New door lock controller and entryway light installed

 

Today two things happened. First the entryway light was installed. That wasn't screwed in but rather was attached with some "super strong" double-sided tape. This was the tape that I was considering using to attach a flexible solar panel to the roof. It didn't seem all that sticky but time will tell. I can always hot glue as was the original plan. The hot glue gun was in hiding though and might take a hunt to locate.

The second was that the door lock controller was replaced. It had been a cleverly wired relay in combination with the switch but it had not really been installed with permanance in mind. This time it's different. It's also a far neater installation.

I still have some cable-wrap to add but that can be done tomorrow. This setup is a lot tidier. I'm also not using crimp connectors as much since I managed to pull some straight off the wire without much difficulty. 

Originally the plan had been to run the doorway light and the door lock off the D cells but since there was power left in the AA cells, there didn't seem to be much point in taking the AAs down. What happens with used batteries is they get put in a drawer for later use then ignored in favour of fresh batteries. Everybody does that so slightly used batteries end up getting left to lose their charge, leak and get tossed out.

A plan was formulated to install a couple of relays - one being a timer relay - to control the light so it could be turned on with a single button push then turned off. That hasn't come to fruition yet. There's time though. The plan was to install it after completing the door controller anyway.

This was the old door lock controller. It looks worse than it is. Wiring always looks a horrible jumble of spaghetti. Occasionally the odd lunatic will say "oh that looks like a fire hazard" because they know nothing about wiring. It worked very well for the last 5 years or so. Tidying it was only a thing when I also wanted to install the doorway light.

As far as the actual light is concerned, it was screwed to a leftover block of vinyl plank (remember I used those on the bathroom floor). The piece of vinyl plank measuring about four inches by one by one was taped to the bus ceiling. The light is still a leftover red LED sidelight. The switch is still an on-off pushbutton. 

You might think that this didn't take very long but when you're trying to work around a lot of wire connections and each one has to be right in order for it all to work, it does take time. Time and plenty testing. I follow a philosophy of do one thing then test it before going on to the next. This takes a lot longer but elminates the frustration of having to take it all apart to start again. Getting it right first time, every time, saves time.

The task tomorrow will be to work with the other relays and try to make the light turn off automatically after a minute. Once that's achived I can switch the pushbutton switch out for a different pushbutton switch. I also have to finish cable-wrapping and fully attaching the switch plate for the pushbutton switch. I have to say what I've done today looks a heck of a lot neater. One thing I might need to do is to add a securing bar over the D cells. I thought I might over the AA cells but it turned out to be unnecessary. Only time will tell there.