Butchering a cordless door bell

[larkim]

Any advice on how feasible this might be for a barely competent numpty like= myself.

SWMBO likes our existing door bell. But I've removed it as it left nasty b= ell wire trailing everywhere, with no really simple neat solution to tidyin= g it away. It is a mains powered bell with separate transformer unit.

For a wire free solution, I'd put in a cordless door bell, but the few that= we have tried which have a proper traditional "ring" are not liked (by SWM= BO!).

How simple might it be to butcher significant parts of an off-the-shelf cor= dless bell and use its receiver etc to trigger the old bell to ring without= using the mains? The old bell rings fine from a 9V battery power source (= which is what the cordless bell that I'd tried used), so presumably its jus= t a matter of disabling the ringer in the cordless bell, and patching the w= iring into the old bell.

Anyone done this (or can recommend a make of cordless bell which would make= this simple?)

Thanks!

Matt

[Newshound]

wire trailing everywhere, with no really simple neat solution to tidying it away. It is a mains powered bell with separate transformer unit.

have tried which have a proper traditional "ring" are not liked (by SWMBO!).

cordless bell and use its receiver etc to trigger the old bell to ring without using the mains? The old bell rings fine from a 9V battery power source (which is what the cordless bell that I'd tried used), so presumably its just a matter of disabling the ringer in the cordless bell, and patching the wiring into the old bell.

this simple?)

To answer a different question, I have just put in one of these

it's very good: has quite a decent range and my house has some very thick stone walls. It does have a "telephone ring" which, obviously, is electronic, but not too bad.

The second unit and simple plug-in sounders make for flexibility.

I don't think butchering would be too difficult if you are handy with electronics; some of them have a speaker on wires, so you don't have the issue of trying to tap into a piezo sounder soldered to the board, perhaps with an impedance matching issue.

[robgraham]

ty bell wire trailing everywhere, with no really simple neat solution to ti= dying it away. =A0It is a mains powered bell with separate transformer unit= .

at we have tried which have a proper traditional "ring" are not liked (by S= WMBO!).

ordless bell and use its receiver etc to trigger the old bell to ring witho= ut using the mains? =A0The old bell rings fine from a 9V battery power sour= ce (which is what the cordless bell that I'd tried used), so presumably its= just a matter of disabling the ringer in the cordless bell, and patching t= he wiring into the old bell.

ke this simple?)

I would like to know quite what the good woman doesn't like about the ring ? Is it because it is an electronic sound, is it because it rings too long (mine rings but clearly the electronics are from a chime as it rings for several seconds), or without being disrespectful, is this just the cussedness of women who are not good at change ?

Yes, you would be able to hack it, but I do wonder if perhaps you should encourage 'SWMBO' to hack change.

Rob

[larkim]

asty bell wire trailing everywhere, with no really simple neat solution to = tidying it away. =A0It is a mains powered bell with separate transformer un= it.

that we have tried which have a proper traditional "ring" are not liked (by= SWMBO!).

cordless bell and use its receiver etc to trigger the old bell to ring wit= hout using the mains? =A0The old bell rings fine from a 9V battery power so= urce (which is what the cordless bell that I'd tried used), so presumably i= ts just a matter of disabling the ringer in the cordless bell, and patching= the wiring into the old bell.

make this simple?)

I'm sorely tempted to agree :-)

However, what she doesn't like is the "timbre" of the alternatives. We're = not talking about an electronic version of a ring (in the cordless ones I'v= e tried), its actual normal bells. But they do sound a little less "brilli= ant" than the one that we've got.

She would like it to be able to ring for as long as the button is pushed (t= here is a sexual analogy there somewhere...), but clearly that's not going = to happen with a cordless one.

But essentially its the timbre & volume of the one we've already got that s= he likes.

Matt

[Hugh - Was Invisible]

I see no problem with using the electronic switch of a cordless bell receiver to turn on a non cordless bell. Here we have a cordless bell with the sounder disconnected and replaced by the original bell's sounder. It is however powered by a transformer I bought. A cordless receiver is always using some power because the receiver is always on waiting for a signal. Batteries go flat and callers are missed. Our cordless receiver says Byron on it. No idea what make the ageing but loud dingdong is.

[NT]

ty bell wire trailing everywhere, with no really simple neat solution to ti= dying it away. =A0It is a mains powered bell with separate transformer unit= .

at we have tried which have a proper traditional "ring" are not liked (by S= WMBO!).

ordless bell and use its receiver etc to trigger the old bell to ring witho= ut using the mains? =A0The old bell rings fine from a 9V battery power sour= ce (which is what the cordless bell that I'd tried used), so presumably its= just a matter of disabling the ringer in the cordless bell, and patching t= he wiring into the old bell.

ke this simple?)

If the old bell is mechanical, the cordless thing would likely fry due to excess bell current and kickback voltage. Use a relay and a protection diode across its coil.

If the old ones electronic, the sound dignal is generated not by the transducer but by the driving circuit. To work the old one, you'd need to filter the output of the new one to get dc, and use that to trigger the old one.

NT

[larkim]

asty bell wire trailing everywhere, with no really simple neat solution to = tidying it away. =A0It is a mains powered bell with separate transformer un= it.

that we have tried which have a proper traditional "ring" are not liked (by= SWMBO!).

cordless bell and use its receiver etc to trigger the old bell to ring wit= hout using the mains? =A0The old bell rings fine from a 9V battery power so= urce (which is what the cordless bell that I'd tried used), so presumably i= ts just a matter of disabling the ringer in the cordless bell, and patching= the wiring into the old bell.

make this simple?)

That sounds complicated! It's a mechanical bell (my tests so far have been= as straightforward as putting a 9V battery across the terminals of the bel= l, and that makes it ring.

Wouldn't the mechanical bell in the cordless one (which I'll be butchering)= have similar issues with protection? So if I took my feeds from the right= point, I'd solve that issue?

I've bought one for a tenner on ebay, so we'll see how it goes.

Matt

[NT]

y like myself.

nasty bell wire trailing everywhere, with no really simple neat solution t= o tidying it away. =A0It is a mains powered bell with separate transformer = unit.

w that we have tried which have a proper traditional "ring" are not liked (= by SWMBO!).

lf cordless bell and use its receiver etc to trigger the old bell to ring w= ithout using the mains? =A0The old bell rings fine from a 9V battery power = source (which is what the cordless bell that I'd tried used), so presumably= its just a matter of disabling the ringer in the cordless bell, and patchi= ng the wiring into the old bell.

d make this simple?)

been as straightforward as putting a 9V battery across the terminals of the= bell, and that makes it ring.

g) have similar issues with protection? =A0So if I took my feeds from the r= ight point, I'd solve that issue?

Normally cordless ones use electronic sounders.

If it does contain a mechanical sounder, the only issue is current rating, your old bell may be significantly higher, and transistors arent tolerant of overcurrent. If the older one is indeed mechanical, you can use a relay with no doide protection to switch power to the new sounder.

NT

[larkim]

pty like myself.

ft nasty bell wire trailing everywhere, with no really simple neat solution= to tidying it away. =A0It is a mains powered bell with separate transforme= r unit.

few that we have tried which have a proper traditional "ring" are not liked= (by SWMBO!).

helf cordless bell and use its receiver etc to trigger the old bell to ring= without using the mains? =A0The old bell rings fine from a 9V battery powe= r source (which is what the cordless bell that I'd tried used), so presumab= ly its just a matter of disabling the ringer in the cordless bell, and patc= hing the wiring into the old bell.

uld make this simple?)

e been as straightforward as putting a 9V battery across the terminals of t= he bell, and that makes it ring.

ing) have similar issues with protection? =A0So if I took my feeds from the= right point, I'd solve that issue?

Yes, I've deliberately sought out a mechanical sounder on a cordless bell (= a Byron SX16 I think) on the basis that that is likely to make butchering a= little easier.

What does a relay do, and what specification of relay would I be looking at= in my setup? Very grateful for your help so far!

Matt

[NT]

umpty like myself.

left nasty bell wire trailing everywhere, with no really simple neat soluti= on to tidying it away. =A0It is a mains powered bell with separate transfor= mer unit.

e few that we have tried which have a proper traditional "ring" are not lik= ed (by SWMBO!).

-shelf cordless bell and use its receiver etc to trigger the old bell to ri= ng without using the mains? =A0The old bell rings fine from a 9V battery po= wer source (which is what the cordless bell that I'd tried used), so presum= ably its just a matter of disabling the ringer in the cordless bell, and pa= tching the wiring into the old bell.

would make this simple?)

ave been as straightforward as putting a 9V battery across the terminals of= the bell, and that makes it ring.

ering) have similar issues with protection? =A0So if I took my feeds from t= he right point, I'd solve that issue?

(a Byron SX16 I think) on the basis that that is likely to make butchering= a little easier.

at in my setup? =A0Very grateful for your help so far!

Almost the only spec that matters is that the relay coil is about the same voltage rating as the new thing runs on. The relay coil connects where the old sounder did, and the relay contacts act as a switch for the old sounder.

You could also take a gamble and just connect the old sounder to the new system, but it might or might not survive.

NT