Garage door remote control switch

I've done this in the past which was a good affordable approach then decided to give the Flash to Open product a try.

Works well... and no batteries and a waterproof encased module you can connect to your high beams or signal lights to trigger the opener. You have to wire the receiver on your garage door opener but it should last a long time.
 
Okay, so all these offbeat door opening solutions reminded me of what my dad - HAM radio operator and electronics tinkerer extraordinaire - did at our home back in the late 70s. I was only reminded of this at my 40th high school reunion when over several adult beverages one of my friends mentioned, "Tommy, you had the coolest garage door opener ever. Remember? You just had to honk your horn and it would open or close. We used to drive by at night just to see it work! We always tried to leave it closed before we left, though."

Yeah, I had almost completely forgotten about this. Our garage had been destroyed when a huge storm blew over an elm tree next to the garage and its roots ripped up the corner of the garage. It was rebuilt with insurance and my dad had an overhead door with an automatic opener with remote installed. In the mid-60s that was high tech!

Electronics of that era didn't have great long term reliability and eventually the receiver at the opener failed. My dad refused to spend the $60+ for a replacement circuit board. Instead, he took an the earpiece from an old style telephone handset - you know the ones where you could unscrew the cover on the handset and the earpiece would just drop out? He attached wires to its terminals, placed it in a housing made from a spray can cap, to which he then attached about a 6-8" piece of black plastic waterpipe to restrict ambient sound and act as weather proofing. This was then mounted outside under the eaves of the garage. What he build at the opener mechanism I couldn't tell you, but I do remember that he said the earpiece made for a better circuit design because a loud noise would generate a voltage that could be used to actuate the opener, whereas the mouthpiece would need to be powered continuously to function. My dad was a clever genius. :)
 
Great design. Thought about doing this many times, but always too lazy. - Too many different bikes through the years, so I put this in my pocket. It is my regular remote, covered in plastic, then duct tape. When battery changes are needed, cut the top off, then re-duct tape. The black duct tape is so I remember where the switch is. Some remotes work better if you put some plastic over the switch, like from a soda bottle, so that the switch is not too easy to accidentally switch. I've had this sitting in a pocket filled with water for many miles and kept in a tank bag pocket for many many miles of rainy riding with no problems yet.
 

Attachments

  • remote-.jpg
    remote-.jpg
    199 KB · Views: 18
Wow, I missed so much cool tech stuff. Have to add this one, its for the less technical crowd.
I tucked the box behind the speedo under the dash cowling with some giant velcro and a zip tie just in case. The wire runs to the left top vent on the cowl. If I recall correctly it was a minute or so to program. Works at about 30 yards, almost don't have to wait to drive in.

Mo-Door Micro Switch Motorcycle Garage Door Remote - - Amazon.com

Mo-Door Micro Switch Motorcycle Garage Door Remote - - Amazon.com
us.amazon.com

  • Mo-Door Micro Switch Motorcycle Garage Door Remote
 
1626474290737.png

I got one of these off ebay.. Took a few weeks for delivery ( I assume from China). Works fine from the end of my driveway, about 20 feet . I use the tiny transmitter as a zipper pull but with some ingenuity you could mount it just about anywhere. it does need a 12 volt supply for the receiver/controller which may be available on your existing openers or can be had new on eBay for 5-6 dollars. The receiver/controller gets installed in parallel with your existing garage door wiring . PS that price included shipping.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom