Mailbox Automation

[Snelvuur]

Ofcourse there are a number of sollutions to automate the mailbox, this is not the issue i have at hand.

My mailbox is similar too this

Bert had a nice way, where he just cut a piece out of his mailbox with a sort of custom "flag", but his mailbox is from plastic and opens on the top.
Basicly what i want is a way to see that when i come home that there is actually mail. Ofcourse i can do this by turning on some light somewhere but i would
assume there must be a easier way to "detect" something like this. I could also send myself a message which only i get so that still leaves the WAF factor unsatisfied.

Any ideas to tackel this? I tried searching on "vlaggetje mailbox" on google, but all i got is finished american mailboxes, nothing that can fit on this.

Thanks,

p.s. so a modification to this mailbox to see physicly that i have mail without having to open it up first

[AshaiRey]

Cut a square hole in the door and glue plexiglass into it.
P.s. other sized holes then square will work also.

[Esteban]

AshaiRey's suggestion is the most straight-forward options, I think. Everything else will probably involve messing with electronics and LEDs.

[Fantic]

and otherwise the old fashioned way with mechanics, a springloaded flag that pops up from the side, triggered by a metal plate that covers the bottom of the box inside. Through a clever lever system release the flag when something 'lands' on the bottom.

[Snelvuur]

well if someone dumps money in my box, or something "usefull" i can imagine people check it. I dont like the idea that other people can see my mail. Ofcourse the plexiglas doesn't have to be big.

I am thinking of drilling a whole above the garage door, place a lamp/something there. It switches on then when i have mail, green = mail, red = no mail.

[Jeroen Bartels]

Why not make a DS10 doorswitch in it? Magnet switch will tell homeseer that the 'klep' has been opened.

[Snelvuur]

Like i said in the beginning of the post, the detection itself aint a problem, i want to see locally at the mailbox that there was new mail. (i mean, its stupid to go inside my house, see on my pc there is mail and go outside again )

[Jeroen Bartels]

If there is power available you could make a relay that switches on or off when the mailbox was opened. So the magnet switch keeps the relais in active position. Once the circuit is broken the relay drops and cuts it's own power supply and therefore cannot come up again. With the relais you can make a led go on or off. (Key is that the power to power the relay goes through both the magnet switch and the relay itself. Once the power is broken the power cannot come up again.)
A so called 'afvallend relais' if I'm right. I hope you understand what I mean.

You could even reset the relais by opening the bigger door in the mailbox.

[Snelvuur]

The mailbox is outside of the house, so not near. The only power going to it is for a small led light, which is fully integrated into it. Opening that up is like destroying it.

But i like the idea of another sensor , so when you open it, the status is changed to "read" or something

[Henk]

Sol 1. I can see the mail indicator light just from the outside before I enter the home - so consider to have somewhere visible from outside the house like an indicator light ....

Sol 2. Use a rolgordijn with the text MAIL hang this screen in a window and lower it ...so easy to read of course some spotlight on it during the night

Sol 3. Use your outside front door motion sensor ..... if there is mail it will either make some sound (barking dog) or switch on the light in the doorbell button.

Misunderstandig ... the flag on the USA mailboxes is not a signal that mail has been delivered - but a sign for the mailman to stop and pick up the letters in the box placed by the home owner and ready to be send !

Henk

[Erik]

I have the same postbox located down my driveway and found a good solution.
In the attached pictures you can see that I have mounted a Visonic MCT-302 at the bottom of the box.
The bottom is made of plastic whilst the box is of steel sheet material. The MCT-302 is mounted on its side with the internal readcontact against the Postbox bottom.
At the lower end of the front panel of the postbox I attached the sensor magnet, it will hinge against the MCT-302 when the panel is opened operating the internal readcontact.
I connected the second MCT-302 external contact to a readcontact on the shutter of the mailbox.
The internal antenne is replaced by an external (red) wire hanging through the bottom of the mailbox.

A virtual device in HS will trace wether there is mail in the box or not controlled by the MCT-302 events.
Saskia of Linquendo will anounce the arrival of the mail through HS-Speaker and a RFXio port will leave a visible indication by lighting a led.

[nico_gh2]

As I would like to do the same to my mailbox I still have a question.

How can you replace the internal antenna of the MCT-302 by the external wire?
My mailbox is completely made of steel and therefore need to get the signal outside somehow.

I will get the MCT-302 next week and the drawing shown on the Visonic Installation Instructions is not clear on that.
A picture and wiring instruction is much appreciated.