OT: Does this exist?

If you don't mind losing one of the bulbs, you can get (or at least used to be able to get) screw-in plug adapters that would surely fit. You could power an external light from it (maybe just a surface-mounted socket).

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

If the opener is out of warranty why not cut a small square hole in it and snap in a square outlet like the ones used for an auxiliary power outlet, then wire it to the lamp. I might have one around to take a picture of, if needed.

I read in sci.electronics.design that Jim Thompson wrote (in ) about 'OT: Does this exist?', on Wed, 9 Mar 2005:

For a truly innovative solution, replace the lamps with white LEDs. (;-)

Hello Jim,

Ours has a low voltage leaf switch at both ends. If you had one at the far end it could be on all the time the garage door is not in the fully closed position. Should do for the Q45 since you probably won't close the door before the parking procedure has been completed, to avoid what happened to a friend's Tahoe (ka-crunch...).

Regards, Joerg

Isn't it Genie that brags that screw drives are quiet? :-)

And wasn't it you that replaced your garage door opener a while back, maybe a year or two ago, and complained that it opened way to fast?

But if the bulb is burned out it won't work. Better is to voltage sense, so even if the bulb is bad the sensor indicates that the opener was operated.

But even better is something independent of relying on the opener, like an always on LED parking assist.

Ed

I know you can get them in 12 V, for 1157 dual-filament (running light and brake light) car tail light bulbs. These are sold at U-Haul as a cheap and cheerful way of tapping your tail lights for a trailer. They look exactly like regular 1157 bulbs, but with a couple of wires (in some reasonably heat-resistant sleeving) coming out of the metal base along with the glass envelope. The wires end in bullet connectors or

I know your app is 120 V, but I thought I'd throw it out.

Another idea: you can get adapters for screwing a candelabra base bulb into a "normal" sized socket. These typically stick up 1/8" or less above the rim of the original socket. There might be enough meat in the plastic to make a groove for tapping the center (hot) conductor. Tapping the neutral should be easy with something like a short piece of thin metal pinched between the last couple of bulb threads and the socket.

How about adapting one of those voltage detector pen things. It's a fat pen with a couple of AAAs in it, an LED in the translucent tip, and a (FET with an open gate lead?). Put the tip near AC and the LED comes on. Tap the LED for a logic level output. Have to replace batteries though, unless you rig up some rechargeables.

Matt Roberds