The below mouse trap has a plug in sensor with an LED at the end of a wire which glows when the trap has been set off. I’ve searched high and low on how to connect this to a smarthings compatible device so I can be notified when the mousetrap is set. Any ideas?? Perhaps some way to modify a window sensor and wire it just before the LED light?
Maybe use the power for the indicator light with a relay, hooked into the low voltage NO Contact of a Zwave Door sensor?
$35 for a mouse trap?
Get you one of these for $5. By some cheap open close sensors, and you could probably wire us something with the remote sensors connections.
But if you want to kill the mice you may be able to set something up with an Aeon Smart Energy switch. When it zaps the mouse there is a power surge, you should be able to create a rule to alert you.
What about adding a few dollars more and sticking a multisensor with vibration sensor
Mice are very light footed. With the zapping action there is probably vibration but would it be enough to trigger an event?
I was thinking the zapping action would be what would trigger the sensor… involuntary muscle reaction to the zap
This doesn’t answer your specific question, but I used this post for my mouse trap and it has worked great:
Subsequently, I included the following to try to track where they are coming from:
Would be interesting experiment, but I find the vibration sensor to need quite a bit of vibration. Wind shaking a door or window wont set it off for example.
I still think that the power spike would be the easiest and probably cheaper way to go (can be had for $20). Rule Machine supports rules like this, and I believe there is a power monitor smart app that will alert if a device uses too much power.
I like the tip trap, I hadn’t come across that one. My worry with that would be if the weight of the open/close sensor prevented it from working properly.
As far as the smart energy switch, that looks promising, and about $25. Assuming I could set rules for the voltage spike, it should be pretty simple. Not sure of the cost of that compared to schapper05’s suggestion of a relay connected to the wire with indicator light hooked into the low voltage NO contact of a Zwave door sensor. I’ve come across some people attempting similar things like with a doorbell, but I’ve read some people saying the voltage would end up breaking the door sensor…
I haven’t really looked at the product detail, what triggers the zap? Closing of the trap door?
I had actually seen this one too, so I’m glad to hear from someone who has successfully dont it. My hesitancy with this one was having to clean the gore off everytime, but maybe with a heavier duty trap like this it wouldn’t be so bad. I’ve also been eyeing those blink cams.
You will need to use remote sensor. I would purchase small light magnets and place on the trap itself.
You may not even need magnets, basically if the loop completes it should trigger an event. So 2 wires touching it should work.
There is a metal plate on the floor inside the trap, when they stand on it they get zapped.
Are you talking about the external wire that leads to the led light, which triggers after it zaps a mouse? That I could attach that to the non-magnet part of the door sensor?
No for the open/close sensor. Many have the ability to add external contacts. Hook up two wires, touch them, circuit trips. Not sure if touching them is open vs close, but it will be a lightweight solution
You could probably pick up a relay for $1-3 bucks and you would have to add the cost of the zwave contact sensor.
I didn’t know that the device plugs in, I admit i didn’t click the link =/ . So if you are using it plugged in the power usuage outlet, or aeon energy clamp would probably be the easiest.
If however you were looking to use it via batteries I think my solution would work best.
Thanks - it can either plug in or run on batteries. Can you tell me what kind of relay I would use? I would then plug the sensor into the relay, and then into the non-magnet part of the door sensor?
It would depend on the voltage the indicator light is receiving, then you could probably find one at a local electrical supply store, possibly even an auto store.
There’s usually 5 pins on them, 2 would be where you hook up to the power source in this case the light indicator power source. Then your left with 3 pins, Normally open, Common, Normally closed. You would wire the NO and Common to the zwave swtich.
Link has a nice flash loop.
I use the Tilt Trap. On the back are taped quarters to balance out the extra weight of the standard multi-sensor and AAAA battery.
Wow, that is really cool tgauchat, thanks so much for sharing!! What a great feeling it must be to get a notification and come home and confirm you have a mouse! So did you weigh the multi-sensor and then use an equal weight in quarters, or how did you determine what weight to use? Did you not need to use the magnet at all?