[thebeingwithin]

greetings,
for the past couple years i've been doing a spook house for the local kids. last year i started using motion sensors and it really added a lot. this year i want to have a room where the lights are initially on but will turn off while the kids are inside. is there a way to make a standard motion sensor act as a killswitch rather than an on switch? i know i could wire a kill switch to a floor plate (as i've done with an on switch) but i want the lights to stay off for a bit longer than that. i don't have any helpful minions that i can employ to just turn them off manually. nor can i put them on a timer since it's nearly impossible to run the kids through in perfect time.

so once again can a motion sensor be rigged as a killswitch or does someone have an alternate idea?

thank you

 

[ctechfx]

It is possible. What type of motion sensor are you using?

 

[thebeingwithin]

actually, i've just been using ones that you would attach to a porch or floodlight. i'm not sure of the brand but they come from wal-mart. the ones i have used are sold as just the sensor (like if you needed to replace the one on your unit). instead of hooking them up to the house's power supply i splice them right into the cord of the light. works like a charm and only costs about 12 bucks.

they look something like this
http://www.castlewholesalers.com/media/249SL5407

 

[bradbaum]

Get a relay with a 120VAC coil:

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

hook it up like this:

AC Power ---> Motion Sensor -----> Relay ----> Electrical Outlet ----> Lights

Hook up to the NC (normally Closed) contacts on the relay, this will allow the lights to be on when the motion sensor is inactive, and then when the motion sensor activates the connection will be broken.

 

[thebeingwithin]

excellent, thanks! MacGyver would be proud

 

[bradbaum]

The only caveat is that the relay contacts are only rated at 10 Amps, that equals 1200 Watts.

that is quite a bit, so you should be ok with most lighting.

 

[The Pod]

The only caveat is that the relay contacts are only rated at 10 Amps, that equals 1200 Watts.

that is quite a bit, so you should be ok with most lighting.

You could always just go with a larger relay like this 15 amp R145A15120. Put like Bradbaum said 10 amp should be more than plenty for simple lighting, just watch the amount of watts you're actually lighting with.

 

[thebeingwithin]

what's the difference between a SPDT and DPDT relay? this place has much lower prices but the 15 amp is an SPDT.
BGMicro Hobby Electronics and Parts - Product Search - Criteria: relay

 

[Otaku]

Here's a 40 amp AC coil relay for cheap:

120 VAC, 40 AMP RELAY | AllElectronics.com

See if you need anything else that you can order from A-E - it'll help offset the $7.00 shipping charge.

 

[The Pod]

what's the difference between a SPDT and DPDT relay? this place has much lower prices but the 15 amp is an SPDT.
BGMicro Hobby Electronics and Parts - Product Search - Criteria: relay

Single Pole, Double Throw = one switch with a NC and NO

Double Pole, Double Throw = two switches with NC and NO

with the single you can only switch one source on/off
with a double you can switch two sources on/off at the same time.

There is also a 3PDT, 4PDT, SPST, DPST, etc.....

The NC stands for Normally Closed meaning the item you are switching is on while the Relay is off. When power is supplied to the relay, then the NC connection opens up and the NO (Normally Open) then closes, thus what was off turns on.

Hope this helps.

 

[thebeingwithin]

thank you for the clarification.

 

[thebeingwithin]

brad. i just got my relay. it's nearly the same one you mentioned in your post. i could use some more of your help. the base looks like this

1 4
_ _


5 8
_ _


9 12
_ _


l l
13 14

i can't find the schematics online that tells me what which ones to hook up

thanks
travis

 

[bradbaum]

There is usually a picture on the side of the relay that shows the pin out.

I'll dig around and see If I can find a relay.

 

[bradbaum]

Did you buy the one from Radio Shack?

Omron LY2 are the ones I bought last halloween from Radio Shack:

1 = NC Contact Switch 1
2 = NC Contact Switch 2
3 = NO Contact Switch 1
4 = NO Contact Switch 2
5 = Common Contact Switch 1
6 = Common Contact Switch 2
7 = Coil
8 = Coil

That doesn't seem to match yours, can you post the manf and part number?

 

[bradbaum]

I found a 4 pole unit with pin out similar to what you posted:

1 = NC
4 = NC
5 = NO
8 = NO
9 = COM
12 = COM
13 & 14 = COIL

If it is an Ice Cube relay (With a clear cover) you can actually look in and verify the connections. You should be able to see the NO and NC pins coming through from the bottom and then the one that has the contact coming from the top that is connected is the NC and the one that is not connected is NO. The commons are wired from the top of the relay back down to their pins.

 

[partsman]

Nice thing about using relays with motion sensors is that not only can you turn off the lights, but you can also set off several other effects and sounds.

 

[thebeingwithin]

the catalog says it's a Honga CY2.
this is the webpage
<B>REL1099</B><BR>12V, 15A, SPDT - REL1099

okay i see what you mean 1,4 are closed and 5,8 are open. 9,12 are on the top and 13,14 to the coil.

so right now i have a wire plugged into the wall leading to the motion detector. from the detector i now have a wire with a socket that the lights plug in to.
so between the detector and light i add the relay. how do i wire the relay in? is it like 1 is the in, 9 the out? what connects to 13?

 

[bradbaum]

Solder a two wire AC plug to the coil of the relay:

<B>PWR1272</B><BR>2 Wire AC cord - PWR1272

this will plug into your motion sensor.

Solder a second 2 wire AC plug to the two commons of the relay. This goes to unswitched AC power that is always on.

Solder wires to the two NO contacts on the relay and hook them to an AC outlet.

Insteon OutletLinc- Remote Control Outlet - 2473SIV at The Home Depot

make sure to use heat shrink on your relay connections so that they don't touch.

<B>ACS1240</B><BR>1/4 Inch Heat Shrink - ACS1240

Then just plug your lights into the outlet.

I usually buy a deep electrical box to put everything in and keep all the electrical connections away from little fingers.

 

[thebeingwithin]

thanks, that helps a lot. i'll give it a try soon.

 

[bradbaum]

Here are some pictures of one I did awhile back.

It is a little different, I used relays with 12VDC coils instead of the 120VAC coil that you will need.

I drove the relays with the wall wart, the loose wires outside of the box hooked up to a couple of mat switches that activated the relays when the mat switches were stepped on.

The AC power cord feeds the relay contacts, that in turn feed the outlets.

I cut the tab on the outlets hot side so that each half of the outlet could be power separately, I hooked the NO side of the relay to half of the outlet, and the NC side of the relay to the other half of the outlet. This allowed me to have some dim lights on when the tots walked into the room, then when the mat switch was stepped on, switch to some bright lights. The second relay did the same as the first, just hooked to a second mat switch.

Relay Box :: Relay box - Open picture by bradbaum - Photobucket

Relay Box :: Relay box - looking into relays picture by bradbaum - Photobucket

Relay Box :: Relay box - outlets showing picture by bradbaum - Photobucket