On Feb 12, 10:17*am, Judy Zappacosta zappajNOS...@Use-Author-Supplied-
Address.invalid wrote:
I need a recommendation for an indicator light (maybe mailorder?) for my
mailbox.

Here's the situation.
* It's a custom mailbox, basically a door cemented in a pillar of concrete
* It just has a square metal door with a brass inside latch (all metal)
* It's higher than my eyes in the car window by about a foot
* So I have to reach inside to see if anything is in there
* It doesn't even have one of those little red (manual) flags
* There isn't 120v lighting but landscape lighting is only a foot away

I wonder if technology can help me?

It would be nice if there was a way to mount an external LED such that an
internal light sensor activates it to indicate mail in the mailbox.

Any pointers?

There was a project in a magazine years ago(maybe Popular
Electronics). The part in the mailbox was a circuit that used just a
switch, capacitor and battery.Since the capacitor blocks DC current
flow the circuit only produces a pulse and the battery will last its
shelf life. The part in the house was a simple SCR circuit that would
turn on and latch whenever it received a pulse from the mailbox any
time the door was opened or closed. I built one for my grandfather who
was a gadget nut. It worked well with the exception that it got a few
false triggers We figured out lightning strikes was one source and CB
radios may have been another.

Jimmie