Pushing a button with a linear actuator

Projects Programming
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I am new to Arduino and coding, so I have no idea what to do

I have a tomato plant in my room and it has a grow light, and I have to wake up at 6 every morning to turn it on, and I can't do that while I'm away, I have an Arduino Uno R3 and a linear actuator, I ordered a rtc for it, but I don't know what to do or how to code it, I need it to extend and retract at 6:00 and 22:00. I haven't found a tutorial, what do i need to do, its just a simple button, but I can't wire into the light or I would have already.

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Welcome to the forum

Why not use a relay rather than a linear actuator ?

1 Like
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I have a relay, i just cant cut the wires of the grow light

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No need to cut any wires. Wire the relay in parallel with the button

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I don't know how to do that

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How many connections are there on the button ?

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  • Always show us a good block diagram of your proposed project.
  • Show us good images of your ‘current’ plant wiring.
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these are pretty much the same things i have, i just need it to push the button

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Because?

For less than the price of that linear actuator, you can buy a replacement growlight set and a pair of wire cutters.

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I already have the stuff and the button needs to be pushed for it to turn on, i have a thing that turns it on and off, but the button needs to be pushed

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  • Can you leave the light ON all the time and plug the light into a power-bar controlled by the Arduino ?
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I have a smart plug that i tried, but with this grow light the button still has to be pushed, so I don't use it anymore

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It's unsuitable stuff for your current project. Save it for another project.

Get a pair of wire cutters and cut the timer module out of the growlight set. Get an MOSFET module to connect between the Arduino and the growlights. I don't think you need an RTC for this, the Arduino will keep good enough time.

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Thats not the exact light, i was more showing the control, when you plug it in you need to hit the power button every time, and i cant cut it, i have thought of a servo and i might get one, i was just seeing if this would work

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  • We always need to see your setup, not something that is similar.

  • Suggest you use a servo, it moves 0-180°, and can stop anywhere in between.

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Im at a class right now, ill send the stuff once i end, ill see if i can find the exact one

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I dont know how to upload a video, so i made a quick youtube video just for this

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https://youtu.be/fj8iAQvSuGQ?si=6e4PkarW2F-6_oUP