Ya la la la la la la .............. the relay works!

Connected to 2 + points on the transformer. 1 is the pretend power from the photo cell.

I remove 1 wire and the actuator retracts.

I touch the + of the transformer with the wire and it moves out.

I have won half the battle!

And of course a price of 1 million USD or CAD, whatever, to encourage further development!

Congratulations can be posted to Spain, together with Miss America

 

Oooooh, how I love the sound of this thing going in and out!

 

In place of the power from the transformer I have hooked up the non demolished photo cell now. That was easy. But that's dead as a fish. With or without a cloth. It's like a quick cement mixture instead of 10W30 in a Chevrolet.

I am going to look for a better one. At least now I know it works. Meanwhile you can organize a special delivery by DHL, I will turn the electric blanket on.

 

Another useless chinese invented spec. 10% duty cycle.

The blanket? Have had it for 20 years or so. It's great! At day time it's quite pleasant outside but it does get cold now at night and there is no heating in the bedroom. But the bed is nice and warm. Sorry .......... but it works well and has done so for a long time.

 

Last year I went to China, twice. I would never take a holiday there as I didn't like the atmosphere at all, you can't poke your nose without being recorded. Still, they do have airports, bullet train railway stations, skyscrapers and highways that look like science fiction. We were at a railway station the size of Amsterdam airport (after London and Paris the biggest) and it was hyper modern. Extremely impressive. The new airport in Beijing also resembles the year 3000. There definitely is an 'awe' factor, a lot of things are not just absolutely huge but perfect in every possible way. Also extremely clean. Of course there is a big contrast with 'up country' but the neck braking development in the last few years is incredible. So it's not just 'junk'. They're doing a lot of things better and faster.

 

My multi meter consist of 10 fingers and a strong heart.
But if the internal contacts of my relay are NOT the same as in the relay from the American it would explain a lot.
And here we go again, for 59 years I have been able to survive without a multi meter so that's definitely not something I want to throw my money at. The only option is ........junk!

I don’t know about where you are, but in the US, a multimeter that would be sufficient for most of your uses is $5 or less. Even free! Get one. You will save hours of work.

 

I don’t know about where you are, but in the US, a multimeter that would be sufficient for most of your uses is $5 or less. Even free! Get one. You will save hours of work.

Yeah, you are right. I WILL get one. To be honest here, I have thought about it many times (and I know they cost very little) but didn't look forward to learn how to exactly use these and managed to get everything done without one. Well, that's the truth.

 

Another question.

I have got 3 coops ready, except the automatic doors.

In 1 coop there is 1 actuator that opens 2 doors.

The other 2 coops have each 1 actuator and 1 door.

Shortly there will be a 220 V cable running from the house to the nearest coop. (not far) In there I will mount the transformer (12V 12A) and the relay (10A) Then place a quality photo cell outside and a cable to the actuator inside.

That’s 1. No big deal.

From the same relay I want a cable to coop 2 and connect it to an actuator, this one is 25 metres ‘north’. (23 yards)

And from the same relay I want a cable to coop 3 and also connect it to an actuator. This one too is at a distance of 25 metres but ‘south’.

I got 2 pieces/cables with a diameter of 2.5 mm or 13 AWG in the US. That should be short and thick enough as not to lose too much of the 12V.

Now, the question is: I don’t see anything about amperes or wattage on this website

https://www.linear-actuator.net.cn/product/linear-actuator/al03-mini-linear-actuators.html

(this is the actuator) but would like to know how many amps they each pull. Asking as the photo cell I have seen is only 5 A and that might not be enough. Power consumption would be higher I suppose if the doors were heavy but they are not. Half a kilo or just 1 pound and the actuators I bought can pull 750N or 168 pounds.

Because the website doesn’t say how many watt these things are there is no way of knowing and I can only guess? And so would 5A for the photo cell be too low or ........?

Anyone any idea what these actuators might be gobbling up?

The photo cell is UK made, costs 9 times as much as the Chinese one but looks ok.

CellOptik-EcoLUX

Only thing is that the 12 V version is rated as only 5 A or 60 Watt

 

When "we" think transformer, we think it supplies an AC voltage.

When "we" hear "power supply" we have to guess by context, So a 12V 1A Power supply or a 9VAC 1A power brick.

Rectifying a 12 VAC 1A transformer, you get considerably more voltage and much less available current. How much voltage depends on if it's full or half-wave rectified. This assumes a capacitor filter.

 

With your money.

Yes, with my money. If we don't make anything we have to buy elsewhere. And we we make something which we can make for a third of the price elsewhere we go somewhere else.

 

No, your actuator.

Yeah, also made in C .....

 

True but he is cheap, even on chinese junk.

Yes, I am cheap. But why pay $ 10 for product XYZ if you pay $ 5 for the same XYZ on another website? That's clever. And cheap. And no, I am not always cheap. I prefer to fly business class because I think it's worth it. And if I can't afford it I don't go. Some people spend 50.000 whatever currency on a car that drops half in value in 3 years. That might be the opposite of cheap but I think that's stupid. But those people might not be stupid, it's their choice.

 

A multimeter would answer your question. You get what you pay for with chinese junk.

That's not Chinese junk, it's the cheapest version of a UK made cell and it costs 9 times as much and is rated at 5 A or 60 Watt.
You are saying I can measure the 'consumption' of an actuator with a multi meter so I can see how many amps I need?

 

Your cables are CCAW?

What the heck is CCAW?

 

Here it is a switching power supply.

I am talking about this and it says 12 A 12 V

 

Not the same product, a fake. No , not clever.

That is true but I had no idea it was fake. I know nothing about components. The name is OMROTI and that indeed if misleading. You can also buy NIKOM instead of NIKON and if you know nothing about cameras at all you may buy it because you have possibly heard the name before.

 

It is made in UK? Sorry, why the fake specs then? Yes, multimeters where invented just for that, go figure!

No, the photo cell I saw is made in the UK. The actuator in China.

 

A chinese invention. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper-clad_aluminium_wire

Thank you. No, it's a regular copper cable, 2 wires, heavy insulation. $ 91 so I had to swallow very hard.

 

This is the cell. Possible use: chicken coop!

But just 5A 60 Watt

 

CCAW is a new one for me. I have used CCSW or copper clad steel wire for RF. Friends gave me 1000' of RG-6QS. They were in the Satellite business. RF travels on the skin of the wire. I should be using solid copper for the rotor power. It's RG-6QS too.