Unlocker V3

As mentioned yesterday, I found a relay that I'd had in my box of bits for about 8 years. Today I combined that with my trimmed and tinned wires from yesterday. Then I threw some spade connectors that I bought today into the mix.

It needs to have the connectors pushed more firmly together and definitely won't win prizes for artistic merit. I need to tape the bare connectors that don't have insulation. Tomorrow though I should have time to tape the connectors and soldered joints after pressing them more firmly together. Then I should be able to test the whole affair.

Basically what should happen is when the key is set to position one, power should flow through the normally closed gates of the relay to my linear actuator. When the key is set to position two, power continues to flow but power is also applied to the relay coil, causing the normally closed gates to open and the normally open gates to close. The wiring is set so power to the actuator is reversed when the normally open gates are closed.

When the key switch is set to off, no power goes through. Now, my wiring may be ugly but it allows me the opportunity to change it at will. I can simply switch connectors around if needed. If at a later stage I want to add buttons, I can pop the connectors apart and add a button.

O'Reileys was my source of parts today and was way cheaper than Radio Shack. I popped in after I got ripped off by Panera during my lunch break. Seriously, does this really look like $12 of food to you? It certainly does not look to me like a sandwich! It looks like somebody was playing a joke! Needless to say, I was starving hungry 20 minutes later.

Clearly I shall be avoiding jokers like Panera from now on. I recommend my readers consider their options carefully too.

Today I did something else. Aside from my class this morning on bus driving (I figured since I found a free class on bus driving, I'd take it), I got to the fuse box on the bus. I switched out the blown 30A and blown 5A fuses. The 5A fuse was labelled brakes. The 30A fuse should have been 20A and read fog lights and horn. After replacing that, I touched the horn button in the center of the wheel and heard electrical noises. That's promising! I now have to add a little extension cable to the horn connection where it keeps coming apart. That should get the regular horn working again.

Onward and upward. Once the door opener is done, I shall turn my mind to solar powered ventilation.