How to Make a Trip Wire the Easy Way
A trip wire mounted across a doorway to alert you to a stranger's presence can be a life-saving safety precaution. A homemade trip wire can be installed in a few minutes. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Clothespin
- Aluminum tape
- Red and black electrical wire
- Wire cutter and stripper
- Battery-powered noisemaker
- Battery and battery holder
- Fishing line
- Paper
- Screw hook
Instructions
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1
Apply aluminum tape to both arms of the pinching end of the clothespin, leaving a small tab hanging off the top of each.
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2
Strip the end of a piece of black wire and attach it to one tab of the clothespin.
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3
Connect the end of the black wire coming from the noisemaker to the other tab.
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4
Insert the red wire from the noisemaker and the black wire from Step 2 into the respective color-coded ports on the battery holder.
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5
Test the system by plugging in the battery. The alarm should sound. Remove the battery.
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6
Fold a piece of 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper in half three times, folding the longest side down each time, to create a small rectangle of paper. Tape the seam shut with strong tape.
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7
Secure the clothespin to the wall on one side of the doorway being wired at ankle height, with the aluminum-taped side facing the doorway.
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8
Place the paper in the clothespin, between the two foil-taped ends, and secure one end of the fishing line to the paper with the tape.
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9
Extend the line across the doorway and tie it to a screw hook mounted on the other side.
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10
Reinsert the battery. The alarm will sound if somebody comes through the door and hits the wire. It will pull the paper out of the clip, allowing the circuit to be completed.
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