[xxnonamexx]

Has anyone used garage door sensors to use for motion sensors for halloween? They seem the best bet and very inexpensive.

 

[eanderso13]

How inexpensive we talking? I've bought retro-reflective break-beam sensors before for rather cheap and those only require 1 sensor and a reflector. My garage door has two sensors, an emitter and a receiver...

 

[xxnonamexx]

ebay has em for $10

 

[Homestead Haunt]

Doesnt the garage door sensor cut power off? I am guessing you'd have to reconfigure that part of it.....

 

[HomeyDaClown]

Doesnt the garage door sensor cut power off? I am guessing you'd have to reconfigure that part of it.....

It not the sensor usually, it's what you want to activate. Those sensors usually need to be connected to a relay (mechanical or solid state) before you connect to something you want to activate, along with power.

 

[bradbaum]

This was discussed briefly in another thread:

http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/77248-protect-your-props-theft-2.html

Apparently the sensors use a Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) signal to communicate back to the opener - so they don't work that great for triggers.