[vimeo http://vimeo.com/7504447%5D
If you watched the video before reading the article (like we did) and started shaking in your boots at a voice controlled lock system, prepare to be disappointed. His spoken commands are actually to his son to press the appropriate keys on a keypad off screen, the lock is not actually voice controlled.
But still, [Michael Krumpus’] door lock is pretty astounding. By using a torn apart CD drive he easily attains a nice fast and smooth linear motion to bolt and unbolt his door. It wont open his door like some locks we’ve seen, but it will probably be added sometime in the future…right alongside voice commands.
[via DVICE]
Won’t work unless the door pegs are perfectly aligned, if there’s the slightest tension there’s no way that flimsy motor is going to do the job, besides there’s no way to fit that into a regular door, plus the rod would probably break with a rough sneeze.
Sorry but while I appreciate the hack, it has no practical value.
i usually like to find something to argue about but im gonna have to agree with magrathea on this one..
LOL, yes i tought it was voice controlled too.
Now you mention the ofscreen buttons this has indeed no practical value.
Verry McGyverish do.
I’m sure you guys already know, but can you not see that while the actual mechanism is weak, the principle and techniques used mean that once a better mechanism is found (if needed of course) then he has a great system. A lot of the hard work has already been done for this one at this stage. I think the main focus of his project is to get an interface with the keypad->uC->lock. The ‘lock’ signal from the uC board could just flick a relay to shift the biggest dead bolt in the world.
Haha… reminds me of the original Star Trek series… someone standing aside opening the door doing “shhhht” … awesome XD
There’s all sorts of issues with power doors locks. I know this because I work for a company that makes them. Blac & Decker, who makes the Weiser Power Bolt, had a lot of issues with doors that weren’t hung exactly right. As a result, the bolt wouldn’t engage strike pocket.
Ultimately, they fixed a huge majority of the problems by going to a bullet-nosed bolt. As the bolt engages, the door moves into position.
Being a battery operated lock, there’s a tradeoff between torque and battery life. All the torque int he world will do you no good if the batteries only last 2 months, and having batteries last two years, but with a bolt stopped by ANY binding is worthless.
This is a cute “hack”, but it’s unfortunately not terribly practical. In a situation where you have a swinging door, an electric strike is your best bet. Requires more installation effort that just replacing the bolt, but fitting an electric strike into a strike pocket is a lot easier than fitting a CDROM mechanism into the wall or the door.
Now, THAT’s a hack ! Voice control aside, using CD-ROM mechanical parts is a great idea. Or is it a back because of the arduino ?
The right tool for the job is powerful, robust, easy to mount, contains integrated limit switches, runs off a 12V SLA battery, and best of all you can get it for free. Google ‘power door lock actuator’.
https://static.am-autoparts.com/item/571d7b9f0a.jpg
I rigged up a friend’s door with a car lock actuator linked to a hasp which closed over a ground-down 5/8″ bolt head in the frame. The hasp did all the work, the actuator simply moved it into position. The door was impenetrable, and the installation was so permanent his landlady used it as a basis to deny his deposit. Be careful how you modify your home.
Hey Hack a Day readers,
I’m the builder of this project and I certainly apologize if I led anyone to believe that the lock was voice activited. I stated that it was not on my blog post, but by watching only watching the video I can definitely see how you would come to that conclusion. My 5-year-old son was operating the lock from the keypad when I filmed its operation. I SHOULD have listened to my 9-year-old son when he commented “this video makes it seem like the lock is controlled by your voice”. !!! Nonetheless, the lock is operated by a keypad. The user must input the proper code to lock/unlock the mechanism.
The bolt looks flimsy but it’s pretty sturdy. By drilling big holes in the door and jamb, I had plenty of tolerance to deal with misalignment. I WAS worried about alignment, but it worked out well. Seriously, I leaned on the locked door pretty hard and it held firm.
-Michael
Michael – well executed, simple and works. While the strength of the lock is questionable, in many circumstances the lock does not require invincibility (most locks can be forced with ease, and those that can’t are generally in doors that can be easily damaged, so the lock is merely an inconvenience and yours provides this).
Now get making it voice controlled to take it one step further :)
Great post.Keep Posting
In my experience cctv security is a tough business
Hi, I would like to work on this project and I was wondering if theres a chance I could get in touch with you