Make/break sensor.

[Greenie9657]

Good morning all,

I've just fitted a pir light outside my back door but it's just too far away to trigger when someone walks through the gate. I'm am looking at wiring in some sort of sensor on the gate so it will turn the light on when the gates opened. The only one I can think off is something like you get on a house alarm fitted to the door.

Does anyone know of anything I could use, and also who supplies them?

Regards

 

[Nozzle]

You could use another PIR sensor that is mounted closer to the gate. To get either a remote switch or remore sensor working will require you to have to hack about the internals of the PCB of the lamp, plus lay armoured cable if using a mains powered solution.

Nozzle

 

[magicmushroom666]

You could sink something like this into the gate post, so its held pressed by the gate being shut. Of course anything that's going to survive outside isn't going to be cheap, and the real problem is connecting it to the exiting light which most likely doesn't have a facility for an external switch.
http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/limit-switches/8943346/
Maybe it'd work out better getting a light with a remote PIR sensor and mounting that closer to the gate.

 

[bernardgreen]

How far is the gate from the lamp ? There are PIRs that can sense motion 12 metres away. If more than 12 metres then unless you go for a battery powered gate sensor and wireless link to the lamp you are going to have to lay in a cable to the gate.

Laying in a ELV cable ( 12 volts ) would be cheaper and easier than laying in a 230 volt cable but would require an ELV power supply and ELV to mains relay at or near the lamp.

 

[stem]

I'm am looking at wiring in some sort of sensor on the gate so it will turn the light on when the gates opened.

You will also need to incorporate a timer into the circuit, otherwise the light will come on when you open the gate and go off when it is closed. Also consider what might happen if the gate was left open or swinging in the wind.

The only one I can think off is something like you get on a house alarm fitted to the door.

They are not suitable for outdoor use or for 230v. So, you would also need a power supply and relay.

Does anyone know of anything I could use, and also who supplies them?

How about a photocell? you could mount it so that it was triggered by someone walking through the gate and so wouldn't be effected by the gate not being closed properly. The type that are designed for use with electric gates are weatherproof and specifically designed for this purpose. You can find an example here.

 

[ericmark]

In the last 12 months I have fitted two lamps with PIR control, they were very different, first Aldi had three controls, the amount of light to trigger, the sensitivity of PIR, and time. It had a quartz bulb now swapped to LED and filled with water and needed a drain hole drilling. Second was from Screwfix built in LED, only two controls time and amount of light, it was far too sensitive and switched on as every car passed and I had to stick tape over the sensor to reduce sensitivity.

Clearly you can be lucky or unlucky, but the Screwfix one is more sensitive than required as light comes one when the item triggering it is out of range of the light. If your lamp is not triggered when something within the lamp range is hot and moving then I would say you were unlucky.

However item needs to be hot and moving. My wife drives in forward and light always works, I reverse in and it does not work until I open door. I could see a problem with rear engine car not working the lamp.

The P in PIR stands for passive, so it does not have an inferred source it needs radiator, engine, or body heat.

 

[Taylortwocities]

@Greenie9657

As Nozzle says, you really, really do not want to be running mains cables all the way down to the front gate.
That has all sorts of implications.

I suggest that you look at a Wireless PIR out at the gate with a receiver next to the existing PIR.
One of these will do you (click the pic for details)

 

[Greenie9657]

Thanks for your replies. Due to the lay out it pretty easy to bury whatever I use in the wall. I just wanted something that triggers when the gate opens. But will have to operate at 240v

 

[Greenie9657]

The rotary switch looks like it would do the job. I'll have a closer look when I get the chance later