Since the introduction of Coop Tender Automatic Chicken Coop Door in 2014, we continue to improve our product. We listened to our customers and through research, design and engineering, are now offering our next generation of Automatic Coop Door.
Improved battery life:
Our engineers have meticulously refined the digital electronic designs and have dramatically decreased energy usage and power consumption of our automatic chicken coop door.
The new designs provide for double the backup battery life from the same battery, up to a week, without electricity or solar energy. This means that your power can be out for up to a week and your coop door will still operate. You can have a solid week of cloudy days and your coop door will still operate.
[Technical Details]: Average power consumption has been reduced to just above 30mA in standard operation and 20mA in Power Save mode. This was achieved by converting our circuit boards to surface mount technology and implementing high efficiency voltage regulation within the circuit design.
Circuit Boards Made and Assembled in the USA:
We thank our customers because we found a need to expand our manufacturing capabilities.
Conversion of the electronic brains of Coop Tender to surface mount component technology has enabled us to expand manufacturing in a cost efficient manner.
We are grateful for having access to a company in Houston, Texas called MacroFab. They are augmenting our production capacity with precision manufacturing processes and delivering high quality assembled circuit boards (Coop Tender's brains).
Solid state magnetic limit switches:
Solid state means that there are no mechanical aspects to a device. We use solid state, magnetic switches to signal when the door is open or closed. Solid state switches are extremely reliable and last many times longer than any mechanical switch. Theoretically, a solid state magnetic switch will never fail.
Custom manufactured worm drive:
Our worm drives are custom manufactured by Baden Steelbar and Bolt, which just happens to be near our manufacturing facilities in western Pennsylvania.
They start with 12 foot rods of 5/8 inch solid steel Acme Threaded rod and cut it down to our size specifications. They then precisely machine the necessary holes for a solid connection to the gear motor shaft. A 1/8 inch thick cotter pin is then supplied to complete the unbreakable connection.
Tighter tolerances:
Our woodworkers have been busy building the cabinets and enclosures for our automatic chicken coop doors. They have also fine-tuned the designs, incorporating tighter tolerances.
We still leave plenty of room for the wood to expand with moisture. A couple of adjustments were made to door rail and door drive positioning to provide for more accurate door operation, the only mechanical aspect of our automatic coop doors.
Tighter tolerances meant updated machinery. Our woodworkers use laser guided saws and drill presses to provide the precision workmanship necessary to create our durable, smooth operating coop doors.
Firmware updates:
Our software engineers have been busy refining and updating the firmware code.
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A Manual Mode indication is now built into our firmware. When your door is in Manual Mode, then the Coop Tender light will flash green
to let you know.
- Keypad menu programming has been refined to increase ease-of-use
- Two-speed door close option added
Internet Wi-Fi Module Firmware and Web App Updates:
A lot of focus and attention was devoted to expanding the beneficial features of our Internet Wi-Fi Module and corresponding Universal Web App.
- Coop Cam view added to allow monitoring of your web cams through the web app
- Integration with our Coop Accessory Control Module which provides automated heating, ventilation and coop lighting
- Integration with our Predator Motion Detector.
Updated power inlet switch:
We replaced the original power inlet (where you would plug your automatic coop door into an electrical outlet). Coop Tender uses a single unit incorporating AC and battery power fuses in the same unit. The module securely screws to the back of the controller.
Better shipment packing:
The optional coop door backup battery and solar module battery are now packed outside of the door. The 5Ah 12 Volt SLA batteries are relatively heavy and with the shock vibrations the units experience during shipping, a few units experienced issues with the battery coming loose from its mount.
Your automatic chicken coop door is sealed in heavy duty wrap to keep packing peanuts from entering where they shouldn’t be.
Electronic connectors in the coop door controller are additionally secured with a dab of electronically non-conductive adhesive. In a few situations, shock vibrations during shipping had caused a connection to come loose, interfering with door operation.
Our shipping department is now using biodegradable packing peanuts. They’re environmentally friendly and remain intact better during transport
– no tiny little bits of Styrofoam.
We're excited to provide one of the most advanced, full featured automatic coop door on the market. We strive to ensure our customers are happy. You and your chickens are our customers. Safe, happy hens...
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