12v photocell wiring

[SideShow Bob]

When the green wire on your drawing is energized, the antenna goes up.
When the green wire is deenergized, the antenna goes down.
The red wire to the antenna in your drawing is constantly hot. That is why DFB mentioned limit switches.

[Irving]

When I just hook the antenna straight to the battery to test function, the antenna stops itself. I assume this to mean that it has it's own limit function. Will powering through a relay change this?

[SideShow Bob]

When I just hook the antenna straight to the battery to test function, the antenna stops itself. I assume this to mean that it has it's own limit function. Will powering through a relay change this?

No as long as the relay stays pulled in. as soon as the relay opens the green wire de-energizes the antenna will retract. But you are constantly pulling power from the battery in either extended or retracted position.

[DFBrews]

When I just hook the antenna straight to the battery to test function, the antenna stops itself. I assume this to mean that it has it's own limit function. Will powering through a relay change this?

Relays are used to allow a lower amp control circuit to switch a high amp load depending on what your motor pulls and what your Pv switch can handle amp wise you could potentially do without the relay. Also sensitivity of the switch may be an issue would
A dark cloud cause it to close?

[SideShow Bob]

Relays are used to allow a lower amp control circuit to switch a high amp load depending on what your motor pulls and what your Pv switch can handle amp wise you could potentially do without the relay. Also sensitivity of the switch may be an issue would
A dark cloud cause it to close?

Location of the photo cell in a brightly lit area with no shadows and pointed north will eliminate that, and not pointed at any light source at night will prevent false opening.

[ray1970]

Leave it to Irving to incorporate a photocell. I?d just stick it on a timer.

[SideShow Bob]

If I were Irving, I’d do the dad thing and make the kid go out and shut the coop door at night, then make the kid go out and open the coop door every morning.......

[ray1970]

You?re showing your age, Bob.

[DFBrews]

If I were Irving, I’d do the dad thing and make the kid go out and shut the coop door at night, then make the kid go out and open the coop door every morning.......

As a childless keeper of hens on my end it’s a no go with the delegating

[Irving]

It should be kid duty, since when she gets up for school, it's time to let them out. The problem with the timer is I'd have to source a 12v one, and adjust it several times a year. The reason I'm doing this is so we can go out of town and not rely on our neighbors to let them in and out every day. They have enough food and water for at least a week, and realistically two, but it's all under the coop so they have to be able to get out.

The photocell will be mounted more north than south, and on the opposite side of the coop as the back porch light. The garden light I was using wasn't sensitive enough that a cloud would cause it to come on. Even if that were the case, having the door shut for a few minutes for a cloud wouldn't be too big of a deal. Not as big of a deal as opening the door for a raccoon if a neighbor's porch light comes on anyway. Fortunately, the back fence is higher than the coop and would block the back neighbor's lights, AND They have crappy LED battery lights. The neighbor next to me with bright porch lights that go on when wildlife is around would be blocked by the coop, fence, and eave of the coop roof. I'm pretty excited to get this up and running though. I'll need to go from paracord to a slightly larger rope to make sure it doesn't slip out of the pulleys and bind up as it occasionally does. It never does it when I open the coop, and I tried to make it R-tard proof, but when wife, kids, or grandma open the door, something always seems to go wrong.