[Sticky] Components & Programming

@will thank you very much. that looks like a super program. 

since I last talked with you i have been studying on some web site called W3 schools. Man! this stuff is complicated. it is more difficult for me because i see everything I read backwards, and since I was run over by a truck in a motorbike hit and run back in the late 90's things are hard to learn because of lack of a decent memory. (messed me up pretty bad) i'm still suckin air though! And any day on the green side of the grass is a good day 🙂

this gate is not a very precise gate. just two posts and a motorized arm on the hinge side. It was a pretty good setup for me until the remote part of it died. i ordered a remote wireless relay from amazon ($12.00) hooked the two wires up to the control board and got another 2 months out of it before the main board died. (moister i think) I never heard anything good about mighty mule gate openers, but they are the less expensive of the ones i've found. so I'ma take the control board out of the plastic box and put in that arduino uno and the MD20A motor driver, a mini360 buck converter and use that two wire remote controlled relay to work the gate. I dont have limit switches on it so I'ma have to just go by the number of seconds it takes to swing open, wait for the car to pass (about 10 sec is plenty) then swing closed. of Corse there is that problem of telling the gate it's closed. i think since the motorized arm has two power wires (red, black) and two 22-24gauge wires, that the smaller wires are rotation counter and one is an amperage sensor. the amperage sensor is prolly for something blocking the gate and reversed it. BUT I'm not really sure. I have no schematics on it and cant find one. i do have a multimeter tho and it isnt telling me anything useful. I plan on snatching that bad boy off the post and opening it up to see what is what. but I'm pretty sure I'm right. but, I can always try to find a location on the hinge side and weld up something to mount a limit switch on if i have to. I'm pretty stubborn and still think I can do anything.  I really do thank you for all that hard work. that would have taken me years 🙂

@catch 

I would advise you to get a lawyer and a good doctor. Leaving the positioning of a motorized gate (especially a swinging arm one instead of a slider) at the random control of a microprocessor is an open invitation to physical injury, automotive damage and potential prosecution for criminal liability.

If you aren't willing to undertake this project in a safe and responsible manner you'll get no further assistance from me or (probably) from the rest of the members.

@will thank you. i guess once again my poor communication skills have failed. i think your idea is better than mine.

@catch FYI @will I totally agree with Will. Now that you have been told it is dangerous, the charge moves from simple negligence to criminal negligence. Either buy a commercial unit or make a manual system, I bet there are lots of those on the net.

@zander,@will you guys are pretty harsh. You don’t even know where the gate is at! I am thinkin you think it must be the front gate to my property. I guess that is why all the threats. I can see you folks make assumptions, maybe, just maybe your totally wrong and have the wrong mind set. I just don’t know. The gate is on my property, between two fields. No one goes through it but me. It is not for others. (Unless they are trespassing) I just use it often and don’t want to go through the trouble of gettin out of the truck or off the tractor to open or close it. BUT I can recognize the fact that you don’t want my dyslexic self in your club. I’m truly sorry I bothered you guys.

@catch You are right, we didn't know, because you didn't tell us, but even if someone trespasses on your property, if they get injured you are still at fault.

@catch BTW, nobody threatened you, we simply advised you.

@catch 

I apologize if I seemed harsh but I'm very focussed on safety and you seemed to be totally unconcerned about having a motorized device moving a gate with uncertain (at best) control. Perhaps that's part of your condition and I'm misinterpreting your reply.

I am not threatening you in any way ! I was just trying to impress on you my concern for what I thought would be the result of an improperly controlled electric device. You gave us no information about where, when or how it was to be used so we have to assume the worst case conditions.

Your dyslexia is immaterial, there are already other prominent members with various conditions and no-one is segregated or belittled here for that.

You are incorrect when you say that we want you out of the 'club' because you are exactly the type of person who needs the forum to help you learn what you're doing and how to do it properly. You are, in fact, one of the two specific types that the forum is intended to support. The two types are: those who know a lot about things and are willing to pass on that knowledge to others and those who know very little and want to learn how to make things work properly.

Those who know how to program those who don't, those who know how electronics work help those who don't. Pretty much everyone here has asked for help and many have given help when they were able. So, it's always a push-pull dynamic here. You'll also find that it can be a hotbed of differing opinions at times if you stick around.

@catch Just an FYI, I am ASD, that's Autism Spectrum Disorder. I may not be dyslexic, but I have severe learning challenges that I have had to work around. There are other solutions to your problem that are much safer if you want to listen.

Posted by: @catch

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BUT I can recognize the fact that you don’t want my dyslexic self in your club. I’m truly sorry I bothered you guys.

Calm down, don't blame us, blame the world we live in. People have been killed by electric gates, especially children. The world demands BLAME. There always has to be someone to blame. Then the lawyers move in and lives are ruined.

So the old hands in here are trying to protect you and also protect themselves and the forum. If you injure someone the lawyers will not stop until they get compensation for the injured party and a nice fee for themselves.

Commercial gate manufacturers do extensive testing to prevent crush injuries and still people die.

Roy has suggested "a mechanical system" - he might be on to something here. If you rigged up three switches, no electronics, one switch is totally kill the power ( a big red mushroom ), hold one switch to open, one to close and I can't see how anyone gets hurt. It might not be as convenient. You might need a key switch as well for security.

You can mount the switches in a nice waterproof box with enough cable to hang on a post inside or outside the gate. This assumes you are competent to do safe wiring or you get a qualified person to check it over.