Gettin' It Done: Report from Dobby, House Elf

as told to House Elf Liaison, Todd
 

Having already happily completed a few other task for Master around the house - hanging the clothes dryer on the wall, hanging the clothesline, flipping the refrigerator door, fixing the weather seal of the front door (well, Dobby was more of a helper on those last two), and a few other odds and ends - it was time to tackle a more involved project.

Master wanted an indicator inside the house that shows if the garage door is open. Our house sits on top of the garage, so to check and see if you left the garage door open, you have to go outside and down the stairs.  Too much work!!

So after 2 trips to Dick Smith’s (think Frys, but about 10% the size), 3 trips to Mitre 10 (think Home Depot, even has the same orange store color), 3 trips to Jaycar (think Radio Shack, but a bit bigger and cooler), and a wee hole in the kitchen floor - which has been sealed with silicone, shhh don’t tell - there is a spectacular, if Dobby may say so, indicator in the house to show when the garage door is open or closed.

The process was a bit lengthy, but when the Elf takes on a task, it is no half-hearted effort. It is all or nothing.

So some of the highlights of the project were:

Dobby found a magnetic switch to trigger the system.

In order to attach the wires for power, and fix the faulty manual door operation switch, Dobby had to completely remove the unit to expose the screws. Dobby asked Winky for help.

Dobby placed a secondary indicator in the garage to confirm system operation when you can also see the door’s movement.

The original plan was to place an LED in a light switch unit by the front door. When Dobby attempted to drill a hole into the wall, Dobby ended up in the kitchen, hence the hole in the floor. Dobby fixed that. Promise.

The fallback plan brought the wire up into the Harry Potter cupboard (Master calls it that because it's under the stairs), through a telephone jack.

The final indicator was a rocket ship imitation lava lamp originally designed to be USB powered.

A little creative wiring, and it worked great!! Dobby sure Master will be very pleased.  See for yourself..and listen for the sound of the garage door opening and closing!