Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Steve - how did you envisage the door openning and closing. Through reversing the motor - or using an arm similar to a windsreen wiper so the door can go up and down while the motor is going in one direction?

Is it just me or is anybody else getting a picture of the door going up and down all day while the chooks are trying to get their timing right.

Seriously though, I am interested to see how it pans out, might need a similar device.

now what would make sense is to have no motors or pumps at all, only two solenoid valves on an existing water supply line: one that fills the bottle in the evening to close the door and one on the bottle exit that empties the bottle into the hen's drinking pan, meanwhile opening the door (or vice versa)

frank

Got one of these it sorts foxs wild dogs ect whistle them up and blam blam better still teach the chooks to shoot or open and close doors I still trying to teach my seven year old son to do doors but he can shoot

Hoped you're teaching him to duck first before opening the doors.....

He used to go through my brothers back screen door via the dog flap but his getting a bit big for that now He does seem to have a lot in common with my border collie wrong place when herding sheep finds all sorts of gross things and brings them home goes from clean to filthy in less than five seconds But i love em both

V.B.
Just to throw in another twist,
I have recently picked up at auction, a couple of hundred Pneumatic (Air) rams of varying sizes, ranging from as thick as your little finger, up to to 4" diameter, in a range of lengths.

Hook one of these to a 12V tyre pump from "Supercheap" or "B" and the job's done.
12V control valves are readily available from Pneumatics suppliers.

no need for limit switches as the ram stops at the end of its travel, and the pump and valves can be mounted remotely, nowhere near the door. Doors can even be slid horizontally.

If you're interested, just let me know the size and weight of the door, and I can see what I can give you to play with!
I can even give you something that will activate a swing door if that tickles your fancy
I may even be able to scrounge up a Directional control valve so all you need to do is provide a signal to start the process.

All you have to lose is freight costs from Melbourne via Aussie post, I'll donate the rest in the name of research!

Dicko

"I have recently picked up at auction, a couple of hundred Pneumatic (Air) rams of varying sizes".
Lucky bugger (If you are going to put some on ebay,can you give me a PM, please)

yea me too i could finally set my tip trailer up properly

Dicko - sounds like an offer to good to refuse.

Normally these types of doors slide open in a vertical direction and are just kept in place by having guides on either side. They therefore drop under their own weight as the cord or whatever that holds them up is gradually released.

I guess using the system you propose - the door would have to swing, or am I wrong.

The only problem I see with this is that without some sort of automated latch, the chickes may be able to open it (or foxes/dogs if swinging the other way. Having said that - a horizontal sliding door might be okay - but wouldn't you need some sort of spring assemby to have the ram return to its down position (or do they work differently to that).

Sorry - just trying to get my head around it, not having used these sorts of rams before.

Swing door is only one option

Best option is a straight push pull mechanism.
Look at a bulldozer or bobcat etc, The buckets and blades are Hydraulic (Same but stronger).
Rams extend and contract, opening/closing, lifting or lowering stuff.

Normally a pneumatic ram works a bit the same as a bike pump in reverse.(Only bigger or smaller).

Have you ever pumped up a bike tyre with a dodgy valve, and had the pump handle push back out to the start position? That is exactly how a ram works.

Compressed air in one end, Ram extends..
Compressed air in the other end, Ram retracts...

Dicko

Righto - in that case I would probably mount the ram above the door and have it lift the door straight up (through contaction of the ram) to open it and push it down (through extenstion of the ram) to close it. Door would be simply mounteed - sliding between guides/lips on either side.

With these rams - what happens when the air switches off, is there a valve that stops it releasing (or air getting in) and therefore keeps the ram in position?

Sounds like with the correct switching - it could be quite simple to rig something with one of these rams

lol by the time you've fixed this you'll be thinking about the chook door all day anyway...you'll NEVER forget to close it

The idea behind the purchase is to put the whole lot onto ebay bit at a time.
I am however, reluctant to try and make money through the AP forum. That's not why I joined.
If you PM me the size you want, I'll see what I've got and we can sort out a cost that will be a lot better than the planned start price on ebay



Same deal here... , although I dont know if what I have will be strong enough for a Tipper



Back to the door question!!
V.B.,
I can probably dig up the required valves to hold everything where you need it, stuff I can't find, I can give you the details on what to ask for.

Just remembered, I've also got some air driven motors!
maybe you could rig up a "revolving door"

Dicko

Dicko - this is all sounding great, but do you think that the added complexity (the valves etc) may reduce the reliability of the system. I'd be interested to see a list of required components and the estimated cost. Even with your kind gestures, maybe it would end up costly compared to the alternative. Ont he other hand - if its the flashes chook door openner in Aus - maybe I'll be up for it anyway .