Thread: Hacking a Motion sensor and Fog timer

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Today I was doing some research on effect timers because I didnt want to have to hit a button every time someone walked by the pneumatic couffins and pop ups. I found that a motion sensor set on test mode will go off when ever some one walks by for between 5 to 15 seconds. 15 seconds is a little long for my pneumatic cylinders to be open for. I am as cheap as it gets and spending $45.00 for an effect timer wasnt gonna happen this year. I was digging through some boxes and found a couple fog timers I bought from target last year for $10 and figured I would give it a shot. This is what I did:
#1- I hacked the motion sensor and put 2 outlets in the light sockets.
#2- opened up the fog timer and attached the output sensor wire from the motion sensor to the timer button on the fog timer.
#3- put it all back together and prayed for the best.
It worked like a champ. I set the motion sensor on test, and put the fog timer on for 5 seconds and off for 25 seconds. This way it wont keep going off when every person in a row walks by. it will suprise them. I will post pictures when I get a chance. This entire thing cost me $23 for the motion sensor and fog timer as opposed to almost $60 with the effects timer.
If anyone else has thought of this or how to make it even better, please let me know.
Thanks for reading my first post on this site.

Well I want to see a how to!!! Sorry WE want to see a how-to!

Excellent idea. Just an FYI for others, I use my motion sensors with off delay timer relays. The ones I use run for the set period of time after power is applied (by the motion sensor). I have some that are .1 to 10 seconds and some that are 1 to 30 seconds. They're DPDT so you can use them for an off delay and other things too. Very handy devices!

What a creative and cost effective idea!
You certainly made the most out of your first post
More! More! More!

MsM

Yes pics, diagrams, tut....... great idea,thanx !!

what type (brand, model etc...) of motion sensor did you use?

i need details too! this would be perfect for my grave crawler. i also don't want him going off at every pass. i already have both of these things. i just don't want to mess it up.

also, welcome to the forum, and great way to make a first post!

I agree, we need a how to on this, cant just tease us like this and not tell us how you did it. lol

I'm sure closet haunter's setup is somewhat similar and I'm also anxious to see it, but I thought I'd add this little tid-bit for those who have not seen it yet:

AUTOMAT3D Blog Archive Motion Sensor Switched Output Hack

In the above example, one would simply hack into the fogger timer and connect the 2 contacts for the "manual on" button to the 2 connections on the hacked sensor and voila! THe fogger gets to stay on to keep things warmed up and the fogger goes off as often as you set the sensor for! :O)

Note - it can be used for many, many purposes where a trigger is required without the usual ac voltage! I'm using this for 2 different props and my tests have been very pleasing!

Im gonna attempt to narrate this through pictures.
#1- There are 3 wires coming out of the motion sensor, black red and white. wire one of them (red wire) to the timer button on the fog timer.
#2- I used a 2 wire extension cord to keep it easy. I connected one wire to the group of white wires in the motion sensor, behind the sockets and the other to the green wire coming out of the timer control and the black wire coming out from the backside of the sockets.
#3- hook up the white wire from the timer control to the single black wire coming out of the motion sensor.
I plugged it in and it worked great. I can still activate it manually with the green button and it works as if it were a timer even though the motion sensor is trying to set it off every time there is movement. Please excuse the poor pictures as my camera is slowly dying.