New Product for crowded garages.

MossRoad · Dec 5, 2001

I'm going to try this. If the garage door opens 8 feet, the ball will drop 4 feet.

 MossRoad

TerryinMD · Dec 5, 2001

Rick,

Looks like a neat product. Now, all I need is a garage and the automatic door opener.

Terry

mrolson · Dec 5, 2001

I just drive in until the tool box moves a bit /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif My wife is actually better than me /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Humm, seems she is better than me quite often !

Mark

Joe_W · Dec 5, 2001

Looks nice and will probably sell. I have gone the low tech route for years without too many problems. I have a 2x4 about 18" long with a 2x2 nailed on top that my tire runs up against, which does two things. It lets me know when I'm in far enough, and if I try to ignore it, it will stop me. The only down side is the tripping hazard, which as I get older, gets worse. Just using the KISS principle.
Joe W.

Anonymous Poster · Dec 5, 2001

Looks nice but, I work with laser sensors among many others and they usually need to be adjusted to see a certain distance. Sometimes called background suspension. It looks like if you park the same car all the time it may work, but if you change cars, or back in, it would most likely not be adjusted correctly. Mounting it on the front wall would fix that problem because any car at any distance would signal the same distance from the wall. As long as it didn't see under a taller car. I'm sure people would buy them though, there is a similar product out there. Hopefully they will sell enough to put some dough in the inventors pocket. (and yours).

jhburke · Dec 5, 2001

I have either this unit or one quite similar. It works great. It is a little tricky as I back into my garage. It would be much easier to see coming up the hood. Otherwise I like it very well. JIM

hartsjc · Dec 5, 2001

This one may solve some of the issues that you guys bring up with backing in (if the light is still visible).

http://www.autoaccessory.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/AutoAccessorycom/start.d2w/report?sku=11521

ps. if the link doesn't work just try searching for "park-zone".

/James

jfakerj · Dec 6, 2001

I may be mistaken (wouldn't be the first time) but from the diagram you show, when the door opens 8' the ball will drop 16'. Just backwards I think. After I looked again I think It'll drop 24'. You have 3 runs of 8' that will copact to 0' when the door move 8'. 3runs x 8' = 24'.

Jerry Edited by jfakerj on 12/06/01 00:08 AM (server time).

MossRoad · Dec 6, 2001

DOH! Would this be better?

 MossRoad

Rodneyd · Dec 6, 2001

According to the diagram, when the door opens 8' the ball will drop 8'. You have to think like it was a system of pullys or block and tackle. The correct way is to tie off the end that now has the tennis ball on it and attach the tennis ball to one of the loops with a screw eye. You then can adjust the ball drop by the number of loops you make between the tennis ball and the ceiling. That is the same principle as a block and tackle. That is why when you pull on the rope 10', the object you are lifting may only go up 5' or 2 1/2'.