I drilled a small hole on the side of the control box, snaked through the wires from a waterproof contact sensor, and hooked them up to the terminals of an Ecolink contact sensor. Stuffed the contact sensor into the box-it fit perfectly.
I used a paint stirrer taped to the gate (yes, not "pro") to mount the magnet and mounted the contact sensor on the wood post.
Anyway, the Ecolink has good range and has been dependable so far; we'll see when it rains.
I made a couple rules to light up the toggles on a couple of switches-one by the front door and one in the garage-when the gate is open.
The remotes have great range, so I'll likely hang one in those locations with the switches that light up when the gate is open.
I'm not doing any more automation this time, just maybe notifications that the gate has been open for 5 minutes, or whatever.
i use mighty mule and just got a 20 remote for it and mounted it inside a box with a qubino 1d relay..
i had trouble with the range outdoors tried both shelly wifi and zwave /zigbee direct at gate.
for this reason ended up using the relay and the stock battery remote sender as that appears to be device specific and have much better range.
You like Mighty Mule?
Does it use exterior limit magnetic (reed?) switches and a battery arrangement like the Topens?
Here is a current picture after the autopsy.
If they don't replace the unit, or an assembly, I don't know if I can fix it.
It would take a replacement magnetic ring, and the rod end/cylinder wipers seems to be crimped onto the rod.
Uggh.
The other one I had was more robust and simple.
Oh, and did I mention that one of the pin pads crapped out after a driving rain.
Oh, and there was water inside the unit when I took it apart-can't be good.
I guess getting in and out of the car a couple times each way in all sorts of weather could be considered exercise.
Note: This gate is for the deer.
no it does not use any sensor it has a latch that latches and locks when gate closes.. it senses if it is blocked and does not close correctly and reverses or stops depending on circumstances.. i have had good luck using it going on 4-5 years now..
once a year i adjust the gate hardware as stuff tends to move slightly over time.
i put my own ecolink sensor on the gate with this magnet (normal magnet not strong enough due to metal on gate).. i have rule that turns lights on and reports dog gate open or closed based on this sensor.
I didn't reinforce the farm gate-the tube deforms like crazy-if I continue operator use, I'll see if I can put some steel in between the clamp and the gate tube.
Oh, and the wood post moved-the deer fence hanging off it didn't help either, Straightened and 'backfilled' with Mason's sand and a trowel.
You have to have a stable arrangement for that lock to work. I had one on the previous gate. It was fiddley.
I'm putting it all in a box and get it out of sight.
Example of "basket case".
And with that remark, I'm off for my daily walk, a little earlier today because of the impending darkness, lol.
I mentioned I had stumbled upon BFT gate operators before. Still haven't gotten one but the more I see with some of these entry priced units the more I wonder if it really is the case that you have to pay up for longevity & reliability and that it may be worth it in the long run.
Arm arrived, installed yesterday.
Fast shipping, for sure.
Working great.
The down time made me realize how convenient that thing is.
And the Z-wave Ecolink contact sensor that i use for gate status, which I had removed the battery, slotted back in like it never left.
