[Jamesx22]

so me and my pops are gonna use one of the door jam sensors, you know the ones that they use for alarms/ turning the lights inside on? well we are gonna take one of those, and cut and weld a notch under the hood and connect one to an alarm system, since the hood doesn't lock, and just in case they get frisky and cut the chain they will get a surprise of a loud TRAIN horn. muahahaha and it pages me, and that sticker on that back says "protected by glock" they will see for them self's. LOL!


So what you guys think?? might be a bit befor we figure out how to do it, but maybe i can take pics of the process and i donno, i just thought it be a cool idea, Yes i know its over board of security, but i live in a little Mexico neighborhood and those trucks fit in perfectly in mexico. LOL! :devil:

 

[Poppy]

I don't understand, How is that different from a standard alarm?

 

[Jamesx22]

its gonna be attached to the alarm. it be just like having a 3 door car, but instead of the trunk u add the litttle switch too the hood. so when it gets open it goes off with the alarm. seems like an easy thing to do i think LOL

 

[electro]

Seems simple enough.

Depending on how it is wired, your dome lights might be on whenever your hood is open. :crazy:

 

[Cuda_jim]

That will work but so will any pressure switch. Some alarms come with that option. I would use a switch that can take abuse. I've seen more than a few that just stay stuck in the down position (hood closed), kinda defeats it's purpose.
I guess a little lube every once in a while would stop that from happening though

 

[Poppy]

I think my hood is wired to the alarm with a mercury switch. Open the hood, the under the hood light goes on, and the alarm, if set, goes off. Again, I think this is pretty standard with alarms, otherwise one could just pop the hood and disconnect the battery. But theives are so quick that they can break the glass to get in, and steal the radio before the glass hits the ground.

Have fun with your little project, I am going to rename the title of your thread to include alarm so that it is more descriptive of the content.

 

[Jamesx22]

yeah were can i get a heavy duty swtich?? ive been searching around and can only find normal door ones

 

[mark v]

Back when it was cool to rip off a hood ornament and wear it around your neck they had a kit that connected the base of the hood ornament to the cars horn, when you pulled on the hood ornament the horn went off.

You can do the same with your trunk or hood or even you car doors and make a generic type of alarm like this. Easy and reliable way is to use proximity sensors cause old door jamb switches foul out fast when they get wet.

 

[Jamesx22]

how would i go about hooking one of those up?

 

[mark v]

The proximity sensor has 2 wires on (better make sure the one you get has 2 wires and is waterproof) it just like a hood switch or door jamb switch. What is better about proximity switches is there is no moving parts, nothing can be jambed in them to make them stop, water wont hurt them, and all they need is some metal close to them to keep them working. As soon as the hood is lifted the metal from the hood is pulled away and bamb the alarm goes off!

How a Magnetic Proximity switch works......

When metal passes in front of the switch the magnet inside either makes or breaks an electrical connection depending on if it is a normally open or normally closed type switch. When the metal is removed the switch moves back to its normal position. These are particularly useful in applications where it might be exposed to water since the switch is completely enclosed. Connected to a relay the switch can activate or stop what ever it is controlling.

 

[focusser]

I've seen magnetic relay switches like those used on closed circuit wired alarm systems, but on those, the switch doesn't have a magnet inside- The magnet is on the other part, and the circuit is kept closed when the magnet is close to the switch. When it's removed, then the switch opens and sets off the alarm.

I was thinking about using a hall effect sensor in a circuit that will act like the usual pin switches used for hoods and trunks; with the magnet next to it, the circuit will be open, but when it moves away, it'll trigger the alarm. It could be waterproofed so it won't have the same problems with corrosion that the cheap unsealed pin switches have.

 

[mark v]

A mercury switch will do the same too, since they are small they can be hid in the hood its self.

You can find these switches in old home thermostats.

 

[focusser]

Yep, those mercury switches are great; totally waterproof for sure. I always rescue them from the old thermostats when I can find them, because they don't use them in the new ones now. Just have to allow for the angle of the car when parking on steep inclines, since it works by gravity instead of the angle of the hood to the car.