billygoat333
11-07-2011, 03:59 AM
I have this great idea for my dad's cabin, and I need some help implementing it.
In the wintertime, we keep the power off (except for the essentials) to keep the electric bill cheap. But, in doing so we cut the electric heat off so the cabin is FRIGID cold when we go up to go snowmobiling in the winter.
Anyway, so I have been doing some research on a way to remotely activate an outlet to power a heater so the cabin won't be so damn cold when we get there.
My idea is this:
Take a cheap pay-as-you-go cell phone, some form of DC controlled AC relay to switch the power on, a photocell and a project box.
Place the cell phone inside the dark project box, so that normally the photocell isn't receiving light.
When I call the cell phone, it lights up, triggering the photocell and switching the relay to on and have it stay on, possibly until I call again and have the relay switch back off?
the power would have to be able to be switched off to the heater, so there is no power drain.
any ideas? I have a feeling the circuit for this should be fairly simple, as the photocell should just act like a switch in the DC current to the relay, yes?
In the wintertime, we keep the power off (except for the essentials) to keep the electric bill cheap. But, in doing so we cut the electric heat off so the cabin is FRIGID cold when we go up to go snowmobiling in the winter.
Anyway, so I have been doing some research on a way to remotely activate an outlet to power a heater so the cabin won't be so damn cold when we get there.
My idea is this:
Take a cheap pay-as-you-go cell phone, some form of DC controlled AC relay to switch the power on, a photocell and a project box.
Place the cell phone inside the dark project box, so that normally the photocell isn't receiving light.
When I call the cell phone, it lights up, triggering the photocell and switching the relay to on and have it stay on, possibly until I call again and have the relay switch back off?
the power would have to be able to be switched off to the heater, so there is no power drain.
any ideas? I have a feeling the circuit for this should be fairly simple, as the photocell should just act like a switch in the DC current to the relay, yes?