Ideas for Alert when Mailbox is Opened

General project help for Adafruit customers

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WildBill
 
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Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:01 pm

Re: Ideas for Alert when Mailbox is Opened

Post by WildBill »

There is no shortage of inexpensive RF remote relay kits out there, here is one for $18.

http://www.electronix.com/relay-kit-wit ... 20115.html

I have used the remotes many times putting a relay or switch to activate the button on the remote, it is also generally easy to add a 1/4 wave length single wire antenna for a little more range.

In your case you can use any kind of switch you can figure how to trip when the door is opened and wire that switch to the remote. While I love to use microcontrollers, seems a tad overkill for this project. (of course the relay kit may very well have one on it, as well as the remote.)

Eitherway, it is nearly impossible unless you have a healthy parts stash to bring one in cheaper than the kits.

Good luck on your project, BTW, the X-10 idea posted here might be the way to go if you want other home automation, a one "light" X-10 starter set with remotes is under 20 bucks and you can pick any lamp you want to turn on to indicate you've got mail, or at least your door was opened.

The X-10 is handy in having a seperate on and off button, you would just wire to the on button and it would not matter how long the door was left open putting mail in, it will just keep pressing On. If you make a nice little gadet box for the alert side you could have a second remote fob in there with the Off button wired so you can reset it when you get the main.

I use one like this for telling if my shed door is open, works very well. For X-10, check out www.x10.com

Good luck!

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