Thread: Anyone use 12vdc Door Lock Actuator?

Tweet

I saw these http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a...TUATOR//1.html and wondered how I could use them. They don't move much, just 3/4" of throw, but at $5.50 might be a cheaper alternative to pneumatics. Wonder if they could be used to rattle a wood coffin lid, or as some sort of remote controlled/triggered knocker.

Anyone else used them in the past?

I've never used one but added it to my cart for my next order. I've got an idea that these may work for.
Thanks for the link.

I've used one to make a rubber rat jump - worked very well. They have quite a bit of power & can cycle quickly. You are limited by the stroke length, but if your payload is light enough you can use a lever to gain some movement.

Direction is changed by swapping polarity - here's a simple diagram using 2 automotive relays that I used with the actuator. Press one button to go out, press the other to go in.

AS&S has them cheaper:

http://www.sciplus.com/singleItem.cfm/terms/16526

here's a simple diagram using 2 automotive relays that I used with the actuator

do you need some sort of relay to make these work, or can you just use a pushbutton with a 12V source?

Another cool thing about getting these is they come with linkages and hardware.

You need some way to reverse the polarity. These don't return on their own - when you extend or retract one it stays extended/retracted. You could use a DPDT momentary switch if you want to trigger it manually.

The relays make possible to control the actuator with a controller.

These are truly light duty and do not have much force behind output movement. They do require a relay & switch to trigger. I have used them in different classic car mod applications and they are only good for light weight item movement.

If you wanted them for example, shaking a hanging lamp, plastic chains or chandelier then it might work. But forget about lifting anything heavy as they are just too weak. Best of luck with them!

I have used door "poppers" & instead of a dpdt switch, i used a momentary contact, & used a lite spring to "retract" it, worked great ! One prop was a cage i built 2' x 3' with a creature mask with long hair & put a couple of small creature feet poking thru hair & some fake flesh with chicken bones on floor of cage. The cage had false bottom with a door "popper" was below & angled upward & attached to a pole hinged to come forward. I attached a spring at the rear of the pole to pull back. The pole came thru the floor of cage & the mask was on a foam wig head mounted to the pole. The end result was when someone got close up to see what it was in cage, someone hit the button ( like a horn button ) & it would "jump" forward to the cage front, release button & spring pulled it back ! Always got people & the pop sound of the relay added to the scare, plus had a dual boat air horn above & as they jumped backwards from the "creature" attacking them, a second button was hit blowing the air horns..... LMAO !!!

Door poppers seem to work better / faster action & have great torque/pull for what I needed, door lock actuators are a little slower for scare movements.......for me.

i tried using once but found with continued voltage they seem to overheat after a short while would suggest trining something else i once used a mag-lock which was great