OK…so I figured out a way to do this. After reading lots of threads about reed switches, microswitches, and pressure sensors (some of which are scattered on my desk right now) and trying to figure out where to place these various things…it occured to me:
I just need a metal contact to close the loop. Isn’t my deadbolt made of metal?
So, I decided to make my deadbolt the switch:
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I had a slim piece of wood (picking numbers at a Christmas party), which I drilled tiny holes through with a tiny screwdriver. I was using wires from a phone cord, which were very tiny (I didn’t want big holes in the wall.)
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I drilled an angled hole from the outside of the doorframe to the deadbolt hole, ran the wires through the hole, and threaded my wood base.
- I then stripped a considerable amount of wire and wrapped it around the base.
- While this went in perfectly, there was no contact. I figured I could put something behind the wood base, but I had an old wire run with a thick neutral wire, so I cut off two pieces and wrapped those around the existing wire and wood base. (Protip - be sure to cut yourself when stripping the wire. The Home Improvement Gods still demand a blood sacrifice. It would explain why my project didn’t work the first time.)
Be careful for any stray wires. My app kept reading “Closed” until I finally saw this.
- Carefully pull the wood base to the back of the deadbolt hole, and try your deadbolt. Voila!
Now…I’ve got to do this to my garage entry door…