Homemade Batt Latch problem

[JohnGalway]

Hi folks,

I have no idea if there's a correct forum for this or not but I'm attempting to make a home made batt latch. I'm using a 12v battery, programmable timer and car door lock actuator. The timer works in 1 minute increments so the minimum time (that I'm aware of) that the power is switched on for is one minute. When power goes to the actuator the cylinder on the side gets very hot, there's a noticeable smell indoors also.

I'm blaming the 1 minute power on aspect but in reality I don't know what's the cause. Anyone electrically minded here shed some light on this?

 

[steveR]

Hi folks,

I have no idea if there's a correct forum for this or not but I'm attempting to make a home made batt latch. I'm using a 12v battery, programmable timer and car door lock actuator. The timer works in 1 minute increments so the minimum time (that I'm aware of) that the power is switched on for is one minute. When power goes to the actuator the cylinder on the side gets very hot, there's a noticeable smell indoors also.

I'm blaming the 1 minute power on aspect but in reality I don't know what's the cause. Anyone electrically minded here shed some light on this?

Could you use a relay to kill the power once the actuator had clicked?

 

[JohnGalway]

Could you use a relay to kill the power once the actuator had clicked?

Could you link to something Steve or explain a bit further, I'm not electrically minded

Elsewhere someone suggested a pulse relay, same thing?

 

[steveR]

An alternative?

12V Electronic Latch Lock Catch Door Gate Electric Release Assembly Solenoid UK | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 12V Electronic Latch Lock Catch Door Gate Electric Release Assembly Solenoid UK at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[steveR]

Could you link to something Steve or explain a bit further, I'm not electrically minded

Elsewhere someone suggested a pulse relay, same thing?

Simply put, you have your 12v supply to the actuator running through the relay, when the timer turns |On| , the setup sends 12v to the actuator... and if you use a relay the same supply going to teh actuator can "trigger" the relay, to disconnect the supply from the battery supply to the actuator, by which time the bat-latch will have done it's job.... So no overheating of the actuator as there is no power going to it.

Just looking at other actuators, 2 solenoid types on fleabay mention "Kindly Notelease don't power for a long time.Just about seconds!" I suspect teh car units are the same?

 

[JohnGalway]

Simply put, you have your 12v supply to the actuator running through the relay, when the timer turns |On| , the setup sends 12v to the actuator... and if you use a relay the same supply going to teh actuator can "trigger" the relay, to disconnect the supply from the battery supply to the actuator, by which time the bat-latch will have done it's job.... So no overheating of the actuator as there is no power going to it.

Just looking at other actuators, 2 solenoid types on fleabay mention "Kindly Notelease don't power for a long time.Just about seconds!" I suspect teh car units are the same?

It seems so as I've just knackered one messing around with it. Now I need to investigate these pulse relay thingies.

 

[Kidds]

Just need a simple 555 delay timer off ebay, here is an example of what they do. You want it on the other connection he talks about so it is on and then turns off.

NE555 DC 12V DIGITAL DELAY TIMER RELAY WITH MODULE ADJUSTABLE | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for NE555 DC 12V DIGITAL DELAY TIMER RELAY WITH MODULE ADJUSTABLE at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Kidds]

If you wire the above into your circuit so the timer turns it on for a minute the relay turns off after whatever you set it to do and after a minute your timer you already have switches off, the 555 timer is reset at that point waiting for the next "on".

 

[JohnGalway]

If you wire the above into your circuit so the timer turns it on for a minute the relay turns off after whatever you set it to do and after a minute your timer you already have switches off, the 555 timer is reset at that point waiting for the next "on".

That looks perfect, thanks Kidds

 

[JohnGalway]

Just need a simple 555 delay timer off ebay, here is an example of what they do. You want it on the other connection he talks about so it is on and then turns off.

NE555 DC 12V DIGITAL DELAY TIMER RELAY WITH MODULE ADJUSTABLE | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for NE555 DC 12V DIGITAL DELAY TIMER RELAY WITH MODULE ADJUSTABLE at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

@Kidds I think I've made a mistake

These arrived this morning https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154400487778

I think what they're meant to do is delay the ON function for a few seconds rather than the OFF function?
But, besides that, power enough to work the actuator is going into this relay but not coming out the other end?

 

[JohnGalway]

Got that relay working as it should, just turns out it's the wrong one.

 

[Kidds]

@JohnGalway It says CB, COM and CK.
Put feed wire in the COM and one in either of the others, one will delay on and the other will delay off.
Just guessing here but your time switch (with one minute segments) should be used to turn the 555 timer on (that you just got from eBay)
You have another wire to feed the Batt-latch (from the timeswitch), that goes in to the COM terminal and out of either CB or CK and on to the Batt-latch. One of them will switch on and then go off, the other will be on and then switch off. Use a bulb or multimeter to figure out which one does which.

 

[Kidds]

Along these lines

 

[JohnGalway]

@Kidds

We have some success! I just need to adjust down the on time now for the shortest duration I can.

I was thinking today I'll need to add some sort of reset switch, probably a manual switch, to set up the latch in different places.

Here's the proof. The timer is on a programme where it will send power for one full minute then turn it off after that minute. We can see the bulb comes on immediately then cuts out after the set time on the 555 relay. When the programme time is up, power is killed to the 555 relay.

 

[Kidds]

Nice one, hope I helped on the way.
When you're done you are going to have to tell me wtf a batt-latch is.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

You could maybe shunt the actuator coil with a wirewound resistor to limit the current? And also, those relays will soak up heaps of power, maybe just use a transistor to do the switching so that you can use a resistor/capacitor to handle the timeout drop? Good work, in my tinkerings I found it needs to have as little draw as possible and all these power consuming devices chew it up

 

[JohnGalway]

Nice one, hope I helped on the way.
When you're done you are going to have to tell me wtf a batt-latch is.

Couldn't have done it without you I shall be unmercifully tagging you in other electronic questions now

THIS is a batt latch, it moves stock through electric fences when you're not there.

€475 - €749 here in Ireland depending on whether you want the standard one or one your phone can talk to - spendy!

 

[JohnGalway]

You could maybe shunt the actuator coil with a wirewound resistor to limit the current? And also, those relays will soak up heaps of power, maybe just use a transistor to do the switching so that you can use a resistor/capacitor to handle the timeout drop? Good work, in my tinkerings I found it needs to have as little draw as possible and all these power consuming devices chew it up

Most of that is Chinese to me Pete

I'll do a little Googling.

 

[Kidds]

Pete is right in that there are better ways to do these things but to be able to move up to those ways takes a shitload more knowledge that I certainly don't have. I managed to progress to programming a chip once but that was an awful long way up a learning curve that I quickly slithered back down.

I am far from expert, I once built a gas birdscarer/banger which was when I learnt all these things. It was during the process where things just would not work for me that I discovered two things, electronic circuits are pretty obvious as far as how they will work and secondly that I am dyselectric.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Pete is right in that there are better ways to do these things but to be able to move up to those ways takes a shitload more knowledge that I certainly don't have. I managed to progress to programming a chip once but that was an awful long way up a learning curve that I quickly slithered back down.

I am far from expert, I once built a gas birdscarer/banger which was when I learnt all these things. It was during the process where things just would not work for me that I discovered two things, electronic circuits are pretty obvious as far as how they will work and secondly that I am dyselectric.

I've forgotten most of it now, but the jist of it is you slowly discharge a capacitor through a resistor until
its voltage drops below the threshold the transistor needs to 'switch'