this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2026
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67
Tired of expensive disposable batteries and rechargeable AA suck. So I made a 10k mAh pack for my deadbolt. (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) by ThePantser@sh.itjust.works to c/3dprinting@lemmy.world
38 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Eneloops would only last about 3 weeks. And disposable last 2 months. This door is used a lot and since it has Zwave and a door open sensor it sends info on every open.

Bonus, since it can handle the lipo AA batteries that put out 1.8v and it gives the motor more oomph I made the battery pack give 7.2v and it never sticks anymore.

This is a garage-door so its not critical access but is used a lot.

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[–] violentfart@lemmy.world 12 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Well done, and I’m surprised at all the technophobes in a 3d printing community.

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 hour ago

Yea its weird. I think its the AI and Data center hate. I am as local as I can be for my stuff and AI free. 99% of my stuff is Home Assistant, ESPhome, and Zigwave.

[–] breadsmasher@lemmy.world 15 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (8 children)

imagine having a door/lock that requires power..

[–] bizarroland@lemmy.world 12 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (3 children)

Imagine being locked out of your house because you forgot to bring keys with you.

Like, I'm sorry if you disagree with this, but holy shit, having electric locks on your doors where you can get into your house based off a fingerprint or a code is a fucking game changer.

I have two on my doors, one on the front, one on the back, and I installed them at a week or two apart, so if one of them starts complaining that the battery is low, the other one's still good. If one of them goes dead while I'm on vacation, the other one's good.

Not to mention that you can unlock the door from your phone in case somebody comes over unexpectedly, or if you have a friend coming in from out of town and you're going to be at work when they arrive, you can create a code for them to unlock your front door and come in while you're not even there.

Plus they still have key locks that I can use if the batteries are completely dead and they can be powered by a 9 volt battery in case I don't have the key with me.

They're freaking awesome and I am glad they exist.

[–] mrmisses@lemmy.world 5 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)

You can't lock yourself out of the house with a deadbolt, they require the key to lock

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 3 points 52 minutes ago

But you can lock the handle and leave without keys.

You can leave the handle unlocked, and just use the deadbolt this way.

[–] WalrusDragonOnABike@reddthat.com 4 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Imagine not having a lockpick kit on you to just let yourself in

[–] AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 3 points 33 minutes ago

Imagine having keys so you can let yourself in when you forget your lockpick kit.

[–] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 9 points 1 hour ago

I have a similar one and can still use a key…

[–] artyom@piefed.social 1 points 37 minutes ago

I use one because I often forget to lock it and someone walked into my home while I was in bed one night.

[–] TragicNotCute@lemmy.world 5 points 1 hour ago

It’s the best. We have auto locking deadbolts that lock themselves after a period of time. Each family member has their own code to get in and it has a normal key hole if you want.

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 13 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

It’s pretty convenient actually

[–] mrmisses@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Yeah, seems like it /s

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 1 points 50 minutes ago

I dunno what’s wrong with their lock, but I use eneloops on my lock and I swap the batteries probably 2-3 times a year

[–] SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.world 8 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

I can head out for a walk without bringing my keys with me. Kids can open the door while I’m grabbing the groceries or other stuff. Can provide a temporary code for someone to check on it while I’m out. Family can have a code for emergencies, or if they need to watch the kids.

It’s hella convenient actually.

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Yea, it is nice being able to check if you locked the door from bed. Definition of luxury, but I didn't buy this one it was a gift.

[–] DonutsRMeh@lemmy.world 2 points 46 minutes ago

Ok, you get a pass from my “or just use a damn normal lock” dad’s finger wagging 😂

[–] kibblebits@quokk.au 4 points 2 hours ago

Sounds amazing. I’ll know if I didn’t lock the door.

[–] GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip 8 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (3 children)

I am confused, is this not possible to wire properly to a power supply? even though this has increased capacity it would still always be in the back of my head that my door might run out of power 🤔

[–] artyom@piefed.social 1 points 38 minutes ago

Most battery powered door locks come with some sort of alternative way to power them from the exterior for emergencies. Or they just have a mechanical bolt.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 6 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (1 children)

This did make me realize I've never seen a deadbolt reversed. As in the door having just a metal framed hole, and the bolt come out of the frame. Seems like the easiest way you would be able to run power to it. (Maybe not the most structurally sound, probably depends on the door material)

[–] ImgurRefugee114@reddthat.com 4 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (2 children)

I don't know. I think that if you built the receptacle right, It could probably work pretty well... Most deadbolts are pretty shit in general (rare to see people reinforce the jamb), so, even an naive attempt probably wouldn't be that much worse. For a metal door with a chunky insert, I think it would work fine. For any other kind of door, I think you'd probably need at least a frame or large plate to distribute the loads, but it's still probably wouldn't be much worse than a conventional configuration. Huh...

I guess the main complexity (or just oddity) would be the keyhole wouldn't be on the door.

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Why did you mount two hydraulic pistons with holes drilled through the door frame to have double deadbolts going into a solid wood door with metal framed slots? Because I was bored and wanted to make hole in the wall and overcomplicate something that can be bypassed by opening the windows I leave open 5 feet away. Lol

Yeah, I guess I'll add that to the reasons I could never be rich.. id do way to many stupid things for my own amusement.

[–] officermike@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

Doors are largely designed to a standard thickness; walls are not. Deadbolts have to attach through the thickness of the material they're mounted to.

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 hour ago

I could, I actually have a outlet near that I could just run the wire to the battery pack to keep it charged and so the battery would just be a UPS. Actually a good idea and I could have just used 2 18650s for the UPS.

Although this model has a external port to jump start from a USB battery pack.

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 hours ago

[–] femtek@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 hour ago

It's why I'm looking at ubiquity locks and seeing if I can hardware a residential door.

[–] NekoKoneko@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago (3 children)

Rechargeable li-ion batteries are the game changer for me.

All the fancy expensive rechargeable including Eneloop would have a 30+% failure rate every recharge cycle and I wasted so much money. I have 16 li-ion AAs that I rotate including in my door locks and they have gone through multiple recharge cycles with no failures.

[–] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 52 minutes ago (1 children)

If your Eneloops are failing that much, they are either being over discharged or something is wrong with your charger.

All of my Eneloops have been much more reliable than lithium ion batteries.

[–] NekoKoneko@lemmy.world 1 points 34 seconds ago

I may be the unluckiest person in the world, but I've bought expensive official Eneloops multiple times and used multiple chargers and just gave up. Sure, it may be because I'm doing something wrong, but I certainly couldn't figure out what that may be.

[–] Gerudo@lemmy.zip 1 points 33 minutes ago

Just anecdotal here, but I haven't had a single eneloop fail me. Heck, I haven't even had rebadged eneloops fail either.

[–] everett@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

30+% failure rate every recharge cycle

What is considered a "failure" in this context?

[–] NekoKoneko@lemmy.world 1 points 2 minutes ago

The battery no longer recharges and is effectively trash.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (1 children)

Jfc is your door on also a tazer?

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 hour ago

Neat idea, might be illegal though.

[–] 13igtyme@startrek.website -1 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

Why does a dead bolt need batteries? Also if it's just used form some sort of sensor and the door it used a lot, would that just be noise at that point?

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 hour ago

Its the sensor is used for the alarm and to run automations based on if the door is left open. Like turning off the AC and sending me a notification if the door is ajar.

[–] tacosanonymous@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 hours ago

Usually a keypad entry.