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[steven r]

Try it, and let us know how well it works and what you used to construct it.

I picked up all the parts I needed for about $8. I also happened to have an old hose around that was already too short too be practical as a hose.

I cut the hose and added a 2nd male end. I then put a cap over that end. They have an adapter intended to allow items snap on your hose. It tapers to a small opening. I had to widen the opening a little for the switch but it looks good. I may need to do a better job gluing the switch in place. I'll let you know if it holds. I figure the hole where the switch is to be about half the diameter of the hose. That should increase the pressure at the switch 4 times. It looks good but I won't know there is enough pressure till I test it.

PS.
Glue didn't hold. I've got to pick up some epoxy. The glue I was using didn't cut it.
I really like the design of my switch and am very optimistic.
Worst case the parts came 2 two a pack should I have to start over from scratch. 

I may not be able to get back to the project for a little while but promise to post a parts list if it works.

BTW... Any ideas as to how to get the hose to stay in place as I drive over it?

[MeThinks]

It's been over a year, have you gotten back to this project yet.

Just wondering...

 

[steven r]

It's been over a year, have you gotten back to this project yet....

Interesting that you should bump the topic. Saved me from having to find it.

My original idea flopped but I recently made a switch out of cardboard, aluminum foil, a little wire, glue and lots of duct tape. Surprisingly it hasn't failed yet. In spite of it working flawlessly for about a week now, I still don't have enough faith in it's construction to recommend it as a failsafe solution.

Now the really good news: I picked up about $12 in parts at Ace Hardware today that I have a really good feeling will result in a very reliable solution. Unlike my cardboard project that I half heartedly made that was a reinforced version of a DIY walk over mat idea I picked up on the internet, I'll take some pictures as I build this one.

If this idea idea flops, I'll go back to the "poor man's solution" of the cardboard creation till I can justify spending the over $100 for a tape switch made for the purpose.

[steven r]

IT WORKS!                                   IT WORKS!!                                   IT WORKS!!!
...and I have pictures! However, I don't have a site to store pictures for linking yet. I know it's not hard but I've never built a site. Can I link from a photo site? I guess what I'm saying is I need some hand holding through the process.

I still need to thoroughly clean a 16" by 4" spot of my concrete garage floor to stick down this device but I've driven over it and it is working! Tips for cleaning a small spot like that?

BTW.. What is it that they put in the concrete that looks like hay? My floor has a fibrous threads sticking out of it. I've never really cared too much about it till I started thinking about sticking this $15 device to the floor.

[KDR]

My guess would be fiberglass to strengthen the concrete.

[HA Dave]

I still need to thoroughly clean a 16" by 4" spot of my concrete garage floor to stick down this device but I've driven over it and it is working! Tips for cleaning a small spot like that?

I think (?) you can still buy Trisodiumphosate at paint supply stores. But now-a-days I use a pressurewasher for heavy duty cleaning jobs (even car washing). They are FAST easy and only use about 20 % as much water as a garden hose uses. And most of the time... no chemicals are needed.

[MeThinks]

...and I have pictures! However, I don't have a site to store pictures for linking yet. I know it's not hard but I've never built a site. Can I link from a photo site? I guess what I'm saying is I need some hand holding through the process.

Yes, use yahoo geocities, it's easy.

1. make a pic, save as a jpeg
2. use easyuploader, browse for file, upload
3. go to file manager, click "view" (of the file you want to insert)
4. copy address from address bar of the Explorer window that came up
5. click on "insert image" in post
6. [img ]paste http:// address here[/img ]
7. voila!!

[steven r]

I stopped by Ace Hardware last Sun and spotted this cool parking target. In addition to definitively knowing when to stop when you drive over it, I figured why not mount a switch in it.

So I picked out a normally open push button switch, Ace part number 1904U. Barcode 039008774064.

Needless to say, you'll save some time if you have the right size drill bit before you start this project. I didn't so a "carved" my hole with a smaller bit and a blade. I do strongly recommend that the switch fit snugly. It will make installation easier later. Try it from above first. The hole needs to be centered along the length of the parking target and ¹/₄ of the width of the top from the top edge. (1cm) As you see from my "light at the end of the tunnel" picture, it wouldn't work to center the hole due to supporting center piece of the parking target.

Discard the hex nut that comes with the switch. It's useless for this project. The next step is to screw one of the knurled nuts on the switch. This and the star washer you place on top of it serve to space the switch for a near flush pushed position when you drive over it.

Use wire nuts to attach wire to the switch. (I skipped pictures of the wire nuts but figure anyone that has installed a few X10 light switches has seen plenty of wire nuts.)

Now it's time to get the switch in place. First check your hole from above. Then recheck the wire nuts to make sure they secure. It wouldn't hurt to test the switch also. After the switch pops in place, it's not coming out easily.

With all but the top nut in place, push the switch and slide it into the chamber of the parking target. It will be a snug fit. use a long screwdriver or 10" stick to push the switch in place. When the switch finds the hole it will pop in place. If your hole is snug, you may need to use a padded pair of pliers to pull the switch in place. A snug fitting switch at this point will make it easy to screw on the top nut.

One possible down side of this is that your drive in has to be a bit more precise to hit the switch. At less than $15 for my solution verses more than $100 for a tape switch, I can live with that. 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I hope these will help clarify things.

[TakeTheActive]

...and I have pictures! However, I don't have a site to store pictures for linking yet. I know it's not hard but I've never built a site. Can I link from a photo site? I guess what I'm saying is I need some hand holding through the process...

Steven R,

HOW MANY TIMES have I suggested to folks on the forum to use Yahoo! GeoCities for hosting their images for display (via the {IMG} function) here?

Let me see now:

• WHO's Halloween photos have I been "hosting" on *MY* Yahoo! GeoCities site since November 6, 2006? [steven r]
  
  
• WHO had to re-size those same Halloween photos to enable them to 'FIT' on a 1024x768 screen? [THANKS KDR!]
  
  
• SINCE I PM'd you on «  Sent to: steven r  on: 2006-12-24, 01:40:27 » that I wanted *YOU* to host your own "Re: Halloween Ghost? photos, I *HOPE* that you have d/l'd them by now - since you now have your own Yahoo! GeoCities site, I'll *FINALLY* be able delete *YOUR* photos from *MY* site within the next 24 hours (UPDATE the thread before then, if you want to preserve the information! ).
  

[TakeTheActive]

I stopped by Ace Hardware last Sun and spotted this cool parking target. In addition to definitively knowing when to stop when you drive over it, I figured why not mount a switch in it.

---SNIP---

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I hope these will help clarify things.

steven r,

Yes indeed, a picture *IS* worth a thousand words (or more!), but, IMHO, posting 8 UNCROPPED, 1600x1200 .JPGs of ~300KB each is *VERY* inconsiderate of our 56Kbps Dial-Up, 768Kbps DSL, and 'equal to or less than' 1024x768 display screen size members.

I hope that KDR will once again volunteer his 'PHOTOSHOP' skills, as he did for your Halloween Photos last year. But, in the future, *PLEASE* post more reasonably sized (and cropped) photos (and EDIT these if you can).

Thanks!

[steven r]

Yes indeed, a picture *IS* worth a thousand words (or more!), but, IMHO, posting 8 UNCROPPED, 1600x1200 .JPGs of ~300KB each is *VERY* inconsiderate of our 56Kbps Dial-Up, 768Kbps DSL, and 'equal to or less than' 1024x768 display screen size members....

Sorry to push a button there. I was eager to post my project with pictures. Completely forgot about size. Bare with me while I remember what is a good size for the forum.

[TakeTheActive]

Sorry to push a button there...

You didn't PUSH A BUTTON - that would imply a PERSONAL preference. My concern is for the ENTIRE X10 Community (including the THOUSANDS of unspoken-for LURKERS! ).

Besides, unless someone needs to print 8x10 GLOSSIES from your .JPGs, 640x480 (properly CROPPED ) is *MORE* than adequate for "informational purposes" posting on a forum.

Bare with me...

*PLEASE* , this is a "Family-Oriented" Forum.

[KDR]

steven r ... Keep your eye on your email. I downloaded your images from your post and re-sized them to 640 x 480. You should be able to upload them and they should over write the originals. Once that's done they should show up here as smaller images. Any problems just drop me a PM or email.

^{----------------KDR}

[steven r]

KDR: Thanks for the re-sizing.

TakeTheActive & others: Sorry for the initial large posting of the pictures. In my eagerness to post them I forgot about sizing. Most of my photo software is on my laptop and it is having memory problems. i.e. The memory is fried as well as being so old that it's hard to find. (Anyone know where I can find 256MB SDR ram for a laptop?)

I learn best by doing, not by reading or verbally. e.g. I maybe one of the only guys that grabs a pen and paper when asking for directions. Verbal directions more than 2 turns is lost to me.

While I'm "baring" myself, I'll mention I use at least 2 spell checkers in an attempt to make my posts legible. i.e. It's not usually for me to have to guess more than once at a spelling for the spell checker to find the correct word spelling. When a homonym (You wouldn't believe what I had to do to find that spelling of that word.) sneaks by I'm screwed.  Sadly I don't absorb the correct spelling after that and often find myself misspelling it again in the next paragraph. I suppose this is one of the reasons I have so much patience for newbies. One of them may have found it challenging just getting over the simple steps of posting here.

That said I believe it's better to "learn to fish" than being spoon fed. So continue to be patience with me.

TakeTheActive: I know you've done it more than once but email me a step by step procedure of what I need to do to move my Halloween pictures from your site to mine and I'll do it.

For what it's worth, with my 10-15wpm typing and spelling skills, I've spent over 30 minutes composing and spell checking this message.

[TakeTheActive]

steven r ...I downloaded your images from your post and re-sized them to 640 x 480...

THANKS (again) KDR!

Did you do any cropping, or just resizing?

Would you please post the step-by-step procedure you followed for reference for other posters with HUGE .JPGs?

Thanks!