Remote Opener for your toolbox

[MadManAndrew]

So, I've seen over and over and over again the "put electric locks on my toolbox" thread. Well, I can see how this would be handy, but I wanted to take it a step further.

Immediatley after buying my toolbox (like the same day), I encountered a problem. Most of the time when I wanted in my toolbox, I would have my truck running, and that meant my keys would be in the ignition. To get into my toolbox, I would have to shut off my truck, unlock the box, and then leave the truck off until I was done in my toolbox. This didn't work for me.

Rather than go the electric locks route where you still had to fumble with the handle while trying to hold a bunch of tools in your hands and you still have to worry about making sure the box is locked/unlocked, I went the electric solenoid route. An electric solenoid is used (among verious other uses) in shaved door handle applications to emulate the door handle. It attaches to the door latch where the handle used to using a steel cable, and gives it a nice tug when current is applied.

I used this kit from Stylintrucks.com. It comes with everything required and is perfect for an application like this where only one solenoid is needed. Most other kits will include two or four solenoids. The solenoid mounts easily using the included mounting bracket and also (for me, at least) links up easy. There are two things that you need to worry about with the linkage. One is geometry. If you do not attach to a point on the latch where pulling straight in the direction of the solenoid is going to open it, it will not work. You need to keep this in mind when positioning the solenoid itself and when deciding how to attach your linkage. The second thing is slack. Because the solenoid functions using a magnetic force, it relies heavily on momentum to pull the linkage. This means the further it can go without actually pulling on the linkage the more force it will have when it does. The instructions included with my kit listed 1/8" as adequate slack for the solenoid to gain its full potential, but this gave me hell. I chased "wiring demons" for over an hour before putting more slack in the linkage. I ended up needing over 1/2" of slack in my linkage, but it works like a charm.

Next is using the solenoid. It comes with a push button, a heatswitch, and a fuse. The most important thing here is the heatswitch. Because the solenoid functions using a simple coil of wire, applying current to it for an extended period of time will damage it. To prevent this, a heatswitch needs to be included in the circuit. A heatswitch functions by expanding and losing contact when current is applied, and then cooling down and completing the circuit again after few seconds. This prevents current from being applied to the solenoid for more than a few seconds at a time. It's best to place it close to the solenoid so that it will still function is the incident of a short somewhere further down the line in the circuit. I placed the switch in the dash, and then bridged the wires with a relay activated by my alarm's "Auxiliary" circuit. This allows me to either open it using the button in the cab or using my remote. My alarm can also be programmed to only allow use of the "Auxiliary" circuit when it is disarmed, effectively doubling this as a power lock and opener.

This also works with the toolbox locked or unlocked.

Video of it in action (pictures area attached):
http://youtu.be/CuYxhZQ5lNo

[MadManAndrew]

rotated pictures...

[crazy longhorn]

Now thats a slick touch crazyL