Trip Wires with inputpup

[Nick Spica]

Hello everyone,

I am working for a local fire department at the moment for a light display. They want their lights to trigger a specific sequence when they receive a fire call. 

I am making a sequence for when the trucks pull out of the garage bay. I purchased an Input pup to make this possible. I am able to use a single push button to trigger the sequence. 

Now my real question. I want to use some sort of invisible laser beam (like the safety lasers on garage doors, in case something is in the way it reopens the door). I want to put them high enough that if a truck breaks the beam it triggers the pup. However, I am assuming that the lasers require some power and may be more than the 9V that the pup can handle. Does anyone know how I can achieve this or have some other laser that would work? I’m sure someone has tried to do similar in their display. 

Thank you all in advance. 

-Nick

[bryan.hurley5]

You could also use a PIR sensor located a little high as well to just sense motion a few feet up. I’m not sure the voltage on garage sensors but you could always power it via a Power Supply Unit if need be. I am quite curious to see if a garage sensor would work. I’m about to take mine off my door and try and hook it up. I’ll let ya know how it goes. 

[bryan.hurley5]

So after looking at my own sensors and the wires going to them, I don’t think they are able to be used. They are not a switch but rather a “stopper” for the motor to run on the garage opener. Simply put, without he sensors, the garage door would not close. If there are any experts out there please let me know if I am wrong. 

 

I think the PIR sensor is the way to go for your project. Or somehow make a pressure plate switch for the trucks when they leave. 

[Nick Spica]

Thanks so much Bryan. What is a PIR sensor? I’m sorry if that’s a dumb question. I’m still new to this. 

[Nick Spica]

I guess what I’m really asking is if I found a sensor I liked, how would I power it. Bc I would connect the 2 leads to the pup. How would I power the sensor without damaging the pup?

thanks again

-Nick

[Dennis Laff]

Nick look at a website.    Frightprops .com.   They will have everything you need .

[k6ccc]

I use interactive sequences in my year round landscape lighting, but to start the show and to trigger specific sequences when things happen.  I am using a combination of light sensors (i.e., it gets dark when the sun goes down, or gets light when the sun comes up), magnetic door switches, and light beam type sensors.  I have used PIR motion sensors, but was not overly happy with the results - light beams worked better for my purposes.

The light beams I am using require 12V DC and have a pair of contacts for output.  Those connect to the InputPup, and the 12V comes from one of my 12V power supplies.

 

[Nick Spica]

K6ccc. Thanks so much. Can you send me the link for your light beams. 

 

[Nick Spica]

Thanks Dennis. I’ll check it out. 

[k6ccc]

2 hours ago, Nick Spica said:

K6ccc. Thanks so much. Can you send me the link for your light beams. 

 

I should be able to dig that up. 

 

[k6ccc]

6 hours ago, Nick Spica said:

K6ccc. Thanks so much. Can you send me the link for your light beams.

https://www.amazon.com/Single-Photoelectric-Detector-Active-Sensor/dp/B0050GTZ32/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

According to Amazon, I bought two pairs in July of 2013.  They were put into service a few months later and have worked flawlessly ever since.  I mounted mine in single gang PVC electrical boxes as seen in the photo.  There is a 3/4 inch hole in the front of the box that has a piece of lexan epoxied onto the inside of the hole to maintain waterproofing, yet allowing the light beam to get through.

The gray box in upper left of the photo houses a transmitter that points to a receiver in a planter behind and left of the photographer.  It is used to detect people walking up the porch from the driveway (left of the brick at the extreme left edge of the photo).  The power for the transmitter, comes from the larger 8x8x4 gray electrical box on the far right that his partially hidden by the handrail.  The wire runs under the bullnose brick on the top step (along with a dumb RGB strip).  The gray box in the upper right of the photo houses a receiver that is looking at a transmitter that is behind and to the right of the photographer.  This beam detects people either approaching the porch steps from a walkway that comes from the right (or at least it will after I build it), or people who came down the steps and are going to walk out the walkway.  The power and switched contact goes through the short piece of conduit to the 8x8x4 gray box at the extreme right.  The transmitter and receiver in the planter behind the photographer also have conduit that goes to the 8x8x4 box.  From there, the wiring goes through another 55 foot conduit to one of my brick columns where the InputPup is located.

BTW, the 8x8x4 box originally held a 16 channel LOR DC controller that powered the RGB dumb strip under the bullnose brick on the three steps, but that was relocated to one of the brick columns elsewhere in the yard so I could more easily use the other 7 channels of that controller.  The 8x8x4 box is now just a junction point, and has a total of six conduits feeding into it.

 

Edited April 25, 2018 by k6ccc
Fixed typo of date I purchased the light beams.

[Nick Spica]

7 hours ago, k6ccc said:

https://www.amazon.com/Single-Photoelectric-Detector-Active-Sensor/dp/B0050GTZ32/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

According to Amazon, I bought two pairs in July of 2013.  They were put into service a few months later and have worked flawlessly ever since.  I mounted mine in single gang PVC electrical boxes as seen in the photo.  There is a 3/4 inch hole in the front of the box that has a piece of lexan epoxied onto the inside of the hole to maintain waterproofing, yet allowing the light beam to get through.

The gray box in upper left of the photo houses a transmitter that points to a receiver in a planter behind and left of the photographer.  It is used to detect people walking up the porch from the driveway (left of the brick at the extreme left edge of the photo).  The power for the transmitter, comes from the larger 8x8x4 gray electrical box on the far right that his partially hidden by the handrail.  The wire runs under the bullnose brick on the top step (along with a dumb RGB strip).  The gray box in the upper right of the photo houses a receiver that is looking at a transmitter that is behind and to the right of the photographer.  This beam detects people either approaching the porch steps from a walkway that comes from the right (or at least it will after I build it), or people who came down the steps and are going to walk out the walkway.  The power and switched contact goes through the short piece of conduit to the 8x8x4 gray box at the extreme right.  The transmitter and receiver in the planter behind the photographer also have conduit that goes to the 8x8x4 box.  From there, the wiring goes through another 55 foot conduit to one of my brick columns where the InputPup is located.

BTW, the 8x8x4 box originally held a 16 channel LOR DC controller that powered the RGB dumb strip under the bullnose brick on the three steps, but that was relocated to one of the brick columns elsewhere in the yard so I could more easily use the other 7 channels of that controller.  The 8x8x4 box is now just a junction point, and has a total of six conduits feeding into it.

 

Jim,

Thank you so much!! Very helpful! I'm going to buy a cheap beam detector and give it a try!

[TheDucks]

Gas Stations used to have Bells when you drove over the hose.

http://www.milleredge.com/air-switches-hose-accessories.html

The nice thing, the hose can be long and is not affected by light or door width.

[videoman3857]

This is a photoelectric switch. it projects a beam to a reflector and activates a relay when the beam is broken.
It has a 4 mtr sensing distance and operates off 24 - 240 volt ac or 12 to 240 volt DC 
The switch triggers a internal relay - it does not output voltage - it will just make a contact so it should be perfefct for your input pup 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Omron-Photoelectric-Switch-E3JK-R4M2-24-240VAC-12-240VDC-New-JO1/222889695572?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

[k6ccc]

One issue I have run into with a reflecting light beam.  I had tried a reflecting light beam on the path in the left of the photo I posted above.  The problem was that if someone was wearing light colored pants or was wearing shorts and had very light legs, there would be enough reflection that the receiver would not detect that they had crossed the beam.  This was particularly true if the person was close to the transmitter / receiver.  Yes, they are easier to install since there is only a reflector at one end and you don't need to get wires to it.

 

[JayStang]

maybe it was Catherine Zeta Jones, crawling around your laser beams. not setting them off?