Long story short I am in he need of a 120 volt 10ish amp diode.  I have been looking online but can't find anything.  Does anyone know if these exsist or where to get one?  Local supply place wanted $90 for something they though would work.  I had to explain what a diode was......

Thanks in advance for any info/help

Have you looked here?


http://electronics.mcmelectronics.com/search.php?Ntt=diode&Ns=0

 

Start here


Do you need axial lead, surface mount, bridge, etc........lots of choices.  What is the application?  If a replacement, your old device will probably have a part number on it in this format:  1N2007, etc....

A diode handling 10 Amps is probably going to need a heat sink.

Mouser or Digikey.

About as common as dirt.

Looking for something that I can wire just infront of my garage door opener.

I have a garage with three brick walls and no windows or doors.  I am planning on putting up a 16 foot garage door in the coming weeks.  Only issue is if I lose power I won't be able to get my truck out.  

My thought was to put another recepticle off the outlet that will be powering the garage door and then plug in a power inverter to open the door.  I have an 800 watt inverter in my bronco that will more then handle to load of the opener (4 amp draw).  I just need a way to keep the power from going back to the house and everything else from draining the power.

I could just cut the power at the breaker box, but it is possible my wife will be doing this and would preffer to make it fool proof.  Ohter option is to take power to a switch outside, then to the recepticle, and then to the outlet providing power to the opener.  But like I said, I like fool proof.

Diode will not block AC power.

Uninteruptable power supply might help for an AC circuit.

Don't try to treat the symptom, cure the problem.  Get a Liftmaster opener.  They are DC and can run on batteries.  They just use a charger to keep the batteries topped off, or can use solar.  My opener and gate operator, both have these.

Most openers have a 120V AC power plug on them.  No magic is needed to remove the plug and plug it into an invertor.

I have an UPS for just such a purpose at home, I'll have to look at the model.  I believe it's a tripp-lite, it's a combo charger/inverter/UPS, you add your own batteries.  It can do a 3/4HP motor, if I recall, and hooked up to a golf cart battery, it's a great backup for the garage door and anything else I need.

As for getting a new opener...  I appreciate the input, and if I had not already bought one I might go this route.  But I have and the money isn't there to go changing them out.


Since there isn't a cheap fix that I can find, I think I am just going to put and outlet outside and cut power at the breaker box when/if the power goes out.  

I am greatful to those who tried to help, it just looks like it will not be cost effective to go about it any other way.

This is a disaster waiting to happen.  Call a qualified electrician and get a real plan.

How about pulling the little rope that hangs down near the door and opening it the old fashion way.

I think we have had to do that three times in ten years.  Way better option than electrocuting your wife or catching something on fire.

If your power goes out that often, do as the above poster suggest. Buy a UPS and plug the opener into it.

If the power goes out I can't get to that little rope.  As previously stated no doors or windows other then the garage door.  It is a detached garage.

Our power hasn't gone out since I have been in the house, and the PO said it never went out on them as well.....  But I know murphy will make it happen if I don't account for it as a possibility

Electrocuting my wife would be hard since she would be fliping switch labeled power inverter, and then just pluging it into the outlet.  It would blow the inline fuse on the supply line for the power inverter prior to starting a fire.  I tend to be on the safe side when it comes to vehicles and electrical.  Once I finish with the solid axle swap I will have well over triple what it is worth in upgrades.  

pressed the wrong button

Use a relay to isolate the opener from the rest of the circuit.

When you plug in the inverter, the relay isolates the garage door opener.

Looking at your dilemma I see you have three options:
1) Install what the garage door guys call a ' vault release', that is a cheesy lock thingy  mounted to the face of the door with a cable going to the rope that disconnects the door operator. Not the best option because any tweeker with a pair of pliers can pry the lock out and open your door.

2) Install an 'uninteruptable power supply' (UPS)  best option for what you want to do.Do your homework and get one with the capacity large enough for your door operator. Very simple, plug UPS into outlet for door operator and plug door operator into UPS. Any office supply store or big box hardware store will have what you need.

3) Use the inverter off the Bronco battery,bad choice,very bad. After you notify the local building department and the electrical utility that you are planning to generate your own power (which is what you are doing). Then you will go through the permit process. You will need an automatic transfer switch that is rated for what the local utility deems necessary. Most likely you will need a licensed electrical contractor to install your system.

You might think I am joking about option #3, I am not, The local power company and thier lawyers will get very pissed off when you send 120 volts down line and kill one of thier linemen because you or your wife forgot to turn off the breaker or switch.

Buy the UPS

Relay would be an excellent low cost solution!

Install a walk in door.  Should have one anyway what if the garage door opener breaks in the closed position.

snowman357

I like this Idea alot as well.  I have never seen a 120 volt relay, and input on where to pick one up would be appreciated.



If it breaks I am pretty well screwed.  But I think taking a saw to the door, and having to buy a new one would be cheaper then installing a door.  I have two other vehicles that aren't going to be in the garage so it wouldn't be the end of the world if it took a couple days to get the cars out.  If it was bad weather getting the truck out would be required, but otherwise no big deal.  The brick walls are supporting a workshop that is above the garage.

I really think worrying about killing a linesman is not an issue at all.  Inverter only puts out 800 watts.  The frige, freezer and misc things just in my hosue would use mulitple times that power before it left to go elsewhere.  Much less all the other houses that would use the power before it got to a line worker that might be a mile down the road.  How would it be different the a homeowner using a generator to keep their frig or heat going when the power is out.  It really would not be that big of a deal.  Not trying to be a jerk, .  and anyone who is willing to provide input is appreciated.  But I think it is being a somewhat chicken little.

Digikey and Mouser should have the parts you need. You can use a DC relay and a handful-of-components 12v power supply (think wall-wart DC adapter).

Also, the REAL solution to installing a new door is to install a tunnel between the garage and the house

This would be incredible.

Thanks for the info on the relay

Relay    http://www.bgmicro.com/REL1050.aspx

Socket for relay  http://www.bgmicro.com/REL1055.aspx

I would mount those in a grounded metal box.

you know how easy/cheap it is to install an entry door?

Urban legend.  If you try to back feed power through the line, you will be trying to power everything else on that line including every load still connected in your  house.  All you will do is pop your overcurrent device or fry your power source.

You need one of these emergency cable releases:

http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infgar/infgar61i.html

They have them at Lowes or Home Depot.

If you are really set on doing this electrically, before you burn your garage down, isolate the power to your garage by installing a disconnect on the outside.  You can then backfeed to your hearts content.  Or you can go turn the breaker off to the garage yourself, eliminating your wife from the equation, and do the same.