dave-in-nj:
a smaller DC gear motor would run longer, at less power, but at higher efficiencies.also, if your door is balanced, your power needs are less.
lasty, use an RF transmitter, 433 or some such to send signals. WiFi, although more informative, is much more costly in power.
I considered a DC motor, but i wanted to keep things simple. a Stepper could lower and raise the door an exact number of steps, and that way i shouldnt have to use endstops if i calibrate it well.
Im not using a transmitter at all. i dont see why i'd need that, and as you said: it hogs power
wvmarle:
Indeed make sure it doesn't close the door just because you have a particularly thick cloud cover (we have that here when heavy rain comes), but really because the sun sets.Also you have to consider a way of making sure your chickens are actually in the coop before closing the door. You don't want to have chickens locked out, or stuck in the door for that matter.
My garden is very, very dark at night, so i can set the light level at which the door closes sufficiently low that the door only closes when its totally dark outside and the chickens are (supposed to be) inside the coop. I wanted to try that out first before adding more complicated stuff. A stepper also moves slow enough not to get a chicken stuck under the closing door.
INTP:
Unless your coop doors are made of construction paper, I don't think that dinky stepper is going to lift any kind of door.
i tested it, and it was able to lift up (and hold after power shut off) a 2kg (4lbs) door. Thanks to the internal gearbox that puny stepper produces some surprising torque.