Re: [mh] Mailbox detection

[Pete F. <pj...@ca...>]

Sounds like a wiki entry to me
-- 
-Pete Flaherty
http://www.lpcomet.com
http://www.mraudrey.net
http://www.hauntedacrewoods.com

On Tue, February 10, 2009 4:02 pm, Letcher Ross wrote:
> I wrestled with the mailbox problem for years before finding a solution
> that is mostly reliable.  A couple of mailbox detectors I bought were
> total failures due to the distances involved.
>
> First, here is the physical layout.  We live on a few wooded acres at
> the end of a long dirt road.  The place is completely fenced with a gate
> across the driveway.  The house is about 300 feet from the gate and
> mailbox.  The mailbox is a standard large rural U.S metal mailbox on a
> wood post.  There are many trees and much brush between the mailbox and
> the house.
>
> A few years ago I had a problem with wireless sensors being reliably
> detected by the MH computer.  First I replaced the MR26a receiver with
> a  WGL Designs W800RF32 receiver that has an external antenna.  This
> helped a lot, but I still couldn't "hear" sensors in remote outbuildings
> some distance away.  Originally the W800 was installed in a closet full
> of computer and electronic equipment on the ground floor of the house
> and I theorized that there was a lot of RF noise there.  I repurposed an
> unused  cat5 cable run that connects from the computer closet to a quite
> corner on the second floor and used it to provide a serial path to the
> W800.  After everything was working I used a X10 EagleEye Sensor (MS14A)
> to test the sensitivity of the new setup.  I was amazed at how far away
> the signals could now be detected.  I remember testing well past the
> mailbox, to a point maybe 400 feet from the house before deciding the
> signal was too weak to be reliable.
>
> After setting up sensors at the outbuildings I needed to monitor, I
> remembered the mailbox.  As you may know, the EagleEye sensor can send
> two signals, one for motion detection and another for light.  Opening up
> the case showed that the light detector looks to be a small cadmium
> sulfide cell.  I unsoldered the CS cell and soldered in a small twisted
> pair if wires.  Shorting or opening this pair sent the same signal as
> the light/dark signal.  I drilled a small hole in the plastic case and
> ran the wires out, applying silicone sealer to the hole to keep out
> water.  The EagleEye is nominally weatherproof.  Then I mounted the
> EagleEye on the wood post below the mailbox.  Next I ran the twisted
> pair into the mailbox through a small hole at the bottom front, again
> sealing the hole.  At the top front and inside the mailbox I mounted a
> magnetic switch, the type  used in security systems.  I had to epoxy a
> little wood block to get a good fit to mount the switch on the mailbox
> body.  The magnet is mounted on the mailbox door.  Last I secured the
> wire pair so that it wouldn't get damaged (or frighten the mail carrier).
>
> Now when a car, person, horse, deer, coyote, dog, or any warm object
> nears the mailbox our MH computer announces over the home speakers,
> "Someone is at the mailbox."  When the mailbox door is opened we get an
> announcement that "The mailbox door is open" and later "The mailbox door
> is closed."  Is it reliable?  I'd guess about 95% or better.  My partner
> will sometimes ask me, "Did the mail ever come?"  A check of the speech
> log will usually confirm that it did and we just had ignored the
> message.  The number of times I had to walk to the mailbox in the rain
> or snow before this detector was in place made the effort to install it
> very much worth while.  Next project?  A detector for our parcel drop box.
>
> YMMV!  If anyone wants to know more just email me off list.
>
> Letcher
>
>
> Blake Grover wrote
>> Hi
>> I would like to know what methods people have used to see when their
>> mailbox has been opened.  I am getting an insteon motion sensor and
>> was going to try using that to check for mail.  Are there any better
>> ideas out there?  The mailbox is only 40-50' from the house and we
>> have about 2-3 feet of snow on the ground so wireless is my only
>> option.  We would like to sell our home in 5 years more or less so
>> I've been trying not to add too many modifications that would require
>> a lot of work to take them out.  My Insteon devices/temperature
>> sensors are coming with me when I move. :)
>>
>> Thanks
>> Blake
>>
>
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