Hi! Just my thoughts watching the video. Instead of the double throw switch I think all you’d need is a push button momentary switch. When triggered the linear actuator should fully extend and retract (since you always want it to retract to be able to close it manually (or better with your leg or hip)). It would probably require electronics or maybe it could be made with extra switches, idk.
I was originally thinking of doing exactly that, actually. A simple trigger (be it a momentary button or a proximity sensor) could be used to active an extend-and-then-retract sequence. But you're right that it would take more electronics. You could maybe use a 555 timer to hold the forward pulse for the appropriate amount of time. It moves slowly enough, though, that I was thinking the user might not want to wait for it to travel the full stroke. But that might have been worth trying if I'd stuck with the original H-bridge approach.
Hi!
Just my thoughts watching the video. Instead of the double throw switch I think all you’d need is a push button momentary switch.
When triggered the linear actuator should fully extend and retract (since you always want it to retract to be able to close it manually (or better with your leg or hip)).
It would probably require electronics or maybe it could be made with extra switches, idk.
I was originally thinking of doing exactly that, actually. A simple trigger (be it a momentary button or a proximity sensor) could be used to active an extend-and-then-retract sequence. But you're right that it would take more electronics. You could maybe use a 555 timer to hold the forward pulse for the appropriate amount of time. It moves slowly enough, though, that I was thinking the user might not want to wait for it to travel the full stroke. But that might have been worth trying if I'd stuck with the original H-bridge approach.