DIY: Cell activated Hog trap gate

[Duckhead78]

Attempting to help reduce some pig problems on the lease I know I cannot do it with just a bow or a rifle. After reading some threads on here and doing some other research, I decided to give this DIY project a try. * NOTE: I AM NOT A WELDER!! You may see some horrific looking welds in these pictures so please overlook them. This is my first ever attempt at welding. In saying that, I truly enjoy the heck out of welding now! All of the metal I used except to C-Channel was salvaged. Angle was from old bed rails, the drop gate was an old wrought iron fence. I'll just be using a basic pull pin attached to the 60# door popper solenoid to release the gate. The GSM module is new but it's supposed to be phased out this year. Hopefully I can get a few months of use before that happens. I plan on having a 5 to 6 panel corral pen. So far, I am under $200 in the gate build. I hope to have this out in the field in the next few weeks.

[crxshooter]

Good to see there's another "muddobber" on here. If I was to start a welding bizness, it would be called "Ugly ***** Welding Company".

[whodat]

Nice job. Do you have a link to the pull pin motor?

[nushagak]

Clever

[Duckhead78]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/RTU5024-G...ines/656896701

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-60-Poun....m46890.l49292

[hog_down]

Looking good so far! Can you post the wiring diagram and more pictures when you can? How big is your pen going to be? Well done

[Boone11]

These work great. We have built 5 with 8ft wide gates. We use the Kong Quick Release from Amazon. The popper pulls those pretty easy to drop gate.

Link to popper and quick release from amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Kong-Quick-Re...e%2C162&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Duckhead78]

Originally Posted by hog_down

Looking good so far! Can you post the wiring diagram and more pictures when you can? How big is your pen going to be? Well done

I'll take some pictures of the diagram that came with it this afternoon and post it. I think six cattle panels should be around 30' in diameter.

[Duckhead78]

Originally Posted by Boone11

These work great. We have built 5 with 8ft wide gates. We use the Kong Quick Release from Amazon. The popper pulls those pretty easy to drop gate.

I'll look at those releases today. I have not heard of those. Thank you!

[wellingtontx]

A complete parts list and wiring diagram would be great.

Thanks for sharing.

[Duckhead78]

Originally Posted by wellingtontx

A complete parts list and wiring diagram would be great.

Thanks for sharing.

The links for the GSM controller and door popper solenoid are in post #5. The 30 amp relay & harness was a purchase from Ebay also but they can be purchased at any auto parts store. Walmart may even have them. I paid $20 for the controller, $27.59 for the Door popper solenoid and $7.42 for the 30 amp relay and harness. I already had the ammo can but they're around $20 or less online and at Harbor Freight. I paid $31 for a 20' stick of 2"x1"x3/8" C-Channel. All of
1 1/2" angle, wrought iron gate & the cattle panel was scrap. I ordered a Miady 12v 8Ah lithium battery from Amazon for $30. The Solenoid comes with a wiring diagram but I can post one this afternoon.

*Note*, You have to purchase a prepaid cell plan and activate it with the phone. These are cheap @ Walmart. You remove the sim card and install it into the controller. The controller has instructions to complete the setup. I should have that part going next week.

DIY Cellular Remote Controlled Hog Trap - YouTube

Remote Hog Trap- Home made - YouTube

Pig Trap Test - YouTube

[MedicineMan7]

Would love to see a drawing or a pic everything hooked up. Been wanting to do one of these but I'm not very electrically inclined when it comes to wiring things up....

[Duckhead78]

Originally Posted by MedicineMan7

Would love to see a drawing or a pic everything hooked up. Been wanting to do one of these but I'm not very electrically inclined when it comes to wiring things up....

I'm not either. I had some help with the wiring myself. I'll post some pics tonight when I get a chance.

[Duckhead78]

Wiring diagrams and battery.

[Samson]

Consider adding a momentary pulse relay instead of just on/off for your door actuator. Those actuators only need a short pulse of power to actuate and close the door. If you provide constant power they will burn up and if you forget and leave it on, it will drain your battery. There are lots of wiring diagrams out there for DIY momentary pulse relays. We had poor cell reception so it was always a guess if the trap actuator turned off after we sent the command. With a pulse relay it never gets more than about a second of 12v power.

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[Duckhead78]

Originally Posted by Samson

Consider adding a momentary pulse relay instead of just on/off for your door actuator. Those actuators only need a short pulse of power to actuate and close the door. If you provide constant power they will burn up and if you forget and leave it on, it will drain your battery. There are lots of wiring diagrams out there for DIY momentary pulse relays. We had poor cell reception so it was always a guess if the trap actuator turned off after we sent the command. With a pulse relay it never gets more than about a second of 12v power.

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Thanks for the information! I'll be sure to look into that.

[jimmyneutrontx]

This is very cool.

[Duckhead78]

Originally Posted by Samson

Consider adding a momentary pulse relay instead of just on/off for your door actuator. Those actuators only need a short pulse of power to actuate and close the door. If you provide constant power they will burn up and if you forget and leave it on, it will drain your battery. There are lots of wiring diagrams out there for DIY momentary pulse relays. We had poor cell reception so it was always a guess if the trap actuator turned off after we sent the command. With a pulse relay it never gets more than about a second of 12v power.

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Had the relay wired up as you mentioned to work momentarily and it works perfectly! Takes 30 seconds to reset.

[T-roy66]

When will mine be delivered? Great Project !!

[10132297]

Great job.

[Duckhead78]

Originally Posted by T-roy66

When will mine be delivered? Great Project !!

Anytime for you. If you really want a control box I can make it for you.

[Dusty Britches]

That was awesome, Duckhead. I never realized it was that simple. I might have to make improvements to my big trap.... but then again the pigs normally come in after I am asleep. Nonetheless - good job!

[Seatruckn]

This is awesome. Gonna keep an eye out for a few sticks of c-channel now. Been wanting to build a few doors like this to let the hogs in the feeder pens at times during the off season. Nice!!!!

[Duckhead78]

Originally Posted by Dusty Britches

That was awesome, Duckhead. I never realized it was that simple. I might have to make improvements to my big trap.... but then again the pigs normally come in after I am asleep. Nonetheless - good job!

Thank you kindly!

[Duckhead78]

Originally Posted by Seatruckn

This is awesome. Gonna keep an eye out for a few sticks of c-channel now. Been wanting to build a few doors like this to let the hogs in the feeder pens at times during the off season. Nice!!!!

Thank you!

[DoveBlaster]

Just finished building my frame, door, and trigger mechanism. I have the gsm, the popper, and a solenoid. My question is since the GSM can be turned off and on remotely and the popper requires momentary power will a 12V feeder battery and solar panel be strong enough to pop the popper? Also not completely sure how much the prepaid SIM will be per month... sending pm duckhead

[roughneck266]

Originally Posted by DoveBlaster

Just finished building my frame, door, and trigger mechanism. I have the gsm, the popper, and a solenoid. My question is since the GSM can be turned off and on remotely and the popper requires momentary power will a 12V feeder battery and solar panel be strong enough to pop the popper? Also not completely sure how much the prepaid SIM will be per month... sending pm duckhead

It should do it, most of these door poppers draw more than 15A though, so if you are going to use a feeder battery, a charge controller and solar panel would be a good idea. TECHNICALLY a 12VDC 7AH battery would be able to supply 15A for a little less than half an hour, but in real practice, with in rush and all the other variables I doubt it would do more than 20 mins.
We use car batteries on our hog traps, and 25W solar panels, but the expense for one here or there is a little too high in my opinion.

[jrfan]

Sent you a PM duckhead78

[DoveBlaster]

I just finished building the frame, gate, and gsm popper box with feeder battery and solar. Checked everything in Fort Worth and it worked great, brought it out to install and can’t get any service! I bought a cheap SIM card on Amazon and checked the service map which was solid green but still no service. I left it out all night, maybe it will acquire some service...

[roughneck266]

Originally Posted by DoveBlaster

I just finished building the frame, gate, and gsm popper box with feeder battery and solar. Checked everything in Fort Worth and it worked great, brought it out to install and can’t get any service! I bought a cheap SIM card on Amazon and checked the service map which was solid green but still no service. I left it out all night, maybe it will acquire some service...

Are you using an external antenna for it? If so what type? We have tried the longer whip type antennas with very little success, but have had good results with the Yagi antennas.

[DoveBlaster]

I’m using a Amazon or Walmart gsm with the antenna it came with.
Link to antenna?


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[Beerdonga]

I like that setup. Great use of a yard fence !!

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[Old Bald Guy]

Originally Posted by Samson

Consider adding a momentary pulse relay instead of just on/off for your door actuator. Those actuators only need a short pulse of power to actuate and close the door. If you provide constant power they will burn up and if you forget and leave it on, it will drain your battery. There are lots of wiring diagrams out there for DIY momentary pulse relays. We had poor cell reception so it was always a guess if the trap actuator turned off after we sent the command. With a pulse relay it never gets more than about a second of 12v power.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

The opener he is using is programable for the amount of time the power stays on.

[Beerdonga]

What gsm controller are yall using after 3g is phased out?

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[Duckhead78]

Originally Posted by Beerdonga

What gsm controller are yall using after 3g is phased out?

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There's one that's around a $150. I have not researched in detail.

[roughneck266]

This is what we are using:
https://www.amazon.com/KiaoTime-GSM-...91510064&psc=1
We went to this one, even though it is a bit more expensive than what we were previously using because we had a couple different times that the internal relay stopped working, so we had others in this unit we could go to without having to change the entire controller.

[Pedernal]

Originally Posted by Boone11

These work great. We have built 5 with 8ft wide gates. We use the Kong Quick Release from Amazon. The popper pulls those pretty easy to drop gate.

Link to popper and quick release from amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Kong-Quick-Re...e%2C162&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Originally Posted by roughneck266

This is what we are using:
https://www.amazon.com/KiaoTime-GSM-...91510064&psc=1
We went to this one, even though it is a bit more expensive than what we were previously using because we had a couple different times that the internal relay stopped working, so we had others in this unit we could go to without having to change the entire controller.

Thank you both for sharing this information. Out of curiosity, about how much do you folks end up paying on the phone/SIM card plan??

[roughneck266]

Originally Posted by Pedernal

Thank you both for sharing this information. Out of curiosity, about how much do you folks end up paying on the phone/SIM card plan??

I think it's 15/month. I am not home right now, so I can't see for sure, but it isn't expensive by any means.

[DoveBlaster]

I have a SIM card that is 5$ a month off Amazon, meant to run an alarm system;

$30 Alarm SIM Card for GSM Home/Business Security Alarm System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072PQX1X5...ing=UTF8&psc=1

I’m also running this gsm opener;

KKmoon GSM Door Gate Opener,Remote On/Off Switch,Access Control Switch,Light Switch,Home Lock Switch,APP Control,Free Call,SMS Command,Support 850/900/1800/1900MHz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5AR51B...FAB3GPSQ8JGC08

I have a 12V feeder battery and solar panel for power, above gsm, cheapest lawnmower solenoid I could buy and the 60lb door popper. Everything is in an ammo can which is mounted to the gate frame. I hooked everything up at my house in Fort Worth and viola she worked, and multiple times. Took it to the ranch in Stephens county and nada... GSM won’t connect, but the coverage map of the SIM is blanket coverage so I dunno what my issue is. I think the SIM uses Verizon service and I use Verizon for my cell phone provider with no issues in the exact same area. Help!


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[Pedernal]

Originally Posted by DoveBlaster

I have a SIM card that is 5$ a month off Amazon, meant to run an alarm system;
Ut
$30 Alarm SIM Card for GSM Home/Business Security Alarm System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072PQX1X5...ing=UTF8&psc=1

I’m also running this gsm opener;

KKmoon GSM Door Gate Opener,Remote On/Off Switch,Access Control Switch,Light Switch,Home Lock Switch,APP Control,Free Call,SMS Command,Support 850/900/1800/1900MHz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N5AR51B...FAB3GPSQ8JGC08

I have a 12V feeder battery and solar panel for power, above gsm, cheapest lawnmower solenoid I could buy and the 60lb door popper. Everything is in an ammo can which is mounted to the gate frame. I hooked everything up at my house in Fort Worth and viola she worked, and multiple times. Took it to the ranch in Stephens county and nada... GSM won’t connect, but the coverage map of the SIM is blanket coverage so I dunno what my issue is. I think the SIM uses Verizon service and I use Verizon for my cell phone provider with no issues in the exact same area. Help!


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How is the coverage in the area where you placed the device? Your phone probably has a better antenna. Additionally, you might see if it connects while out of the ammo can. Perhaps you can mount the antenna out of the ammo can.

Plus I believe Werizon is on CDMA versus att & t-mobile which are GSM. use the googler for "which carries are GSM"?

[DoveBlaster]

Originally Posted by Pedernal

How is the coverage in the area where you placed the device? Your phone probably has a better antenna. Additionally, you might see if it connects while out of the ammo can. Perhaps you can mount the antenna out of the ammo can.

Plus I believe Werizon is on CDMA versus att & t-mobile which are GSM. use the googler for "which carries are GSM"?

The SIM card was supposed to be Verizon supported and Verizon has very good (most of the time full bars) signal in the area but the sim folks asked me if T-Mobile worked in the area too which I don’t know. I bought the card under the assumption it was Verizon supported because that’s what it said and the answering machine no service recording is from Verizon. I tried getting the GSM to connect outside of the box and it wouldn’t. ATT is not an option out here as the service is poor and I’d rather pull all of my fingernails out than give ATT more money than I have to. Does anyone know of a cheap ($5/$10 per month) SIM card that is supported by Verizon?

Thanks for the reply’s!


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