Hey everyone! I'm working on automating my manual stores, which I currently crank to control from the inside. My plan is to replace the manual crank with a small, battery-powered DC motor. I've already built a prototype that successfully uses a driver board to detect current overload to stop the motor when the store goes up, which is great. However, I've hit a snag when the stores go down—there's no resistance, so the motor keeps running indefinitely. I'm considering implementing a delay to stop the motor after a certain time, but I can't figure out how to make it directional without a microcontroller. I don't want to dive into Arduino stuff right now since I'm pressed for time. Any suggestions on how I can solve this using my current overload setup?
4 Answers
If you’re open to it, using an IR sensor could cut down on unnecessary delays since you’d know when the gate is passing in front. This could give you a more accurate stopping point and help you avoid running the motor indefinitely!
Have you thought about just using a simple switch? You could wire it so that you manually turn it off once you're done. It's not fully automated, but it could work if you just need to stop it after use!
What about using a magnet with a magnetic hall effect switch or a reed switch? You can place the magnet anywhere on the gate! Alternatively, if your gate is solid, an IR photodetector could help you detect when it's close to being closed without needing to install a lot of extra stuff. Another option is a rotary encoder on the handle or main shaft to track its position. That would help you determine if it's at the full up or full down position and also handle stalls.
That's a good point! I might consider that for a basic setup. But I’m hoping to make it more automated in the future so it stops by itself.