How To Make A Door Alarm – Easy Steps

Steps on How to Make a Door Alarm Easy

Here are some DIY steps on how to make a door alarm easy.

Part I: Preparing to Build your Alarm

1. Fasten the plywood on the wall next to your door. The first thing to do on how to make a door alarm easy is to attach a piece of plywood near your door. You can use detachable wall hangers or electrical tape to connect the wood on the wall. This serves as the base of your door alarm. You may have to drill to make holes in your wood so you can hang it from the hangers.
   • Attach the piece of wood on top of your door, about a foot from your door frame.
   • If you don’t want to hang the alarm, you can place it flat on your desk or bookshelf near the door.
2. Cut three strands of the insulated wire.   Use the heavy-duty scissors or wire snips to cut the wires, each one measuring one foot long. Use the measuring tape to measure.
3. Strip the ends of the strands.  Strip off the ends of the insulated wires using the wire strippers. Place about two inches of the wire into the strippers, close it firmly and pull the wire to remove the insulation. Do this for both strands.  

Part II: Building the Alarm

1. Secure the battery and the buzzer on the wooden board. Use electrical tape to secure the battery and buzzer to the wood. The tape should not cover the connection for the electrical circuit of the buzzer (the positive or negative ends of the battery).
   • For more stable alarms, screw the buzzer into the wood.
2. Cover the stripped wire around the edges of the clothespin. Wrap one stripped end of the two pieces of wire around the top of the clip-end of the clothespin. Follow the same method to the bottom clip-end of the pin using a separate wire. Secure the stripped wires by twisting them around the pin until they are fixed.
   • The wires should touch when the pin closes. This would complete the circuit that sets off the alarm.
3. Attach the bottom-pin wire to the battery. Place the wire, so it is immediately touching the positive (+) end of the battery. Fasten the wire in place by using a piece of the electrical tape.
4. Connect a non-battery wire to your buzzer. A tiny opening must be present in the buzzer where you can insert the wire. There must be two connectors, the positive and negative. Directly touch one of the top clothespin wires to the positive field for the buzzer.
5. Split the circuit using a piece of cardboard.  Insert a medium-sized piece of cardboard in between the wires coiled around the clothespin. The cardboard will prevent the wires on the clothespin from touching when it is closed. 
   • A piece of paper, rubber, wood, or any non-conductive material to break the circuit will actually work.
6. Attach the rest of the wires. Connect the stripped end of one of the remaining clothespin wires to the negative (-) end of your battery. Set it using electrical tape. Following the previous method, attached the rest of the clothespin wire to the negative (-) field for the buzzer.
   • After you’ve attached the wire into the buzzer, cover any bare wires with tape. Whenever the circuit is engaged, touching the bare wire will result in a shock.
7. Try the switch by finishing the circuit.   Place your alarm on a leveled flat surface. Try opening the clothespin and take out the circuit breaker (cardboard). Whenever the clothespin closes, the circuit should be completed, and the buzzer turns on.
8. Examine the connections and the battery if the buzzer won’t work. If the buzzer doesn’t activate, there must be a problem with one of the connections. Reinsert the breaker (cardboard) and reset all the connections. If the alarm still does not work, you should replace your battery with a new one.
   • Wrap the wires together to improve connections and tape all bare wires to stop accidental shocks.

Part III: Installing the Alarm 

1. Stick the clothespin to the board. 
   Take the board off the wall. The battery and the buzzer should be taped to it already. Glue the clothespin, so it is placed slightly near your battery and buzzer. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly.
   • For the best results, use a stronger glue or a wood glue. 
2. Hide the excess wires with tape and fasten the board. Excess wires that are sticking out can be dangerous and damaged wires can deactivate your alarm. Fasten the wires to the board to stop them from being pulled out. Rehang the board to the wall. 
3. Connect the string to the cardboard in the clothespin. Fasten a piece of string to the cardboard. With a pair of scissors, create a small hole in the cardboard and tie the string to the hole using a simple knot.
   • Ensure that the string is firmly fastened to the cardboard. If fastened weakly, the string might pull free, and the cardboard remains.
4. Secure the opposite end of the string to the door. Fasten the string to your doorknob or tape it to any part of your door. Adjust the string so that when the door opens, it is pulled. Whenever the cardboard is pulled out, the alarm will go off.