So, I finally got my backside into gear and completed the project!
Background
We keep some chickens in the back garden, inside a sizable run. The hen house is situated inside this run, and has a small opening with a door. This must be closed at night to prevent predators (if they managed to get inside the run) from gaining access to the chickens - sleepy chickens are very docile and easy pickings for any predator.
I live in an urban area in the UK, and the main predators are foxes and cats.
Design Overview
I created a user manual for the parents/sister (as I'm now back at Uni). This will provide much more info and can be directly downloaded from http://www.tiiiim.com/temp/picaxe/Chicken_Door_User_Manual_V1.pdf. The circuit diagrams can also be found at the end of this manual.
Code/PICAXES
There are two code files attached. The first is for the main control box which uses a 28X1, whilst the second is for the indicator box which uses an 08M to drive some indicator LEDs. There is a simple flow chart available in the User Manual which describes what the code does for non-PICAXE people.
Any questions just ask!
Background
We keep some chickens in the back garden, inside a sizable run. The hen house is situated inside this run, and has a small opening with a door. This must be closed at night to prevent predators (if they managed to get inside the run) from gaining access to the chickens - sleepy chickens are very docile and easy pickings for any predator.
I live in an urban area in the UK, and the main predators are foxes and cats.
Design Overview
- This chicken door incorporates a linear actuator to horizontally slide the existing door of the hen house.
- The door opens just after dawn and closes just after dusk – these times are automatically determined by two light sensors in the chicken run.
- There is a switch (‘close switch’) at the far end of the hen house which is pushed shut when the door is closed, enabling the control box to determine correct movement of the actuator.
- A motion sensor attached to the hen house detects movement at night and prevents the door from opening until the area has been checked by a human.
- An indicator box is positioned outside of the chicken run, and displays the current door status via three coloured lights.
I created a user manual for the parents/sister (as I'm now back at Uni). This will provide much more info and can be directly downloaded from http://www.tiiiim.com/temp/picaxe/Chicken_Door_User_Manual_V1.pdf. The circuit diagrams can also be found at the end of this manual.
Code/PICAXES
There are two code files attached. The first is for the main control box which uses a 28X1, whilst the second is for the indicator box which uses an 08M to drive some indicator LEDs. There is a simple flow chart available in the User Manual which describes what the code does for non-PICAXE people.
Any questions just ask!
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