our gate is single leaf - quite large, made it ourselves, mounted it on a stoop, with an Mhouse worm actuator & controller mounted onto the rear of the stoop, IR beam-break sensors mounted on the front of the stoop(s), and lamp & key-unit & an Idratek AUI unit mounted on the wall nearby, with a slate overhanging for cover ...

      the key unit works left for go & right for stop, and we wired Idratek relays across the switches, so Cortex can do what the key does, too ...

      then we have QBI buttons alongside over-looking windows, so we can look out to see what’s what & signal to Cortex to Move or Stop the gate ...

      each closure of the Move switch or relay, toggles the gate (moves or stops it), with motion reversed each time it’s moved ...

      we would have liked to use the AUI digital inputs to signal when gate open or closed but there are no outputs to allow this from the controller (it seems likely it senses current-draw to work it out), and getting weather-proof / neat end-switches onto the gate proved too difficult ...

      we also wired a relay to control power to the gate - so it can’t be operated just any time, only when we’re home, or when scheduled, or when we’ve ‘phoned Cortex to authorsie or command it ...

      obviously, involving Cortex allows coordination of gate operation with yard lights, house occupation, visitors, etc, etc ... it also makes it easy to adjust things in the light of experience & when new ideas come along, as well as take account of practical issues (eg: gate’s controller takes time to settle, when switched-on) ...

      gate controller occasionally forgets what it's all about & has to be reset - not difficult to do, but a bit of a pain if it's raining and/or we were on our way out !

      HTH

      Chris
      Last edited by chris_j_hunter; 22 February 2015, 08:25 PM.
      Our self-build - going further with HA...

      Comment

      • drod
        Automated Home Jr Member
        • Nov 2008
        • 30

        #4
        Hi Chris, Thanks for the update and apologies for the late response. That gives me a few ideas to think about and sketch out - will start that now!

        Thanks, again.

        Comment

        • ludditeal
          Automated Home Sr Member
          • Feb 2004
          • 62

          #5
          We have also automated our gates but not to quite a sophistication.
          We were happy to have the gates open when someone drives up the drive without the need for pressing a button so we have a ground loop with controller. The gate logic board has NO inputs which you put a relay from the loop controller across. We have then piggybacked this with an Idtratek relay and assigned it to various DFPs/buttons in the house. There is also a doorbell on the inside of the gate attached wired to the same controller input so that if someone has come in they can open them to get out (we have various carers coming for the MIL). The gate controller also comes with a 0v relay to switch a courtesy light via a pulsed output. We have fed this to a digitial input and cortex now e-mails us whenever the gate is opened so if we are out we know the careers are there.

          Cheers
          Allan

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