[MPR_Dan]

To clarify, this is a homemade prop. The gate itself is made of PVC and 1" x 2" wood with two wood columns covered in foam board made to look like stone on either side. The gate is attached to the columns by tee hinges and opens inwards. Each side of the gate is 8' long.
My question is how could I make the gate open automatically using a motion sensor, pressure/step pad, or remote? Ideally a welcome message and creaking sound would also play when the mechanism that opens the gate is triggered. The gate is about 75% finished and I can make the sound files on my own, but I don't have any good ideas for the opening mechanism or how to tie the sound into whatever mechanism would open it.

I would like to try to use compressed air at least this year because I'm pretty much out of money as this has been an almost $600 project so far. If compressed air is an option how could I control the speed at which the gate opens? I don't want to have it slam back and forth. And how could I tie sound into a compressed air operated prop?

 

[annamarykahn]

to control the speed when using compressed air, you could restrict the exhaust port on the solenoid ... that should slow it down ... not certain what the best way to actually move the gate would be ... there are probably others here that can help with that ... i'm thinking you'll need long air cylinders and that it'll not be inexpensive :-(

how about using a harbor freight driveway sensor for activation? if you had a relay that the sensor activates you could use relay contacts to activate both the air solenoid & your sound ...

amk

 

[lawrie]

Could you not use a commercial automatic door system? How about a garage door opening system, or auto driveway system hooked to a pir?

 

[MPR_Dan]

Could you not use a commercial automatic door system? How about a garage door opening system, or auto driveway system hooked to a pir?

All of the automatic driveway gate openers I've looked at were in the $300-$600 range. If you know of one that is cheaper that would be great. I do like the garage door opener idea, but we would have to have one on each side of the driveway for each side of the fence which means we would have to build two separate systems. Worth a shot though.