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speo
Junior Member
Canada
113 Posts |
 Posted - 11/04/2008 : 06:10:39
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Hello guys,
I tought it would be cool to turn my inverter on and off using a wireless remote control, instead of walking to the shed in the middle of the night, so, here is a little project that I put together with Ghurd's help.
The wireless remote control consists of a transmitter and a receiver I bought from eBay for $8, from the seller e-madeinchn . He sells lots of different remote controls.
The receiver is actualy a 3A relay that gets wirelesly activated by the transmitter. By replacing the inverter's switch with this relay, or by soldering it in paralel, the inverter can be turned on/off using the transmitter (the remote control).
I choosed this solution because the remote control is using only 8mA in standby and 25mA when the relay is energized. This is a very low consumption, compared to 250mA drained by the inverter alone, turned on, but without any load. Also, the amperage through the inverter's switch was only 6mA, which can be easily handled by a 3A relay.
In the image above, the box, the PCB and the blue connectors were $6 at an electronic parts store
In the image above, the five connectors, from right to left are:
1 - positive battery
2 - negative battery
3 - relay common
4 - relay NO
5 - relay NC
In the image above, I soldered two wires paralel to the switch and took them out through a whole I made in the face plate.
Here is all of it assembled.
The wires from the inverter's switch are hooked to the receiver's relay (Common leg and NO leg, for normaly open position).
The inverter's switch is off, so, the relay can turn on/off the inverter.
The receiver and the inverter are both hooked to the 12V battery
Here is a 160KB movie with the wireless remote in action: http://www.otherpower.com/images/scimages/1917/onoff.MPG
I tested it to see how far it works:<br>
- 120 feet (40m) works 100%<br>
- 180 feet (60m) works 75% (works 3 times out of 4 tries)<br>
- 250 feet (80m) works 50% (works 1 time out of 2 tries)<br>
The funny thing is that even at 200 feet, when it doesnt work, the bulb still flickers when I push the remote's button. It seems like the receiver gets the signal, turns the inverter on, then shuts it off immediately. If I get closer, it works fine again, then if I get back at 200 feet, it flickers again...
Anyway, I am quite happy with the results.
Thanks for taking the time to read this,
Speo
www.windpulse.com
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gholt
Junior Member
USA
104 Posts |
Posted - 12/04/2008 : 04:26:19
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Hey Speo ... that's just slicker than something I stepped in last week!! I want one. Very nice photos of your project too.
Poor ghurd ... :)
Ok, I've looked up the seller on ebay and he sells a myriad of remote control devices - how cool!
Thanks for the cool idea and inspiration.
G. |
Edited by - gholt on 12/04/2008 04:55:18 |
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BushWhacker
Junior Member
Canada
325 Posts |
Posted - 12/04/2008 : 04:54:17
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Edited Because Gholt edited and it makes my response look like I'm on drugs.
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler. - Albert Einstein |
Edited by - BushWhacker on 12/04/2008 05:17:56 |
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gholt
Junior Member
USA
104 Posts |
Posted - 12/04/2008 : 05:56:31
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BW,
My apologies, I got way too excited and just needed to read read read a bit.
To All,
BW was being generous in answering my questions which were removed from the above post because ... well what BW said :)
G. |
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BushWhacker
Junior Member
Canada
325 Posts |
Posted - 12/04/2008 : 14:23:44
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Gholt;
That last emotioncon was in jest. I just thought the best exit was a little levity.
No hard feelings here,
BW
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler. - Albert Einstein |
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speo
Junior Member
Canada
113 Posts |
Posted - 13/04/2008 : 08:08:11
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Gholt, you are more than welcome.
Poor Ghurd ? Yes, you are right, I really off bugged him a lot lately, but with another project :)
Speo
www.windpulse.com |
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Wireless remote control for inverters
