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I'm following this tutorial to wire an automatic chicken coop door. The DPDT relay they're using is different to my relay so I'm finding it difficult to understand which wires connect to where. I'm completely new to all things electronics, could somebody help me please?

Here's the wiring diagram for my relay: My relay wiring diagram

Here's the full wiring diagram on the tutorial: The wiring diagram on the post

The sensor I'm using is also different to the tutorial, this is: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00BU78GX0]

This question is different from my previous question because I'm asking about the differences between the relay used and the one I have. I'm not asking about splicing wires, which got an answer which I marked as the correct one. Thanks.

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    \$\begingroup\$ You seem to have purchased a relay module designed, probably, to be operated by a 5 V control signal from a microcontroller via, usually, an opto-isolator and transistor on the PCB. The pictogram is showing a plain-old relay with no electronics. It will probably be simpler for you to get the right type of relay with a 12 V coil. \$\endgroup\$
    – Transistor
    Commented Aug 22, 2019 at 22:05
  • \$\begingroup\$ Possible duplicate of Diagram shows four wires coming from my two wire power supply, what am I missing? \$\endgroup\$
    – Voltage Spike ♦
    Commented Aug 22, 2019 at 22:10
  • \$\begingroup\$ @cbg edit your first post... duplicates are flagged and off topic. visit this site to find out what is on topic and what isn't electronics.stackexchange.com/help \$\endgroup\$
    – Voltage Spike ♦
    Commented Aug 22, 2019 at 22:11
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Transistor Oh no! So basically I've got the wrong thing. The only reason I liked this one is because it has screw terminals. Would this one be a better option? amazon.co.uk/Taiss-JTX-2C-Terminal-Quality-Assurance/dp/… \$\endgroup\$
    – cbg
    Commented Aug 22, 2019 at 22:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ That looks like it should be fine. \$\endgroup\$
    – Transistor
    Commented Aug 22, 2019 at 22:16

3 Answers 3

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While the bare relay linked in the comments is the device the tutorial is using, the board you have already purchased should work just fine if wired correctly:

Wiring Diagram

Edit: Note that I only connected the ground of the sensor to the second GND terminal of the relay board to keep the diagram tidy. The positive and negative inputs to the sensor can be connected anywhere along the power bus, and do not have to be directly connected to the relay board.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Been working on getting this all connected up today. I’m using T tap connectors to split up various wires. I’ve wired everything together but it doesn’t working so I must have made an error. The light on the power supply stays on, so no issue there. The light on the relay doesn’t come on. Might be worth mentioning that my photocell is different to the one in the tutorial but I have connected the LI to VCC, LO to INPUT and N to GND. \$\endgroup\$
    – cbg
    Commented Aug 23, 2019 at 13:30
  • \$\begingroup\$ In your diagram you’ve used yellow and blue colours, is there any significant to this? Does blue represent positive and yellow negative? Thanks \$\endgroup\$
    – cbg
    Commented Aug 23, 2019 at 13:32
  • \$\begingroup\$ @cbg - There is a slight significance in the choice of colors, in that they were chosen because they generally don't refer to specific uses or polarities. A DC linear actuator with internal limit switches, that will be used to swing between it's full limits when installed, either extends or retracts, depending on the polarity of the input. If the actuator moves to the opposite position from the one you desire based upon the state of the relay, then you simply swap the wires around. \$\endgroup\$
    – Hitek
    Commented Aug 23, 2019 at 14:20
  • \$\begingroup\$ @cbg - To start, however, there is no need to connect anything to the contact side of the relay board until you get the relay switching properly first based upon the sensor. Do you have a link to the specific device you used? If so, you should add it to the question. \$\endgroup\$
    – Hitek
    Commented Aug 23, 2019 at 14:22
  • \$\begingroup\$ Thank you so much for your help so far. I've just added my own diagram just so we can confirm I've done everything right so far. Hope that's useful? Thanks! \$\endgroup\$
    – cbg
    Commented Aug 23, 2019 at 14:26
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According to the linked ad my comment was incorrect.

Input control signal voltage: 
0V - 0.5V Low stage (relay is OFF),
0.5V - 2.5V (unknown state).
2.5V - 24V High state (relay is ON).  <-- It takes a 12 V control signal.
Input control signal high state current:
2.5V: 0.1mA
5V: 0.35mA
12V: 1.1mA  <-- It will draw 1.1 mA on the control input.
20V: 1.9mA

You should be able to make it work.

enter image description here

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks for this. So 'BAT+/BAT-' would be my power supply and 'SEN-/SEN OUT' is the sensor/photocell, is that right? Sorry, this is all very new to me! Then I guess all that is left over is the linear actuator, that goes into the 'COM1/COM2' connectors, is that right? Thank you so much! \$\endgroup\$
    – cbg
    Commented Aug 22, 2019 at 22:46
  • \$\begingroup\$ Bedtime in Ireland. More tomorrow. \$\endgroup\$
    – Transistor
    Commented Aug 22, 2019 at 23:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ @cbg - With the DPDT contacts wired in this fashion, the contact grouping becomes a switch that simply takes two sets of wires, and swaps the polarity of them based on whether the relay is engaged or not engaged. Whether the COM1/2 set or the NO/NC set is connected to the power supply or the linear actuator is irrelevant, as they are interchangeable... \$\endgroup\$
    – Hitek
    Commented Aug 23, 2019 at 2:11
  • \$\begingroup\$ Do photocells degrade over time? I’ve had this running untouched since August now with no problems. However now, the door has stopped closing. When I switch the sensitivity on the photocell to min and max the door open and closes fine however? I’ve adjusted the sensitivity and will see if it closes tonight. But it seems odd when nothing has changed? \$\endgroup\$
    – cbg
    Commented May 12, 2020 at 16:16
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I hope that you didn't mess up your relay trying it all these different ways. The answer is so much simpler than you think. But first, You should wire the Actuator to the commons. Makes it easy to replace, do maintenance or reverse the wires. Dump the three wire sensor and just use a single photo cell. The first two Images are the schematic current flow to illustrate how it works and that it does work. Top one is day time and the middle is night time. The third is the practical wiring diagram. The protection of the Photocell is simple also. Use a small glass or plastic jar and run the wires through the cap. Get a few of those moisture packets that come in over the counter medication bottles and throw then in there. Cap and mount the jar. Simple. Hope this helps.

Sunrise

Sunset

Practical wiring diagram

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