Designed for Solar
We have designed our barrier or gate to work with a solar charged battery from the outset and we have NOT added a solar panel to an existing design. That is the DOFYGATE difference.
Very efficient motor control
Our motor control board sips power when on standby using only 4.2 milliamps. All electrical components that are not required to listen out for a signal are off. Once a signal is received the board comes to life and controls the gate operation. Where our gate is controlling animals the optional electric shock unit is off when the gate is up and on when down. Even then it detects when an animal touches it and only then produces a power consuming shock. Designed for solar power throughout.
Strong but lightweight carbon fibre
The more weight the motor has to lift the more power it consumes and so the larger the solar panel and battery need to be. We use carbon fibre tube for our barrier arms which provides significant strength and rigidity with low weight. Every aspect is designed for a solar power source
Efficient arm movement
The Dofygate barrier arm folds in half as it opens and unfolds as it closes. This means that as the inner half rises the outer half falls so very little momentum is created. When closing the inner half falls as the outer half is pulled up so minimal inertia to overcome. All this means we can safely use a smaller motorised actuator unit and that saves on power. It is all about designing the gate for the efficiency needed for a solar panel to work.
For the sums that back up our efficiency click here
Integrated solar panel
Our solar panel is either within the arm which has the advantage of always being in a gap i.e. the gateway or it is fixed to the side of the cabinet on its own vertical post. In both cases the solar panel is wired in to the unit and is effectively part of the whole. The solar panels can be rotated and so long as the panel faces East West or South then sufficient power will be produced.
Built in battery
The battery sits snugly inside the cabinet and is easily accessible through the cabinet door. We use a standard sealed lead acid AGM 12v battery that is available from most battery stockists or over the internet. The batteries are built for 5 years of use. Currently the cost of a replacement battery is in the region of £16
Impact protection - all part of original design
The Dofygate is built to be maintenance free and part of that is to allow the barrier to survive accidental impacts. All Dofygate arms are protected by a clutch built into the post that rises through the centre of the cabinet. This allows the gate arm to move away in either direction from an impact that may otherwise damage the barrier. To reset push the barrier back and it will return to its working position. More info click here
Designed for solar
The Dofygate barrier has been designed from the outset to be self contained, robust and remote controlled. It was decided the best way to do this was to base the power source on a solar charged battery so from that point on everything was built to be lightweight, strong and efficient.