Built a $5 garage door opener

[jaxbobg]

I posted this on the BMW Touring forum, and thought it should be shared with the triker community also.

I ride my trike almost every day and got tired of having to go into the house to open the garage door, then drive the trike inside when I get home. My door opener is too bulky to carry conveniently, so I took an hour or so today to solve this problem.

Bought a doorbell button at Home Depot (Heath/Zenith DW-VJRP) and ground down the outer flange, then took apart the door opener case (photo 1). Next, soldered two color coded 18 ga. wires to the PC board contact points that complete the circuit when the open/close button is pushed, and connected to bottom of the doorbell button (photo 2).

Photo 3 is the completed unit. I cut the corner off a freezer bag to cover the button, closed with electrical tape, as a weatherproof cover. The button is mounted beneath the left side of the passenger seat (photo 4), opposite of where the seat heater control is located on the right side.

The door opener unit fits nicely into the space under the pasenger seat (photo 5). The black tape helps secure the unit, but is easily removed to change the battery when necessary.

This may look crude to those of you that are more sophisticated than me, but I am really happy with the result. When I get home, I just reach back, push the button, and drive on in. Amazing how something this simple can be such a stress reliever.

 

[Paul_Trike]

I posted this on the BMW Touring forum, and thought it should be shared with the triker community also.

I ride my trike almost every day and got tired of having to go into the house to open the garage door, then drive the trike inside when I get home. My door opener is too bulky to carry conveniently, so I took an hour or so today to solve this problem.

Bought a doorbell button at Home Depot (Heath/Zenith DW-VJRP) and ground down the outer flange, then took apart the door opener case (photo 1). Next, soldered two color coded 18 ga. wires to the PC board contact points that complete the circuit when the open/close button is pushed, and connected to bottom of the doorbell button (photo 2).

Photo 3 is the completed unit. I cut the corner off a freezer bag to cover the button, closed with electrical tape, as a weatherproof cover. The button is mounted beneath the left side of the passenger seat (photo 4), opposite of where the seat heater control is located on the right side.

The door opener unit fits nicely into the space under the pasenger seat (photo 5). The black tape helps secure the unit, but is easily removed to change the battery when necessary.

This may look crude to those of you that are more sophisticated than me, but I am really happy with the result. When I get home, I just reach back, push the button, and drive on in. Amazing how something this simple can be such a stress reliever.

This very simular to what I did to the goldwing.

http://www.triketalk.com/forum/general-discussion-5/garage-door-opener-11715/

 

[jaxbobg]

Sorry, didn't search the forums to see if this topic had been covered before.

Very nice. Didn't really think about drilling hole in plastic for the button, but your solution looks clean and neat. But isn't the button apt to short out if the trike is out in the rain?

 

[Paul_Trike]

Sorry if it came across as if I did not think you should have post, as that was not my intentions. Yours is a little different than mine so I was just letting you see my method as well. no it should not short I used a marine grade push button and placed a thin coat of silcone on the back of the button base just to give a little seal before inserting the button.

 

[Trent]

I simply put my garage door opener in the left windshield pouch right by my left hand.