Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Do windscreen wiper motors automatically change direction as they are switched on and off - or is that doen by reversing the polarity and by using some sort of component that is additional to the motor?

Also - does anybody know - does repco, supercheap and those sorts of places sell them?

am almost certain that they use limit switches inside the motor assembly. hence why the plug will have 4 or 5 wires.

sorry vb, i know that you want a short answer, so "NO". look for a OEM replacement

Component additional to the motor +1

I use one for a rotisserie on my BBQ (mainly to roast coffee beens...), runs in only one direction from a 1A transformer.

Got my from the wreckers...

myles, but you're only using two of the 4 or five wires. I'm fairly sure you'll find that if you run two of the other pins inn series you will get the back and forward.

I stand corrected.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/wiper1.htm

the extra two pins are used to "park" the wipers, power is constantly supplied (with ignition on) to one of these pins and will be fed though the closed contacts until they reach the "parked" position where they will open can cut power.

http://www.scary-terry.com/wipmtr/wipmtr2.htm

so, no extra device and no internal device, simple linkages.

what is your exact problem VB, so i can give a diagnosis

Well this could run to 20 pages+ and a couple of months easy... better call in KEII to help Steve....

I'm going to get chooks again in December - will finish my chook pen renovation in the meantime.

I wanted to get an automatic chook door www.chicken-house.co.uk/aup/index.htm , because I'm always forgetting to put the chooks to bed (ie close the door before dark to keep the foxes out and before morning to keep the chooks in). The thing was always going to be expensive, but the recent slide in the $A makes it ridiculous and so I won't be getting one and instead will look at rigging up my own. Other than the door and guide - which I would have made myself anyway - all I figure I need is a 12 volt moror with limit switch inbuilt (or if not inbuilt - a magnetic switch that I can put on the door and frame), a 12 volt timer, a 12 volt photoelectric swith and a battery. Hence my questions about the wiper motors - I'm sure the brains here will be very useful in assisting me to do this :-)

BTW - I have a photoelectric switch - but it is 240V . I'm sure they'd come in 12volt though - cos they'de be used in solar powered lights and shit wouldn't they.

All the parts would have to be super reliable though - or bye, bye chookies.

I have foxes and wild dogs around here at night.

Your 100% correcto Steve. Park switches of some sort in the 2nd part - red ring. Only use ground and one connection to run it - one of the other connections changes speed by about 1/2 for this particular one - no clue what it came off of...

Ha Ha Ha i will put you in touch with my mate he built one and one weekend he had visitors and they all were out next morning to see the chook door open it opened on time the first thing that walked out was a fox [and no chooks]

Was thinking the same thing when I read it.

easiest to scrounge are car window motors with limit switches and all
find an appropriate car wreck (i.e. a monovolume), empty it of everything except the window motors and the battery
throw some straw in it, add a ladder to one of the windows
and you have the perfect chicken pen
no modifications necessary
leave the wheels on and you can move it to where you want it
retrieve the eggs through the motor hood

I would use the wiper motor to build a piston pump

frank

Hi VB, I have chooks and ducks, and I have the chookyard fenced and covered with birdnetting (keeps the birds of my apple trees). My neighbour had 8 ducks killed by a fox. Another had 6 chooks killed by a fox - while his Dalmation
was sleeping nearby!
I have also been thinking about an automatic door as well - I reckon use a retractabel car antenna either s/h or new.
I found one priced @ $74 and the same one in another store $48. Has limit switches (not operated by radio switch)
Disconnect the s/s antenna - you get about 1 mt (or so) of flexible plastic (strip) with a bit of tweaking you can set the limit switches distance you need for your door up or down or left - right. Attach your door - set your timer - should be up and running in no time
heka

Heka - that's a good idea, regarding the electric antenna, but I wonder whether it would be robust enough. Pretty small motor I'd expect. Given the value of the chooks, this is one thing I'm inclined to overengineer.

I'm still keen on the idea of using a windscreen wiper motor, so just need to work out how to work the switching so it will work to open and close the door.

I was thinking that I would use this sort of thing (2 sets - one set at top and one set at bottom) to switch power off when door reaches its open position or closed position http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.as ... &SUBCATID=

I would then use a timer and/or twilight switch like this to turn the power on when I want the door to open or close http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.as ... &SUBCATID=

It would seem that if I were to use a wiper motor, I'd also need to have a switch to change the direction of the motor so it would both open and close. Garage door openers have this sort of thing I supose.

The other option would be to engineer it so that the door will somehow open and close by using the motor going in the same direction for both. Similar to the setup for the wipers in Steve's first link I guess.