Dry Contact Devices and DIO

[JDRoberts]

I agree it would be really nice to have some maker kits that included these devices, in particular multiple IO.

Meanwhile, depending on the exact use case, quite a few community members are just using cheap networked contact sensors that happen to have a couple of available dry contacts in projects like doorbells and pressure mats. A bit easier than an Arduino board in many cases.

See, for example, the following. The point of this example in this context isn’t the pressure mat, but rather the networked sensor that it’s attached to.

United security pressure mat

Hi folks - has anyone tried to connect and make work the United Securities z-wave pressure mat? I would like to use this to send me a txt when someone is standing at my front door and to turn on the light when we walk downstairs. Our stairs are in the middle of our house so a motion sensor won’t work without creating a bunch of false alarms. Ken

And here’s another example with a photo that shows the contact points:

Smart Chair

Honestly any zwave contact sensor with contact headers for preexisting wiring will work, but i used the Fibaro Z-Wave Door/Window Sensor cause they come in a bunch of colors along with the Ideal Security SK630 Pressure Mat Alarm with Chime mat, its thin and relatively inexpensive. The Everspring Z-Wave Door/Window Sensor and the Ecolink door sensors should also work. I’m sure there are others but those are the ones i know have the headers. When i do this for my sofa cushions so my butt can turn on my entertainment system i’ll probably use the Everspring or Ecolink cause they are cheaper and won’t be seen. [image]