My wife and I will care for a dear friend who is having back surgery and will have no one else to help her. She’ll stay with us and need home care for up to six months.

She needs our attention anytime, day or night. For day calls, we have handheld radios that can be kept on a charger. She can push a call button, and we’ll respond. But at night, the call signal may not wake us. We can sleep through thunderstorms.

I have a remote switch controlled by a FOB that turns on a single 120VAC outlet. I’m thinking of plugging in a power supply that flashes a car lamp, like a turn signal, but also has a sounding device that works on the same voltage. A car horn would be too rude, so I’m open to ideas.

 

A vibration source under your pillow?

 

A vibration source under your pillow?

I thrash about at night with my pillow. Not likely to stay under the pillow. But it's a good idea for sure.

 

How about a cheap Door-Bell from Home-Depot ?
No Electronics required.
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How about a cheap Door-Bell from Home-Depot ?
No Electronics required.

Had not thought about that. Great suggestion. But I'd like something that continues to disturb me until I get up and shut it off. Otherwise she'll have to keep ringing the doorbell until someone responds. She's a great natured person who will suffer the fires of hell just to not disturb someone else. So I want her to push the button once and it activates a circuit that I (or my wife) have to deactivate it.

 

OK, so maybe some Electronics would be useful,
like a 555-Timer that repeatedly rings the Door-Bell until reset.
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This is a high school circuit back when transistors were all the rage as the greatest thing to electronics. It's an older drawing but I just made a screen shot of it. Instead of LED's perhaps a modification to this would yield a workable flasher type circuit. A lamp and an alarm of some sort.

Maybe replace the LED's with Opto's, let them do the switching. Or maybe replace them with transistors to do switching. Again, I'm open to all thoughts and comments.

 

Had not thought about that. Great suggestion. But I'd like something that continues to disturb me until I get up and shut it off.

If the AC outlet continuously applies power after the remote is activated, then use that to power an alarm/strobe light (examples).
Some would need a wallwort for power, but others work directly from 120Vac.
That should wake the (near) dead.

 

crutschow those are some great suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to research them.

Do these beep when powered or do they need a driver of some sort?

 

Do these beep when powered or do they need a driver of some sort?

Most of them beep when powered.
It should tell that in the units description.

 

Most of them beep when powered.
It should tell that in the units description.

Had to find that info in the description. They have to be driven. They won't just work if powered.

Also looked at the fire alarm. It has wimpy red LED's not super bright white LED's. It doesn't meet fire codes or regulations - as was commented in the reviews. 4 out of 5 stars and a lot more than just a few reviews. Loud? Yes. Bright? No.

But I'm still looking. The first alert that can be powered from 120VAC - that would solve a lot of problems. Especially if it's loud enough to blast through my ear plugs. (wife snores - don't tell anyone I said that)

 

For the sounder, perhaps you could modify one of these?

 

I've been through this a few times. What has worked for us are wireless doorbells from ebay. One has 32 sounds and tunes built-in and some of them are truly obnoxious. The ones with a receiver that plugs into the wall are louder than the ones with battery-powered receivers. I put a belt clip on a battery receiver for when I'm working outside.

Separate from that, if your remote switch already has sufficient range and reliability, then -

A DPDT relay makes a simple set-reset latch. One set of contacts for the latch and one set for whatever you want to control. Your remote switch sets the latch and a local pushbutton NC switch resets it. If the relay has a 120 Vac coil and the sounder runs on 120 Vac, then no control electronics or power supply required.

What is the output from your FOB-controlled remote switch? Website/datasheet?

ak

 

I've been through this a few times. What has worked for us are wireless doorbells from ebay. One has 32 sounds and tunes built-in and some of them are truly obnoxious. The ones with a receiver that plugs into the wall are louder than the ones with battery-powered receivers. I put a belt clip on a battery receiver for when I'm working outside.

Separate from that, if your remote switch has sufficient range and reliability, then -

A DPDT relay makes a simple set-reset latch. One set of contacts for the latch and one set for whatever you want to control. Your remote switch sets the latch and a local pushbutton NC switch resets it. If the relay has a 120 Vac coil and the sounder runs on 120 Vac, then no control electronics or power supply required.

What is the output from your FOB-controlled remote switch? Website?

ak

I'm really liking this idea. Along with this.

As for the outdoors thing, we have two walkie talkie's (lack of a better description of them). It has a call button and push to talk button. During the day one of us will have one receiver. If one of us has to leave the house the other will remain home with the walkie. And for those times when both of us are out, we have a sitter ready to step in. Also our patient has a friend who might step up and sit. She has grand children and they're welcome to come visit. Her daughter has her hands full, though she really should be the one to step up. But experience with previous operations - daughter is nowhere to be found when most needed. Kids! Can't live with them, can't toss them in the oven. Kids will break your heart almost every time.

 

If your remote switch's only output is a switched AC outlet, then the above plan will need a tweak. Hopefully there is a relay (*not* a TRIAC) inside that you can access.

ak

 

The receiver/transmitter is something I bought several years ago after Christmas. A bunch of them were on sale and I bought two of them. Tell me why it might not work. It switches Christmas lights on. Since it's not Xmas I use it to switch a fan on and off. Small fan, a "Vornado". Have not had any problems with it switching at all. Don't see why it wouldn't work. Besides, I just spent a bunch of money on parts for this "Call Button". The range of the CB is more than the length of the house.

As mentioned, there are two of them here. If I'm in the shop (above the garage) and I use one upstairs (detached garage) the fan in the living room will come on. Sometimes. Perhaps a fresh battery will increase the transmitter range, but I've used the one upstairs only to be told I turned the fan on in the living room. So range is not an issue. Still have to test out the range of the walkies though.

[edit] it has a relay. Can hear it engage and disengage. [end edit]

 

These coupled with the receiver/transmitter I already own, looks like a golden ticket. Will further investigate if using a power strip to shut off and restore as a way to reset the relay. All DIN Rail mounted (except the piezo) along with a DIN Kit, should be good to go.

 

My solution to a similar solution does not involve such complexity. With an outlet of switched mains power it is simple to plug in a small table lamp with a 60 watt equivalent bulb and have it sitting in a location in the same room as my bed. The light may not awaken me instantly, but it always does after a bit.
Certainly this may not work for those who commonly sleep in brightly lighted areas, nor for those sightless folks.

 

If wifi is available, a Google Home or Alexa would allow voice activation of an outlet to turn on whatever.

Assuming you're looking for a solution rather than a project.

 

Not home-tech-savvy. No Alexa. Siri sometimes gets involved in conversations she wasn't invited into. Once on TV the character said "Hey Siri - call the police" and MY phone dialed 911. I had to explain to the 911 Operator that it was the character on TV who made my phone call.

I've decided - and purchased materials - to go with the items I've shown along with my remote power switch. She can turn it on and off. If she turns it on and leaves it on until someone responds the first thing I'll do, assuming I'm the one getting up, will be to switch the system off for a moment then back on. That will cancel the call alert and yet the next time the button is pressed it will ring out again.

This is in thanks to crutschow post #8 and Analogkid post #13 suggestions. The Sonalert and the DPDT relay route. The only things I've added to their comments is the remote activated 120VAC outlet and a 10 amp mini-breaker. Already have a box to put it all in, so I'm pretty much set for a solution.

Thanks to ALL who offered suggestions and advice. It's ALL appreciated.