another ds10a to doorbell thread

[TeleFragger]

Ok I did not want to hijack a few threads so tought id start mine...


anyway...

I see you can take a ds10a and hook it up to the wires for the doorbell..

here is my question... Can I place a ds10a inside of the box on my inside wall where the doorbell is?
guess I just need to take it apart and see what wires should go to the doorbell?

if I can find them can I safely ***-Ume that I can hookup a ds10a and leave the current doorbell stuff in tact?
this would at least get me to the seeing doorbell last changed status?

I do not have house audio going so no need to play a wav or mp3 yet...

to use a ds10a.. are we just using the box with the wires and one end... not the magnet side?
so when you push the doorbell it theoretically shorts the 2 wire contacts on the ds10a?

Thanks
Jeff

[drozwood90]

There are circuits listed on the forums that will tell you how to do this with a few diodes (a small circuit is necesary to convert the 24VAC (typical) to a contact closure for the ds10a).

--Dan

[jackpod]

Well if you don't want the existing doorbell anymore, all you need are the 2 wires from the doorbell button... Granted the DS10a will read alert until it is pushed and then it will read normal but the events in HS can be reversed to play a wav or whatever whenever the DS10A reads normal

Another option, if you want the standard doorbell to still work is to use one of the x10 interface modules, I can't think of the model, PSC something. It has a switch for either dry contact or a voltage (sorry been a long time since I used any)

I remembered, it's called a powerflash

[Dr. Voltz]

I was able to integrate a DS10a into my existing door bell box (at the expense of the door bell's operation). I wanted to keep the lighted door bell switch outside and didn't care to hear the old doorbell chime over Homeseer's whole house door bell so I removed both of the metal chime bars, hacked out enough of the empty plastic box to the left of the solenoid's and double-stick taped the ds10a in there. I used the door bell strike spring tension to hold the magnetic switch attached to the DS10a which gets activated by the electromagnet when the doorbell is pressed. I think it took less than 15 minutes to do the retrofit.

Doc

[Rupp]

Doc,
Do you have any zoomed in pics of the magnetic contacts? This is an excellent idea and hopefully can be retrofitted and keep the current chime.

[Dr. Voltz]

Here ya go. The reed switch sits ungracefully wedged on top of one of the solenoid plungers. What could be done to allow the left plunger to still work is place the reed switch over the right solenoid plunger(mine was removed) and then wire terminals 1 and 3 together. I found the plunger has to stick out a little to allow the reed switch to sense the magnetic field. It also need to be jammed so it doesn't move (I think I bent out the attached spring to hold it in place).

Also, the DS10A was so tall it would have touched either the top or the bottom chime bar. If you have a similar size doorbell box you would probably need to take the DS10A apart to fit it in the box. Hope that helps!

Doc