Hi,
I am hoping to find a way to remotely lower and raise a flag that is attached to standard mailboxes. Do you have anything you can suggest or places you can recommend me to go? I have no experience with electronics, so I won’t be able to do much on my own unless there is a video to go with it.
Hi there,
Interesting project and I believe this wouldn’t be so hard for someone who is beginning in the world of Robotic.
First of all you need a sensor to detect when there is mail… this can be done with a simple IR sensor or a movement detector.
Than, you need a microcontroller to detect the signal sent by the sensor. This microcontroller will send a command to a servo motor to tell it to rise the flag. (simple motion)
MicroController: https://www.robotshop.com/en/arduino-uno-rev3-smd.html
Servo: https://www.robotshop.com/en/servo-motors.html Servo Motors have different torque, speed and specifications. Depending on the weight of the flag, you will have to choose the right servo in consequence.
PIR sensor: https://www.robotshop.com/en/pir-motion-sensor-sfe.html (movement detection)
Since this project may be outdoor, you will probably need an isolated casing/box and a battery pack. Make sure you know the voltage, current and capacity required before ordering any part.
Note that this project will involve a part of programming. If you have no experience with Arduino programming, it is easy to find examples and library on the net.
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/ServoWrite
I hope this help and let me know how it goes.
Thanks for the input! I actually need something much simpler. It is going to be used as an actual mailbox. All I would like to do is to push a remote control and the flag will go up. I then push a button and the flag goes down. This isn’t going to be used as a real mailbox. Just something in my house.
Hi David,
I understand.
Does it absolutely has to be a flag going up?
This motion would require either a servo motor with some kind of microcontroller or a DC motor with limit switches.
Note that this could be achieve with a solenoid: https://www.robotshop.com/en/catalogsearch/result/?q=solenoid&order=relevance&dir=desc
Make sure you have a good power supply to drive the solenoid. Make sure the solenoid is not powered up for too long since it continue to draw current once it’s ‘‘ON’’.
Another option could be using multiple LED to ‘‘light’’ up in a shape of a flag once the button is pressed. This would be a much easier project and could simply act as a ON/OFF switch lighting LEDs shaped as a flag.
Let me know what you think.
Thanks for your help! A flag that lights up via remote control would be amazing!!! Do you have a link for any product I can but for this to happen?
Sorry, the word *but = buy
Depending on if you want the remote control to be wireless or wired, you will need different component.
Wireless requires minimal components such as:
-Switch
-Wires(long enough)
-LEDs (the number you want)
-Resistor for the LEDs
-Power supply
If the remote is wireless, you will need to determine what kind of transmission you want. IR signal? R/C signal? RF, bluetooth, WiFi?
Definitely wireless. A small remote is better. The least expensive also preferred 
