Garage door control - emulate push button - how?

[mkotek]

I am trying to use ESP Easy to control my garage door.
My garage door is controlled by a controller with a momentary push button that invokes the acrion to open, stop and close door when pushed in sequence.
This button is a standard push button running from Momentary Switch pin to COM(ground) pin on the controller.

I am trying to replicate the effect of pressing the button via ESP Easy in pulse output mode. I have created a circuit where I am able to light a LED diode via optocoupler to be safe, but I think I am missing something - when LED is in the circuit I am having current flowing, so the optocoupler is working.
When I need to close the circuit to emulate the push button, I am missing current, hence optocoupler is no longer working - closing the circuit.

What should be done to effectively invoke the same action as ordinary push button does to control my garage door?

[chrille]

What should be done to effectively invoke the same action as ordinary push button does to control my garage door?

A relay?

http://www.esp8266.nu/index.php/Relais

- Jan

[Backbone]

Your are refering to something like this?

knipsel20.JPG (18.64 KiB) Viewed 14153 times

How do you want to control the ESP pulse signal?
By an other switch or Domoticz... or?

Paco

[mkotek]

How do you want to control the ESP pulse signal?
By an other switch or Domoticz... or?
Paco

Yes, I was refering to something similar to what you've posted and yes, I would like to be able to invoke opening and closing of my garage door from Domoticz. I imagine, I send a short pulse like suggested here: http://www.esp8266.nu/index.php/GPIO and the action behaves as if I have pushed a button. Then after it is being fully opened, all I need to do is send another "push" and it will close.

The left side of your drawing is working fine. The right handside is also fine, if I am having a power source and LED, but it is not working when there is no power source. Although I thought, it will be just closing the circuit for some time and it will emulate the push button.

[mkotek]

What should be done to effectively invoke the same action as ordinary push button does to control my garage door?

A relay?
http://www.esp8266.nu/index.php/Relais
- Jan

Isn't it an overkill to user relay to close the circuit? I have also seen on the forum, there are still problems with reliable steering of relays.

[Backbone]

From DMZ I control through ESP EASY 4 relays which are working fine. You have to take care you preferable not use the OPTO coupler versions as they cant always sink the relay into ON state as the 3.3 volt is then on the edge of the tolerance of openeing the transistor into a correct conduction state.

http://www.ebay.nl/itm/One-1-Channel-5V ... Sw7hRWQyWH

3 relays are working the same way as you like to behave as pulse through http://<ESP IP address>/control?cmd=Pulse,2,1,500 as they are pulsing the heater switch in my infrared sauna.
In DMZ I have a virtual switch where the ON action is just this line of code http://<ESP IP address>/control?cmd=Pulse,2,1,500
I think in your case use the doorbell icon as this is a momentary switch design.
there is no other icon for this function.

Further if you use the optocoupler side make sure the "-" side is connected to ground to simulate a low active switch.
When the led in the opto coupler is HIGH enough to let the transistor side conduct there will be a current flow through the transistor from colelctor (+) to emmiter (-). If the resistor in the LED line is to high and it cant open the transitor side there will be there no current flow and so no switch action.

Is your current garage door controller a fixed one on the wall somewhere?
You say the button is low active so I assume there must be some current restricting resistor in that specific switch line or is it connected to a IC?

Paco

[mkotek]

From DMZ I control through ESP EASY 4 relays which are working fine. You have to take care you preferable not use the OPTO coupler versions as they cant always sink the relay into ON state as the 3.3 volt is then on the edge of the tolerance of openeing the transistor into a correct conduction state.

http://www.ebay.nl/itm/One-1-Channel-5V ... Sw7hRWQyWH

Thank you for the update. I am absolutely not fixed on optocoupler - I just have read, this is safe to go, so I thought about it. If you are saying, the relays are working fine, I will try that solution. I have exactly the same relay as in the link for that purpose.

Further if you use the optocoupler side make sure the "-" side is connected to ground to siulate a low active switch.
When the led in the opto coupler is HIGH enough to let the transistor side conduct there will be a current flow through the transistor from colelctor (+) to emmiter (-). If the resistor in the LED line is to high and it cant open the transitor side there will be there no current flow and so no switch action.

Is your current garage door controller a fixed one on the wall somewhere?
You say the button is low active so I assume there must be some current restricting resistor in that specific switch line.

Paco

I am not sure, I totally understand the part about optocoupler, but will give it one more try.

And yes, my current door controller is fixed on the wall. I can show you the controller - see http://www.eldrim.pl/instrukcje/eLB6Q-ver.1.0.pdf, but whole manual is in Polish. Anyway, page 5 shows the board and Sterowanie sekwencyjne/Seqence controller is what I am using - it is C1 connected to COM via push button, just like in the top right corner of the diagram.

[Backbone]

If you have a relay on hand use it as it is very clear when it works.
No click of the relay means it is not working .
Connect the relay to the ESP and perform from DMZ the pulse action.
When it works connect the NO contacts over the C1 switch.
If the relay works inversed you have to change the from http://<ESP IP address>/control?cmd=Pulse,2,1,500 to http://<ESP IP address>/control?cmd=Pulse,2,0,500 where the 0 is low active and the 1 is not active.

Paco

[mkotek]

I have briefly tested this in the morning and it seems to be working as expected. It seems, the default state is high, so I need to pulse it low to get the expected behaviour and not to worry about garage opening in case the power is lost.

Will test it further on the actual hardware in my garage and let you know. Thank you both for advices.

[mkotek]

I have tested the relays and all is working great.

Now I only need to solve the issue with ESP-12E that does not remember the configuration (save to flash is successful according to log file, but after restart, it does not remember it), because it displays u9x as my SSID and works only in AP mode as a result.