Thread: Building A Remote Switch - Aaahhh!

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I run a prop that employs a wired switch to activate an old garage-door opener.

Hoping to go wireless, I picked up a remote-controlled outlet with the idea being I would eliminate the switch - i.e., permanently close the circuit - and therefore activate the garage-door opener by remotely turning on the juice.

Problem is the motor won't engage when I turn the juice on; i.e., the circuit has to be broken and re-engaged before the motor will function.

Not sure if this is some sort of safety function in the garage-door opener or if I'm violating some basic electrical principle due to my vast levels of ignorance.

Can anyone suggest a way around the issue? If not, is there a relatively straightforward way to fashion a remote switch? I'm really kinda stuck on the idea of eliminating the wired switch.

Cheers,

JD

I would leave the garage door opener plugged in all the time.

Get a 120VAC relay:

125VAC/10A DPDT Plug-In Relay - RadioShack.com

Wire the coil of this to your wireless remote control outlet.

Wire the the NO and COM contacts of the relay to the switch input of the opener (the input where the manual open switch that you put inside your garage hooked up)

Thanks bradbaum.

If I've correctly interpreted this, the relay behaves like a switch when it's given current (some of you are probably saying "duh" right now, but, like I said, when it comes to electronics, I'm ignorant).

I'll probably head to a Radio Shack equivalent today, seeing as it's raining.

Thanks again.

JD

Yes JD, the relay acts like a switch when power is applied. It's been a long time, but I think when power is turn on to the coils, it throws the switch from the NO to the COM or vice versa. They are handy devices. Used one in my car to turn my lights off automatically (my old '69 that is), so my battery wouldn't die when I forgot to push the light switch in. Wide range of applications for them.