![]() I changed the light level at which the closing system activates from 5% to 3%, which is perfect for our situation. On the first evening one of our hens was locked out and looking very sorry for herself. The control system is easy to set up but I’d suggest owners check the mechanism has functioned as expected the first few times. Maybe using the treats bowl to hold the screws and bits wasn’t the cleverest idea I’ve had! Setting up the controller Well, to be honest, with a little assistance from the chickens who all decided to see what I was up to. I’m not a natural when it comes to engineering and assembly but it only took me an hour to install the auto door on my own. To fix to the Mk 1 Eglu Cube you’ll need some additional parts which Omlet supply. ![]() Knowing how the door is installed, it would be a doddle to fit to a wooden coop, wherever it was from. I’ve got an Eglu Cube Mk 2 which seems to have had the Autodoor in mind when it was designed. So no messing about setting up solar panels by the coop. I know some systems have solar powered battery chargers as part of the pop-hole door system but these are standard batteries you can recharge twice a year either off the mains or with a solar charger. Although Omlet claim a 6 month life for the batteries, I wouldn’t be surprised to get 9 months or even a year. I use Duracell re-chargeable batteries and after nearly 6 months they’re down to 80%. It also gives you information on light settings and levels, battery power remaining and a manual override to open or close the door. The instructions are clear but the control unit is pretty intuitive to use anyway. You can set the unit to open at one light level and close at another. For example, if it is facing east it will pick up light in the morning more than the evening when the sun is in the west. Light levels will also vary according to where the sensor box is located. This means the hens can be outside when they’ve naturally woken up rather than you re-setting the timer as the day length changes from winter to summer and back. You can set it up to open and close at a set time if you wish but better than that you can set it open and close according to the light level. The door is controlled by a small weatherproof box with a light sensor. ![]()
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