I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these? Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

Paul

Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that
a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly
hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it
far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who
are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry
about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these?
Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?


You can rig your own with a motion-sensor (like for outdoor lights) and a
bell.

Have fun.

On 1/23/2013 3:21 PM, HeyBub wrote:
Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that
a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly
hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it
far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who
are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry
about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these?
Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

You can rig your own with a motion-sensor (like for outdoor lights) and a
bell.

Have fun.


Motion detectors aren't consistent or reliable enough. Any time there
are thermal changes the thing will be going off continuously

On 1/23/2013 10:32 AM, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these? Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

Paul
The big name is Cartell. The equipment is great and works just fine as
long as lightning doesn't strike to close. Another lesser known company
is MFM sensors, out of Tacoma, Washington I love these guys. If a board
gets blown out by lightning or whatever, you call Greg, ship him back
the board and he repairs it for a flat rate, something like $35. These
folks are just a pleasure to deal with. The model I use from them is D-376
I have had two locations with distances from probe to circuit board of
over 500 feet and too many trees in the area of the probe wiring, where
they just get fried too often. I experimented with a cheap Dakota Alert
model.

(http://www.amazon.com/Dakota-Alert-D...ords=dcpa-2500 )

In both cases I mounted the transmitter on a post about 5' high and
installed the receivers inside of poured concrete basements. One has
been in operation about six years, and the other about a year now. I
made no guarantees when I installed them, because they're so cheap, but
they seem to work flawlessly and the customers love them. All of these
units have auxiliary relays and timers to control piezo buzzers, lights,
alarms, etc

On 1/23/2013 10:32 AM, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these? Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

Paul


back in the old days we used a dog to sound the alarm...

On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 3:21:48 PM UTC-5, HeyBub wrote:
Pavel314 wrote:

I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that

a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly

hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it

far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who

are just turning around from the street.



I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry

about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these?

Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?





You can rig your own with a motion-sensor (like for outdoor lights) and a

bell.



Have fun.

I thought of that but we have deer wandering up and down the drive at night which would set off the alarm. I figured an induction system wouldn't give false alarms, unless a metal deer walked up the drive.

On 1/23/2013 10:32 AM, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these? Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

Paul

I've been reading all the replies to the thread and thinking about my
situation. I presently have a gravel driveway that goes between many
trees, hooks 90 degrees and finally goes to either the back door area or
the garage. I have an x10 motion detector at the bend in the driveway.
It is installed on a lamp post. It is an AC powered and unfortunately
it is no longer available, although I do have a spare. And, yes, it
does trigger on deer, bear, dogs, possums and even squirrels, sometimes.
I have it active 24/7 but I use an x10 smart controller to figure out
when to sound the alert, light the floods, etc. I very much like the
way it works. Yesterday, the UPS truck pulled in at 11AM and it alerted
me. About 2 weeks ago, my neighbor walked over at night and the floods
(plus the Christmas lights, which were still there) turned on and it
alerted me inside the house. We will be paving the drive this spring,
so I was thinking of an induction system, however, it won't work for
people walking. Maybe a cross IR beam would be much better. At least
it would probably miss the smaller animals and it probably wouldn't
false trigger when a cool puff of air comes down from the top of the
mountain behind. Anyone know of a nice cross beam system?

Pavel314 wrote:


You can rig your own with a motion-sensor (like for outdoor lights)
and a

bell.



Have fun.

I thought of that but we have deer wandering up and down the drive at
night which would set off the alarm. I figured an induction system
wouldn't give false alarms, unless a metal deer walked up the drive.

Ah, yeah.

Consider a pneumatic sensor. You remember, the tubing over the driveway at
gas stations and the like that acted like an annunciator.

Or, you could build your own - in layers.

Bottom layer: Foundation. Steel plate.
Next: Fine copper - or similar - mesh.
Next: Insulating layer (cardboard, non-metalic foil, etc.)
Next: Fine copper mesh.
Top layer: Wear surface (rubber sheet, etc.)

Wires are connected to the two copper mesh surfaces and, when they touch,
they act as the switch.

But here's the trick: The insulating layer has largish holes in it to allow
the top wire mesh to be pushed down and contact the lower copper mesh. These
holes will be fairly large, 1" or more.

Or you could just say "screw it" and get a door annunciator that works off a
door mat.

On 1/24/2013 9:14 AM, Art Todesco wrote:
On 1/23/2013 10:32 AM, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that
a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly
hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it
far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who
are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry
about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these?
Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

Paul

I've been reading all the replies to the thread and thinking about my
situation. I presently have a gravel driveway that goes between many
trees, hooks 90 degrees and finally goes to either the back door area
or the garage. I have an x10 motion detector at the bend in the
driveway. It is installed on a lamp post. It is an AC powered and
unfortunately it is no longer available, although I do have a spare.
And, yes, it does trigger on deer, bear, dogs, possums and even
squirrels, sometimes. I have it active 24/7 but I use an x10 smart
controller to figure out when to sound the alert, light the floods,
etc. I very much like the way it works. Yesterday, the UPS truck
pulled in at 11AM and it alerted me. About 2 weeks ago, my neighbor
walked over at night and the floods (plus the Christmas lights, which
were still there) turned on and it alerted me inside the house. We
will be paving the drive this spring, so I was thinking of an
induction system, however, it won't work for people walking. Maybe a
cross IR beam would be much better. At least it would probably miss
the smaller animals and it probably wouldn't false trigger when a cool
puff of air comes down from the top of the mountain behind. Anyone
know of a nice cross beam system?
I use a set of New Line IRE 200 units at my house. I chose this make
and model because it seemed the most flexible to me in it's power
voltage, and that it uses a form C relay. Mine is set up to activate two
piezo buzzers and several sets of outdoor lights. The piezos always
chime, but the lights only come on if it's dark, and then they time out
in five minutes. I did this install about 16 years ago and it hasn't
missed a beat, so I can certainly recommend this company. Here is a link:
http://www.selma.rs/cardin/html/inst.../zvl294.01.pdf

On 1/24/2013 6:25 PM, RBM wrote:
On 1/24/2013 9:14 AM, Art Todesco wrote:
On 1/23/2013 10:32 AM, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that
a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly
hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it
far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who
are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry
about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these?
Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

Paul

I've been reading all the replies to the thread and thinking about my
situation. I presently have a gravel driveway that goes between many
trees, hooks 90 degrees and finally goes to either the back door area
or the garage. I have an x10 motion detector at the bend in the
driveway. It is installed on a lamp post. It is an AC powered and
unfortunately it is no longer available, although I do have a spare.
And, yes, it does trigger on deer, bear, dogs, possums and even
squirrels, sometimes. I have it active 24/7 but I use an x10 smart
controller to figure out when to sound the alert, light the floods,
etc. I very much like the way it works. Yesterday, the UPS truck
pulled in at 11AM and it alerted me. About 2 weeks ago, my neighbor
walked over at night and the floods (plus the Christmas lights, which
were still there) turned on and it alerted me inside the house. We
will be paving the drive this spring, so I was thinking of an
induction system, however, it won't work for people walking. Maybe a
cross IR beam would be much better. At least it would probably miss
the smaller animals and it probably wouldn't false trigger when a cool
puff of air comes down from the top of the mountain behind. Anyone
know of a nice cross beam system?
I use a set of New Line IRE 200 units at my house. I chose this make
and model because it seemed the most flexible to me in it's power
voltage, and that it uses a form C relay. Mine is set up to activate two
piezo buzzers and several sets of outdoor lights. The piezos always
chime, but the lights only come on if it's dark, and then they time out
in five minutes. I did this install about 16 years ago and it hasn't
missed a beat, so I can certainly recommend this company. Here is a link:
http://www.selma.rs/cardin/html/inst.../zvl294.01.pdf
After post my comment/etc. to the original post, I found this unit:
http://www.smarthome.com/7460/Weathe...etector/p.aspx
Available at several suppliers, but this was the cheapest.

I'd highly recommend the Mighty Mule.

http://www.mightymule.com/mighty-mul...eway-alarm.htm

Have had one now for almost a year and it works very well. It's installed on a
250' driveway about midpoint. Far enough from the street that it doesn't trip by
passing vehicles, close enough that it catches the occasional curriosity
vehicle. Although it has as battery in the sensor, I've yet to have to replace
it.

It replaced an Optex IR system that was useless with false alarms. Any induction
system will ignore people, so if that's your concern you may want to layer in
some other detector.

On 1/25/2013 8:59 AM, Art Todesco wrote:
On 1/24/2013 6:25 PM, RBM wrote:
On 1/24/2013 9:14 AM, Art Todesco wrote:
On 1/23/2013 10:32 AM, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that
a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly
hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it
far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who
are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry
about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these?
Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

Paul

I've been reading all the replies to the thread and thinking about my
situation. I presently have a gravel driveway that goes between many
trees, hooks 90 degrees and finally goes to either the back door area
or the garage. I have an x10 motion detector at the bend in the
driveway. It is installed on a lamp post. It is an AC powered and
unfortunately it is no longer available, although I do have a spare.
And, yes, it does trigger on deer, bear, dogs, possums and even
squirrels, sometimes. I have it active 24/7 but I use an x10 smart
controller to figure out when to sound the alert, light the floods,
etc. I very much like the way it works. Yesterday, the UPS truck
pulled in at 11AM and it alerted me. About 2 weeks ago, my neighbor
walked over at night and the floods (plus the Christmas lights, which
were still there) turned on and it alerted me inside the house. We
will be paving the drive this spring, so I was thinking of an
induction system, however, it won't work for people walking. Maybe a
cross IR beam would be much better. At least it would probably miss
the smaller animals and it probably wouldn't false trigger when a cool
puff of air comes down from the top of the mountain behind. Anyone
know of a nice cross beam system?
I use a set of New Line IRE 200 units at my house. I chose this make
and model because it seemed the most flexible to me in it's power
voltage, and that it uses a form C relay. Mine is set up to activate two
piezo buzzers and several sets of outdoor lights. The piezos always
chime, but the lights only come on if it's dark, and then they time out
in five minutes. I did this install about 16 years ago and it hasn't
missed a beat, so I can certainly recommend this company. Here is a
link:
http://www.selma.rs/cardin/html/inst.../zvl294.01.pdf
After post my comment/etc. to the original post, I found this unit:
http://www.smarthome.com/7460/Weathe...etector/p.aspx

Available at several suppliers, but this was the cheapest.
It looks fine. The new line give you the option of powering with AC or
DC, and it gives you a normally open and normally closed contact making
it a little more versatile.

replying to RBM , Chris Perry wrote:
rbm wrote:

would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly hidden, and
it
would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it far enough up the
drive
so that it wouldn't be set off by people who are just turning around from
the
street.
battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these? Any
recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?
The big name is Cartell. The equipment is great and works just fine as
long as lightning doesn't strike to close. Another lesser known company
is MFM sensors, out of Tacoma, Washington I love these guys. If a board
gets blown out by lightning or whatever, you call Greg, ship him back
the board and he repairs it for a flat rate, something like $35. These
folks are just a pleasure to deal with. The model I use from them is D-376
I have had two locations with distances from probe to circuit board of
over 500 feet and too many trees in the area of the probe wiring, where
they just get fried too often. I experimented with a cheap Dakota Alert
model.

(http://www.amazon.com/Dakota-Alert-D...ords=dcpa-2500
)
In both cases I mounted the transmitter on a post about 5' high and
installed the receivers inside of poured concrete basements. One has
been in operation about six years, and the other about a year now. I
made no guarantees when I installed them, because they're so cheap, but
they seem to work flawlessly and the customers love them. All of these
units have auxiliary relays and timers to control piezo buzzers, lights,
alarms, etc



I have left MFM voice messages for several days. Do you have an email
address or another way to contact them? Also, do you know how to put the
board in "unsupervised" mode - is it as simple as cutting the white wire?
Thank you.
--


--

Get a big roll of bubblewrap from the package shipping store.

On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 7:32:58 AM UTC-8, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these? Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

Paul

Try Marsh Products:

http://www.marshproducts.com/vehicle.htm

replying to TimR , Chris Perry wrote:
timothy42b wrote:

Get a big roll of bubblewrap from the package shipping store.



Thanks for your reply but I have no idea what you mean.

--


--

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry about
battery replacement.

I get well over a year on one set of AA batteries with this system and that
includes sub-zero winters. Much easier to install than a cut or preconstruction
system.

http://www.mightymule.com/mighty-mul...eway-alarm.htm

On 1/8/2015 12:21 PM, wrote:
On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 7:32:58 AM UTC-8, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these? Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

Paul

Try Marsh Products:

http://www.marshproducts.com/vehicle.htm

I had several variations of PIR motion detectors and they are all
subject to false alarms. These are caused by animals and even the wind.
Living on the side of a mountain, animals (deer and bear) and winds are
a problem. Sometimes there will be warm winds from the top and other
times cold winds. Either way, a change in temperature will cause the PIR
unit to trip. BTW, I had a PIR unit in my old house in the Chicago
suburbs, and didn't get too many false trips, but there were some.
Anyway, I now have a wired in Optics unit that has an IR source on one
side and a detector on the other. It's a whole lot better for my area. I
should have gotten one of the unit where you have the source and
detector on the same side and a reflector on the other ... but it's too
late for that. I ran the wire in the same plastic conduit where I ran
power for Malibu lights, so it wasn't that bad.

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
http://www.avast.com

On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 10:32:58 AM UTC-5, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these? Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

Paul

Get an old hose and bell setup from a former service station?

nate

wrote in message
...
On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 7:32:58 AM UTC-8, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that a
bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly
hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it far
enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who are just
turning around from the street.

Huh? Where do you live? Stalag 13?

Art Todesco wrote:

I had several variations of PIR motion detectors and they are all
subject to false alarms

I agree PIRs are essentially useless outdoors. The OP asked about induction
systems, which only trigger on metal vehicles, but of course do not trip on
people. That may be a plus or minus depending on the need.

On Thursday, January 8, 2015 at 10:44:05 PM UTC-5, Chris Perry wrote:
replying to TimR , Chris Perry wrote:
timothy42b wrote:

Get a big roll of bubblewrap from the package shipping store.



Thanks for your reply but I have no idea what you mean.


It's that plastic wrap they use to protect delicate objects in the mail. It has large bubbles of air.

When you step on them they pop, but it needs a lot of force. A small animal can't do it but a car would.

If it's a long way from the house you'll need a microphone to pick up the noise.

The advantage is there's almost no way to get false alarms from rain, wind, squirrels, lightning, etc.

On Fri, 9 Jan 2015 05:45:17 -0800 (PST), N8N wrote:

On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 10:32:58 AM UTC-5, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these? Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

Paul

Get an old hose and bell setup from a former service station?

nate

Good idea. Those always worked.

On 1/9/2015 7:50 AM, Col. Edmund Burke wrote:
wrote in message
...
On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 7:32:58 AM UTC-8, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that
a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly
hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it
far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who
are just turning around from the street.

Huh? Where do you live? Stalag 13?

STALIN EH, CAN'T GET ENOUGH?



DDOONN''TT YYOOUU SSTTEEPP OOUUTTT OOFF LLIINNEE!!!!!!!!
--
Now that Im a man
I understand
Baby be good
Not un uptight
----
Hateser

On 1/9/2015 9:32 PM, micky wrote:
On Fri, 9 Jan 2015 05:45:17 -0800 (PST), N8N wrote:

On Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 10:32:58 AM UTC-5, Pavel314 wrote:
I was thinking of putting an induction system in the driveway so that a bell would ring when someone pulls in. We have a long drive, partly hidden, and it would be good to know if someone is coming. I'd put it far enough up the drive so that it wouldn't be set off by people who are just turning around from the street.

I like the idea of a hard-wired system so that I don't have to worry about battery replacement. Has anyone had any experience with these? Any recommendations of brands to seek out or avoid?

Paul

Get an old hose and bell setup from a former service station?

nate

Good idea. Those always worked.

And nobody today, know what they are .... except for a few of us here!

---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
http://www.avast.com

replying to TimR , Chris Perry wrote:
timothy42b wrote:

It's that plastic wrap they use to protect delicate objects in the mail.
It
has large bubbles of air.
When you step on them they pop, but it needs a lot of force. A small
animal
can't do it but a car would.
If it's a long way from the house you'll need a microphone to pick up the
noise.
The advantage is there's almost no way to get false alarms from rain, wind,
squirrels, lightning, etc.



I have a Dakota Alert DCMA-2500 that works even better than bubble wrap.
The sensor is mounted 30" above grade and set on the least sensitivity to
avoid detecting squirrels and other small mammals. It's pointed at the
gate and alerts immediately if the gate opens or someone sticks in their
arm or tosses over a package (FedEx!). The receiver is mounted in the
pantry and wired to the doorbell circuit. The transmitter and receiver
are 260' apart with several walls, a deck, numerous trees and a 95'
elevation change in between. The 9v battery in the sensor lasts for
years. It works perfectly with very few - one or two a year - false
alarms.
--


--