electronics man needed

[Baloo]

need help translating the description on ebay

Pardon our interruption...

its function is described as

im trying to biuld an automatic feeder for the geese, all i need is some sort of timer that will run off a 12v car battery and switch a relay on for approx 20 seconds every 8 hours
i cant make head nor tail of the description above, will this do it ? or can anyone point me at something that will

thanks Andy

 

[ajlelectronics]

It's not just you, I have no idea what it is going on about. If you really can't find anything suitable, I could perhaps build you something if you are in no hurry.

 

[Baloo]

Well I'm glad it's not just me, I thought I had lost the p!ot, no great hurry but eBay and Amazon are awash with timers l just don't understand the descriptions . I will try searching for 12v time clock and see if that throws anything up
Thanks

 

[ajlelectronics]

A simple 13A mains timer might do the job, just control the 12V supply with it, as long as the time on can be adjusted low enough.

 

[Baloo]

There is no mains power on site, would have to buy an inverter and the 3 timeclocks I've looked at have a minimum on time of a minute or more
But if I have then so be it
Thank you

 

[ajlelectronics]

There is no mains power on site, would have to buy an inverter and the 3 timeclocks I've looked at have a minimum on time of a minute or more
But if I have then so be it
Thank you

That is all a bit pointless then! PM me if you get nowhere and I will see what I can do for you. What sort of load is it switching?

 

[eddie49]

The device you referred to initially is a time delay not a time switch. It switches something on or off for a pre-set time following a delay after a trigger event happens.
This time switch runs off a 12v DC supply, and has a minimum "ON" time of 1 minute - that may be close enough to the 20 seconds that you need ( why so short ? ) :

12V Programmable 24/7 Digital Timer Switch

24/7 programmable timer switch operating from a 12V DC supply & switching a 12V DC load. LCD display, 16 programme timer & 3-year lithium battery backup.

www.12voltplanet.co.uk

 

[Baloo]

it needs to turn on an automotive 12v relay which in turn turns on a dewalt battery drill which spins an auger that chucks the feed out

 

[Baloo]

The device you referred to initially is a time delay not a time switch. It switches something on or off for a pre-set time following a delay after a trigger event happens.
This time switch runs off a 12v DC supply, and has a minimum "ON" time of 1 minute - that may be close enough to the 20 seconds that you need ( why so short ? ) :

12V Programmable 24/7 Digital Timer Switch

24/7 programmable timer switch operating from a 12V DC supply & switching a 12V DC load. LCD display, 16 programme timer & 3-year lithium battery backup.

www.12voltplanet.co.uk

hi, i had looked at that but the min time might be an issue as the auger would spin for 1 min and might empty the feeder, will investigate making the auger outlet smaller so as the 1 min isent an issue

 

[eddie49]

What ( who ) controls the auger motor run time now, and how is it limited to just 20 seconds?
How long before the geese learn how to control the run time themselves...?

 

[bogbushcricket]

You need one of these
https://www.solwayfeeders.com/shop/solway-12v-06-period-digital-timer/
or they have these feeders as well
https://www.solwayfeeders.com/?s=Digital+Feeder&post_type=product&dgwt_wcas=1
They aren't cheap though.

 

[eddie49]

They aren't cheap though.

This zero-to-60 seconds timer is a lot cheaper than £103.50 :

Pardon our interruption...

The main time switch that I linked to previously could trigger this one, which then will run the auger motor for the selected short "ON" time.

 

[6ply]

need help translating the description on ebay

Pardon our interruption...

its function is described as
View attachment 438778

im trying to biuld an automatic feeder for the geese, all i need is some sort of timer that will run off a 12v car battery and switch a relay on for approx 20 seconds every 8 hours
i cant make head nor tail of the description above, will this do it ? or can anyone point me at something that will

thanks Andy

Your requirements are simple enough to implement using any microcontroller.

Use an LM7805 fixed voltage regulator to reduce the 12V down to 5V to power the microcontroller.

Program the microcontroller to wait for 8 hours, turn an output on high, wait 20 seconds, then turn low. Repeat forever.

Rather than use a relay, I would use a MOSFET to switch the DC load.

Bearing in mind this circuit would be used for feeding animals, it might be appropriate to make use of a watchdog timer to raise an alarm if the device locks up.

 

[6ply]

Do geese need feeding every 8 hours? Do they sleep?

 

[Red'n'Black]

I could knock you something up that will do that with parts I have knocking about, as could several others on here I expect. I couldn't see anything off the shelf that does what you want, not for sensible money anyway.

But I guess the '8 hours' and '20 seconds' bits are likely to change at some point, so need some sort of controls so they are adjustable. Otherwise it'd get a bit tedious for both of us, having to post it back and forth to re-program it

Is it Ok if the 8 hours starts afresh every time the battery is connected? Or does it need to keep time while the battery is being swapped?
Does it need any kind of display to show it's doing something for the 8 hrs "off" and hasn't just jammed up?

The user interface is often the most expensive and difficult part of (what looks like) a simple electronic gadget.

 

[minimutly]

RS used to do a cyclic timer, 8 pin plug in if I recall, used them for all kinds of things, about £60.
Not sure what supply voltage though - it was some time ago...

 

[Baloo]

That is all a bit pointless then! PM me if you get nowhere and I will see what I can do for you. What sort of load is it switching?

will do

 

[Baloo]

What ( who ) controls the auger motor run time now, and how is it limited to just 20 seconds?
How long before the geese learn how to control the run time themselves...?

time clock will control the run time and it looks like 1 minute will be the shortest setting and yes the geese will probably learn how it works, they already come and look in the cameras when they want feeding

 

[Baloo]

You need one of these
https://www.solwayfeeders.com/shop/solway-12v-06-period-digital-timer/
or they have these feeders as well
https://www.solwayfeeders.com/?s=Digital+Feeder&post_type=product&dgwt_wcas=1
They aren't cheap though.

one of those would be lovely but i feel i should be able to make something for under "£20 easily i made one last year using a smart switch and a car door central locking solenoid, it worked fine it just dragged a slider to reveal a 50mm hole in the bottom of an upright 4" plastic drain pipe, 2 things were wrong 1 it relied on me remembering to activate it via my phone and 2 it was plastic and the squirrel maffia soon worked out they could chew their way in

 

[Baloo]

Do geese need feeding every 8 hours? Do they sleep?

no they dont they are semi wild they can feed themselves in the lake i should have said its a wildlife feeder really they are all sorts that hang around the stable and i enjoy taking photos of them, so if i can encourage them to come to one spot it easier with a remote camera