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[Odie]

Hi All,

I just wrote a long explanation that for some reason was erased when I went to post. It is late, so here is the condesned version, can I set up a garage door notifer using 2 DS10A sensors (one up and one down) and 2 macros, one to turn on the light and one to turn off the light?

If someone could spell it out for me I would be forever grateful. AFter 2 days and countless hours on this I cannot figure it out.   Thanks.

[dave w]

If you are willing to assume "If the garge door is NOT down, it must be up" Then you would only need one DS10 and one macro, simplifying things a great deal.

[bitman]

I'm just setting mine up.

I have a ds10a for 1 door and the macro turns on and dummy appliance module in AHP when the sensors separate
and turn that dummy off when the sensors come back together. That way, Dummy on = door open. Dummy off = door down. I sense the state of the dummy module to determine the state of the door for further processing by say, X10 Dispatcher and Alert dialer (To call me on the phone and say "Come back!" you left the door open.)

I have not yet, but will very soon, use the existing switch on the door pully motor that says "far enough" to the system to inhibit x10 from ever opening the door. - Somehow, someway.

:Ron

[Don N]

ODIE here's what I used.  Situation: I wanted to know when the garage door was LEFT OPEN after sunset.  And I wanted to TURN ON a light in the Foyer for two minutes when the GARAGE DOOR OPENED AT NIGHT ... so as to offer a lighted path inside the house.

Universal Module (PSC01) switch (Door Switch P5) sends an ON condition when the garage door is CLOSED and an OFF condition when the garage door is OPEN. 

Ghost switch indicates whether it's NIGHTTIME (P6 ON) or DAYTIME (P6 OFF). 

Lamp switch for the Foyer lamp (L14).

Door Opened Lite On Macro (Condition; Trigger P5 OFF and It's Nighttime)
Turn ON Foyer light (L14).

Door Closed Lite Off Macro (Condition; Trigger P5 ON and It's Nighttime)
Wait 2 minutes
Turn OFF Foyer light (L14).

Door Left Open Macro (Condition: Trigger P6 ON and P5 OFF)
Turn ON Foyer light (L14).

[steven r]

For my garage I'm less interested in knowing it's open, just that it gets closed. Also for security purposes I do not want X10 to ever be able to open the door but only to be able to close it. I use an Universal Module wired in series with a magnetic read switch to effectively push the garage door button. i.e. I can send a signal to the door but it will only when work when the door is open. So I just add an X10 command for the Universal Module to all my shutdown macros such as the one when I drive out the garage.

[bitman]

For my garage I'm less interested in knowing it's open, just that it gets closed. Also for security purposes I do not want X10 to ever be able to open the door but only to be able to close it. I use an Universal Module wired in series with a magnetic read switch to effectively push the garage door button. i.e. I can send a signal to the door but it will only when work when the door is open. So I just add an X10 command for the Universal Module to all my shutdown macros such as the one when I drive out the garage.

Tell us more please.

The reed switch, is it attached to the door so it senses the orientation of the door? If so how did you route the wires?

This sounds like a perfect solution I would like to duplicate it. 

Thanks.
:Ron
 

[Knightrider]

Ron,
Find a normally closed type reed switch (presence of the magnetic field will open the switch).
Place the switch so that it will be open when the garage door is completely down.
Wire the switch in series with the UM506 and connect to the door opener contacts.
voila

[bitman]

Thanks.

I must have had the reed switch confused with a mercury "tilt" switch.
So my ds01a uses a magnetic reed switch and I just put up another reed switch in the opposite state.

Nice.

[steven r]

...The reed switch, is it attached to the door so it senses the orientation of the door? If so how did you route the wires?...

I have the magnet attached to the door so that when the door is opened all the way it closes the read switch.

[Odie]

Thank you all for the help.  Since I had the DS10's on hand and had a few of them I wanted to go with those components although several of you use the universal module and/or reed switchs with power flash modules which I am sure are more robust.  But now I know it can be done with the DS10's alone, and I will try it with one instead of two.  I had two so I tried that but I am having trouble mounting one and getting good contact. 

I will also take Dave's advice and move the transmitter further away from the door, there seems to be some inconsistent transmitting.  I did catch one of my problems, which is so obvious, is when I was registering the DS10 I had to go through a door to get to the garage to push the test button.  The door is wired for security so that DS10 was sending the signal to the AHP before I even got to the one in the garage.  duh. 

Anyway, still trying to get it to work by adjusting magnets.  I have gotten closer, and will take the comments posted here to make some further tweaks.  I have my notes ready for the next weekend.  Thanks again.

[gardavis]

I had the range issue when mounting the DS10A on the left or right of the metal garage door. So I did move the module to the top of the garage door opener motor with the magnets at the top middle of the garage door. The very first movement of the closed garage door is not up but in about an inch before it starts up. This clears the stationary wired magnet so they don't collide.

With the module secured to the brackets of the door motor, the signals are now reliable. I couldn't figure out why a difference of 15 feet would help until i read about the metal garage door interferring with the signal. I guess it makes sense!

Now I have to get the macros written to control a hall light and a notification if the door is left open more than an hour. I understand the DS10A will send out the trigger every hour it is left open.

Gary Davis

[ultradianguy]

Hi - I want to work out a similar garage door notifier system.  I'm trying to figure out the pros/cons of doing this with a reed switch and powerflash vs using the DS10A and On Alert Plugin.  (I currently have AHP with all plugins EXCEPT On Alert).
I gather you no longer need the protector plus security controller to use the DS10a, but it's not clear to me what I gain by going this route.  It seems more expensive to get a DS10a and add the plug in than to just get a powerflash and simple switch - is there some other capability I would get by doing that?

Thanks,
Michael