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Beautiful gates are good, and beautiful automatic gates are even better. There are a considerable number of companies that will make gates and install automation, but as usual, you want to save money: their services are not cheap. Many companies sell automation kits, and you can install and connect it yourself. Save a few thousand. But in this case, you need to clarify whether the warranty is preserved (it happens, but rarely), and if so, what is a warranty case and what is not, and what to do in case of a breakdown (it is often necessary to remove the drives for testing and take them to the company). So do-it-yourself automatic gates may not be so profitable. Decide for yourself. In fairness, it must be said that if you built the fence yourself, and the gate automation is installed by the company, many malfunctions will be attributed to the wrong foundation, installation of beams, etc. So in this case, warranty repair is a rarity.
Automation for swing gates: types of drives
Automatic swing gates are driven by two types of mechanisms: linear and lever. Any of them can open the canvas both inward and outward: the direction of opening depends on the installation. But in some cases there are certain restrictions that make it necessary to use a mechanism of a certain type when opening the gate inward.
Linear drive
The mechanism is very simple and reliable. Outwardly, it looks like an oblong case. Inside is a worm gear – a long screw – which is driven by a gearbox mounted at the rear of the case. When the gearbox is turned on, the worm gear pushes the sash or pulls it.
The case of a linear drive for automatic swing gates is also made of metal, which is coated with powder paint. They can be installed on gates of any type and any weight. The larger the dimensions, weight and windage, the more powerful motors and massive transmission are required.
They put it on a pole opposite one of the horizontal beams – of your choice. But the best option is approximately in the middle of the height of the canvas.
Lever drive
The second type of automation for swing gates is lever. It consists of a gearbox hidden in the body and two movably connected levers that resemble a protruding elbow.
The block with a reducer is mounted on a pole, the lever is attached to the sash. Such a device allows you to open the gate inward, even if the pillars are very wide.
One of the varieties of the lever mechanism is underground drives. Often they are singled out in a separate group. In this case, the gearbox is hidden in a metal box, which is concreted near the pole. Only the lever remains outside.
Which type to choose
Outwardly, many people like the linear drive more – it is more compact. But on wide pillars, when opening the wings inward, it cannot be installed, in any case, without refining the pillar. If you really don’t want to put a lever, at the right height they make a niche in the column, removing part of the masonry or concrete.
When the sash is opened inward, the rear part of the drive is attached to the surface of the pole facing the yard using a special bracket. If the distance from this surface to the place of attachment of the sash is more than 8 cm (in the figure, the distance is indicated by the letter “C”), then the linear drive cannot be installed – it simply will not reach the sash. There are, however, some models that can be installed at C u12d XNUMX cm, but there are not so many of them.
If the gate opens outward – to the street, then the drive is mounted on the surface of the pole, which is facing towards the opening. At the same time, it protrudes by about 20 cm. Since there are two drives for double-leaf gates, they narrow the opening by 40 cm. This should also be borne in mind, especially if it is a gate in a garage. In this case, it is worth installing the drive so that it is higher than the machine and does not interfere with maneuvers.
Additional equipment
In the standard set for automation of any type there are two drives – right and left, a control unit for them. Some firms include two control panels and a code receiver in the basic kit, but in some these devices come as an option – they are bought separately. When comparing models and prices, carefully study the completeness of the basic delivery.
In addition to remotes, it is possible to use programmable key fobs – if more than two people can control the gate. A useful option is the installation of photocells. During the opening / closing of the doors, they react to objects in the field of action (cats, dogs, elderly people or children who did not have time to pass in a given period of time) and stop the movement of the leaf until the object disappears.
A signal lamp would be a useful addition. It is relevant if the gate opens onto a busy part of the street, warning passers-by.
What is required when buying
When choosing a model, you should definitely be asked what size the gate is, what it is made of or how much the sash is. You will need the parameters of the pillars, the distance from the edge to the loops. To make it easier to explain, draw a plan of the gate with all dimensions indicated. For the selection to be correct, you may need a photo. We need a general plan and a close-up of the hinges and the way they are attached.
How to make a wooden fence with your own hands, read here.
Automation for sliding gates
All drives for installation on sliding gates have the same design: there is a drive with a pinion and a toothed rack attached to the door leaf. The rotating motor moves the rail, together with the gate. All this is controlled from the control panel located on the side. Almost all models allow you to open / close the gate using remote controls. To receive their signals, you need to install an antenna and configure the remotes (program).
When choosing this type of automation, it is necessary to pay attention to the technical parameters and additional functions.
- Power and effort. The average is 600 N / m, which is equivalent to a force of 60 kg. This is the maximum value, which does not always develop. Automation is configured so that the work is optimal – if there is no interference, the effort is small. When overcoming obstacles that may be in the way of the sash, the force increases, sometimes to the maximum. Not everyone can resist him, and if a car or a gaping person gets in the way, there will be problems. Therefore, in some models (recent release with 24 V power supply), the possibility of reprogramming is provided. The second option – with a certain effort, the sash stops or even slightly rolls back.
- Temperature control available. At temperatures below zero, the sash usually moves more slowly: the lubricant has thickened, and snow and ice can also interfere. With this function in the cold, the force for opening is automatically increased.
- Adjustable swing speed. To make the door less noisy, its speed is reduced at the beginning and at the end.
- Backup power. Some modern models operating from 24 V have a built-in rechargeable battery in the body, which allows you to use the gate when the power is turned off. Some of them allow you to connect external backup sources.
An example of a complete set of automatic sliding gates - When choosing a 230 V sliding gate drive, it is necessary to choose it depending on the intensity of use. Usage intensity is a value expressed as a percentage. It means how long this device can work without interruption. For example, for installation in a private yard, it is enough to choose a model with an intensity of about 30-40%. This means that out of 10 minutes, it will work in continuous mode for 3 minutes, after which it will turn off due to overheating. For collective use, for example, at the entrance to a holiday village with a population of 300 people, there should be a drive with an intensity of 70-80%.
- The presence of photocells. This is the second opportunity to ensure safety: when triggered, the movement of the leaves is blocked until the obstacle disappears.
- The presence of the “gate” mode, when turned on, the sash opens only a little, to a distance sufficient to let a person through.
Some subtleties of the internal structure of drives for sliding automatic gates, see the video.
Now the video comments. The power comparison in this video is not entirely correct. There are different models for gates of different sizes and weights. The minimum threshold is 400 kg, the maximum in households up to 1200 kg, in industrial ones more than 2000 kg. When comparing capacities, the first copy was taken from the “lightest” category – up to 400 kg, the rest – for gates of a larger mass. Therefore, such a comparison is not objective. Although no one says that among the little-known brands there are, and therefore worth less, there are good ones in quality. Perhaps the ones shown in the video are just that….
Approximately the same picture about the gears. All drives are divided into three classes: household, semi-industrial and industrial. In households, the lowest resource and the lowest intensity of use – the motor will work continuously for about 30-40% of the total time, otherwise it will overheat and be turned off by automation (if any). This class is the cheapest, which is why they put the cheapest components there – plastic and silumin. Not all manufacturers and not in all lines, but this is rather a rule, and it is difficult to find gears made of steel, and, especially, brass, in low-power household-class drives. Nevertheless, under the normal operating mode for this type, they work normally – they work out their resource, but that’s all. For this reason, the choice of class must be considered thoughtfully and the resource of work declared by the manufacturers should be monitored (there is in the technical specifications).
What you need to specify when buying
Having decided on the functions and parameters that you consider necessary, you need to look for a suitable model. When choosing in the store, sellers will ask for the following data:
- Carrier system type (cantilever, on rail, on top beam).
- Dimensions and weight (at least approximate) of the canvas.
- Usage intensity: how many people and how often can use the device.
The seller must require all this data from you: otherwise he cannot decide on the required power. equipment. If the sliding gate is already made, parameters such as the distance between the roller bearings, the parameters of the foundation and the distance from it to the door leaf may be required. All this is necessary to correctly select the physical parameters of the drive.
About control panels (key fobs) and types of coding
All remotes can be divided into two main groups:
- with floating code;
- with a fixed code.
Sliding gate automation kit
How fixed code keyfobs work
These devices record their own signal (frequency or combination of frequencies) for a certain action. When they receive a certain signal, they begin to perform the corresponding action. Is it good or bad? Rather, bad. That’s why. Around us there is a large number of electronics controlled from remotes. They can easily give a similar signal. For example, a neighbor, changing the parameters of the glow of his lamp, can open or close your gate. And all because the signal is similar and your gate control unit is in range. The same situation can be with any other radio-controlled device. Therefore, owners of remote controls with fixed frequencies often do not understand why the gate opens on its own. Worse, there were situations when, having arrived at the dacha or home, they saw an open gate. It’s just that one of the nearest neighbors used some kind of remote control for their equipment, or a thief did it. You can solve the problem by reprogramming the remotes by setting other buttons / frequencies, but this is not a guarantee that the motor will work only from your remote control: the frequency range is limited.
The second negative point is that the fixed code is easy to read (record on a special device, and then play back if necessary). For attackers, this is a boon. Since automatic drives act as a lock, you can’t open them without a remote control from the outside, having the right frequencies it’s easy to get inside.
How remotes with floating code work
Key fobs of the second type have a certain number of codes stored in memory. The figure is large – several hundred thousand or millions. After each use, the code changes to the next one in the chain. When accepted by the control device, it is analyzed. If the incoming signal is the next one in the chain, the action is performed; if it is different, there is no reaction.
This algorithm solves two problems at once: the ability to control your gate through the neighbor’s remote control, and the ability to write codes. No, you can write them down, but for the gate to work, you need to have all the codes written in the correct sequence.
It is clear that the control equipment when using floating code is more complex and, therefore, more expensive, but security is more expensive … No?
Most companies offer both encoding systems for any of the drives, so the choice is yours.
Homemade drives: video
For those for whom “do-it-yourself automatic gates” means not only to mount a ready-made automation kit, but also to assemble it completely, video reports on how and from what they have already been made will be useful. For example, from a drill …
The drive is made from the engine of the washing machine.
Homemade automation for swing gates
It was made on this drive.
Car alarm wiring diagram.