sensor choice for "gong detect"? & invisible light switches

[Tracker]

Hello, all. Long time no read etc.

Anybody ever *actually done* a sensor on a heavy bell? (It's a
large-size "Mission Bell" by Tom Torrens, if you care... To be used as
a doorbell, well, actually as a button replacement for a DSC door box.)
Specifically triggered by the resonating from the gong itself, no
stuff like mallet switchhooks or motion sensor on the swinging mount...
I thought about an old-style glass break, but getting the frequency
right would be a trick.

Also does anybody know if commercially cheap density sensors can be
used to determine if a finger is placed on the other side of sheetrock?
I'm gonna go do some experiments, so don't shoot me for asking first.
But if someone has *already* done it, please let me know. Why did this
come up? Well, I was looking at a Leviton "Acenti" ad the other day,
and thought, "Why on earth does anybody want a larger, more prominent
light switch?!" Remember the Pass&Seymour/Legrand ones? Ugly. as.
sin. Anyway, shouting "lights" at some comput er is silly, and motion
sensors don't have the positive control (or on-location dimming)
needed. Again, don't flame me about greasy spots on the wall, or
repairability of buried switches -- just, *if* you've done it, pretty
please tell me what you learned.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jim]

Hello, all. Long time no read etc.

Anybody ever *actually done* a sensor on a heavy bell? (It's a
large-size "Mission Bell" by Tom Torrens, if you care... To be used as
a doorbell, well, actually as a button replacement for a DSC door box.)
Specifically triggered by the resonating from the gong itself, no
stuff like mallet switchhooks or motion sensor on the swinging mount...
I thought about an old-style glass break, but getting the frequency
right would be a trick.

Also does anybody know if commercially cheap density sensors can be
used to determine if a finger is placed on the other side of sheetrock?
I'm gonna go do some experiments, so don't shoot me for asking first.
But if someone has *already* done it, please let me know. Why did this
come up? Well, I was looking at a Leviton "Acenti" ad the other day,
and thought, "Why on earth does anybody want a larger, more prominent
light switch?!" Remember the Pass&Seymour/Legrand ones? Ugly. as.
sin. Anyway, shouting "lights" at some comput er is silly, and motion
sensors don't have the positive control (or on-location dimming)
needed. Again, don't flame me about greasy spots on the wall, or
repairability of buried switches -- just, *if* you've done it, pretty
please tell me what you learned.

Thanks in advance!

If it were me ........... I'd use the "Clapper"

 

[Stanley Barthfarkle]

They're coming to get you....

 

[Robert L. Bass]

Anybody ever *actually done* a sensor on a heavy

bell? (It's a large-size "Mission Bell" by Tom Torrens,
if you care...

I haven't tried this but it might just work. Install a magnetic switch just
near enough to the electromagnet that drives the bell that it trips when
power is applied. You may have to experiment a bit to get it right.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
2291 Pine View Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34231
877-722-8900 Sales & Tech Support
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[Crash Gordon®]

dunno abt the bell thing...maybe if you analyized the frequencies generated by that particular bell you might be able to build something. Sounds like a big project though.

density sensor...try hollowing out the back of the dry gypsum material so that you just have the front paper left and hot glue your sensor in from behind. you may be able to get the front paper sheet thin enough where it will work.


| Hello, all. Long time no read etc.
|
| Anybody ever *actually done* a sensor on a heavy bell? (It's a
| large-size "Mission Bell" by Tom Torrens, if you care... To be used as
| a doorbell, well, actually as a button replacement for a DSC door box.)
| Specifically triggered by the resonating from the gong itself, no
| stuff like mallet switchhooks or motion sensor on the swinging mount...
| I thought about an old-style glass break, but getting the frequency
| right would be a trick.
|
| Also does anybody know if commercially cheap density sensors can be
| used to determine if a finger is placed on the other side of sheetrock?
| I'm gonna go do some experiments, so don't shoot me for asking first.
| But if someone has *already* done it, please let me know. Why did this
| come up? Well, I was looking at a Leviton "Acenti" ad the other day,
| and thought, "Why on earth does anybody want a larger, more prominent
| light switch?!" Remember the Pass&Seymour/Legrand ones? Ugly. as.
| sin. Anyway, shouting "lights" at some comput er is silly, and motion
| sensors don't have the positive control (or on-location dimming)
| needed. Again, don't flame me about greasy spots on the wall, or
| repairability of buried switches -- just, *if* you've done it, pretty
| please tell me what you learned.
|
| Thanks in advance!
|

 

[Frank Olson]

Hello, all. Long time no read etc.

Anybody ever *actually done* a sensor on a heavy bell? (It's a
large-size "Mission Bell" by Tom Torrens, if you care... To be used as
a doorbell, well, actually as a button replacement for a DSC door box.)
Specifically triggered by the resonating from the gong itself, no
stuff like mallet switchhooks or motion sensor on the swinging mount...
I thought about an old-style glass break, but getting the frequency
right would be a trick.

Take a couple of pictures of the bell itself and post it to a web page we
can all reference. It would be far easier to suggest a solution if we could
have a look at what you are dealing with here.

Also does anybody know if commercially cheap density sensors can be
used to determine if a finger is placed on the other side of sheetrock?
I'm gonna go do some experiments, so don't shoot me for asking first.
But if someone has *already* done it, please let me know. Why did this
come up? Well, I was looking at a Leviton "Acenti" ad the other day,
and thought, "Why on earth does anybody want a larger, more prominent
light switch?!" Remember the Pass&Seymour/Legrand ones? Ugly. as.
sin. Anyway, shouting "lights" at some comput er is silly, and motion
sensors don't have the positive control (or on-location dimming)
needed. Again, don't flame me about greasy spots on the wall, or
repairability of buried switches -- just, *if* you've done it, pretty
please tell me what you learned.

Thanks in advance!

I've seen some pretty sophisticated looking touch control dimmer switches at
Home Depot the other day. I'd stick with a solution that wouldn't involve
anything to "esoteric" if I were you (both from service and "end-user"
standpoints)

 

[Jim]

Hello, all. Long time no read etc.

Anybody ever *actually done* a sensor on a heavy bell? (It's a
large-size "Mission Bell" by Tom Torrens, if you care... To be used as
a doorbell, well, actually as a button replacement for a DSC door box.)
Specifically triggered by the resonating from the gong itself, no
stuff like mallet switchhooks or motion sensor on the swinging mount...
I thought about an old-style glass break, but getting the frequency
right would be a trick.

Also does anybody know if commercially cheap density sensors can be
used to determine if a finger is placed on the other side of sheetrock?
I'm gonna go do some experiments, so don't shoot me for asking first.
But if someone has *already* done it, please let me know. Why did this
come up? Well, I was looking at a Leviton "Acenti" ad the other day,
and thought, "Why on earth does anybody want a larger, more prominent
light switch?!" Remember the Pass&Seymour/Legrand ones? Ugly. as.
sin. Anyway, shouting "lights" at some comput er is silly, and motion
sensors don't have the positive control (or on-location dimming)
needed. Again, don't flame me about greasy spots on the wall, or
repairability of buried switches -- just, *if* you've done it, pretty
please tell me what you learned.

Thanks in advance!

For the "touch" switch, you'll usually find in some basic hobby
electronic books, Capacitive switches. These are the devices that
you'll find in table lamps that turn on and off by touching the metal
portion of the lamp. There are also some wall switches that will do the
same thing with the addition of dimming or brightning by holding your
finger to the metal surface of the switch. With the hobby switch
circuitry, if you experiment a little, you can change some component
values that will allow you to simply pass your hand near the sensor
rather than having to touch it. This way you could bury it in the wall
but not have to actually touch the wall to activate it. You'd have to
interface the output to a relay to operate the lights.

As far as the bell goes, a simple old fashioned vibration sensor should
do the trick. The Ademco # 11 vibration sensor is still avaiable or any
similar unit should do it. They're adjustable so you can set it to what
ever it takes to cause it to trip. Of course, you'd have to provide the
relay and power circuit to utilize the output.


But ..... in a pinch ........ don't forget about the Clapper :->

 

[Crash Gordon®]

http://www.tomtorrens.com go to the bells page.




|
| | > Hello, all. Long time no read etc.
| >
| > Anybody ever *actually done* a sensor on a heavy bell? (It's a
| > large-size "Mission Bell" by Tom Torrens, if you care... To be used as
| > a doorbell, well, actually as a button replacement for a DSC door box.)
| > Specifically triggered by the resonating from the gong itself, no
| > stuff like mallet switchhooks or motion sensor on the swinging mount...
| > I thought about an old-style glass break, but getting the frequency
| > right would be a trick.
|
| Take a couple of pictures of the bell itself and post it to a web page we
| can all reference. It would be far easier to suggest a solution if we could
| have a look at what you are dealing with here.
|
|
| >
| > Also does anybody know if commercially cheap density sensors can be
| > used to determine if a finger is placed on the other side of sheetrock?
| > I'm gonna go do some experiments, so don't shoot me for asking first.
| > But if someone has *already* done it, please let me know. Why did this
| > come up? Well, I was looking at a Leviton "Acenti" ad the other day,
| > and thought, "Why on earth does anybody want a larger, more prominent
| > light switch?!" Remember the Pass&Seymour/Legrand ones? Ugly. as.
| > sin. Anyway, shouting "lights" at some comput er is silly, and motion
| > sensors don't have the positive control (or on-location dimming)
| > needed. Again, don't flame me about greasy spots on the wall, or
| > repairability of buried switches -- just, *if* you've done it, pretty
| > please tell me what you learned.
| >
| > Thanks in advance!
|
|
| I've seen some pretty sophisticated looking touch control dimmer switches at
| Home Depot the other day. I'd stick with a solution that wouldn't involve
| anything to "esoteric" if I were you (both from service and "end-user"
| standpoints)
|
|

 

[Bob La Londe]

An audio control relay might work. Try University Sound ACR-1. Would not
be my first choice, but that's the only thing off hand I can think of that
would do it. Problem is unless you are very careful with your microphone
and layout you may get false triggers from other sound sources.

I think a AC contacter of some kind triggered directly from the bell current
might also work. Radio Shack used to sell some labeled as AC relays, but I
haven't seen one in a while.