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back yard gate and robotic mower planning


ecschnei

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So I'm looking into a robotic mower but we have a fence around our back yard.  I'd like to get actuators to operate the latches and gates so when the mower comes on the gate just opens and stays open until the mower is done. Is there another way to skin this cat?  

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Hey, thats a great idea.  I have that exact issue.  I have a Husqvarna 430x and I had to raise the gate so that the mower could go under it but of course small animals can too.  Why don’t you have the mover live in the back yard so it does not have to go through the gate?  I have a front and back yard so mine leaves the fenced back yard (where it lives) and has to go to the boulevard in the middle of the night to cut it.  Let me know what you come up with.  Why have it hooked to the C4?

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That was my thought as well, to have the mower in the back yard and just let it out into the front at night to mow.  The reason for the integration is because I have gate sensors and I want to mute announcement and only have them open for the mower ( for security reasons ).<-- Also how cool does it look if the gate opens automatically to let the mower out..... A harmonious coordination of robot with my home automation system!

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Ya, that does sound like a great idea.  I was trying to figure out a better way then I had as I have to build new gates for that side of the house (wife orders).  I will have to give it some thought as when its cutting in the back yard (where its dog house is) the gate can stay closed.  When it has to go to the front yard I send it out in the middle of the night so it does not get run over as it has to cross the driveway to cut each side of the driveway.  I will have to figure a trigger for when it goes to the front yard only.  Alexa can send the mower out and Alexa can be bound to C4 so maybe there is way to tie it all together.  Problem I have is if I have some sort of sensor to trigger the gate, it will be opening and closing all the time when the mover is in the back yard as it cuts right up to the gate itself.  Maybe a sensor that is attached to the mower that is activated at dark only.   Hmmmm.....

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22 hours ago, ecschnei said:

I've found some small actuators for the gate so I'm thinking some relays and maybe a pressure sensor under the charge pad for the mower...

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could simplify it and just a magnetic contact on the mower just glue one on. and when its home it will be triggered and when it leaves can open the gate at specified times. You will also need override on at least one side of the gate so you can get in and out.

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On 8/20/2019 at 5:46 PM, Matt Lowe said:

could simplify it and just a magnetic contact on the mower just glue one on. and when its home it will be triggered and when it leaves can open the gate at specified times. You will also need override on at least one side of the gate so you can get in and out.

So the contact would be part of C4 and it would only be active on the times I set?  Is that correct?  If so that would be a very good idea.  Thanks.

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  • 6 months later...

Hey! We are Robotic Mowing Solution Providers in the DFW area, which is one of our smart home solutions. We have our patent pending gate design for the Automower, called dotGate. We are also coming up with a locking version soon that locks as soon as the door shuts, so there is no scope for pets to follow the mower out. The door unlocks when the mower is near the gate. The locking mechanism will be available sometime in Spring-Summer 2020, but the regular door is available now.
You can check out some videos on our facebook page --> www.facebook.com/smartdots22.
If you want a gate like this we can ship one out to you. Its a clean design and works great for all models. Just send an email to sales@smart-dots.com

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