Retractable License Plate???

A retractable front plate would really confuse the situation when you get pulled over for a missing front plate.

Get stopped for no front plate, hit the switch, voila! Cop says you have no front plate, and you say, What??? Let's take a look.... OMG there's the plate...

Not sure what would happen after that though :)
 
Mine would be wired with a relay to a swotched power so when you actually drive the car it would be down, when it would sit there lets say for pictures, it would be hidden.

I was also thinking of doing a speed sensitive switch so if you go below 5mph for a speed bump it would be hidden, or backing out of a driveway it would be hidden to avoid damage.

Also, just in case you do get pulled over, a switch to pull out the plate in case the cop wants to see. I have no intention of running red lights or speeding and hidding my plates.
 
Well I got my gizmo from jegs today.
Before I even start thinking about how I'm gonna mount this I need to figure out how im gonna get this wired up since I really dont wanna use their little remote everytime.
So what I'm thinking is wire it in with something up front that turns on when car is on. But it also needs power to retract the plate. If I just wire it in with the switched power it'll retract out and when power is off it'll just stay out. So I need to also get power from the battery to retract the plate. So what I'm in need of is some kind of modular relay that will detect when the switched power is off and will switch to the battery to retract it.:rolleyes: Any ideas? do you also need power to retract yours alax?
 
Use a DPDT relay, its what I am using.

There are 8 pins on it. A pair to activate the relay, 2 pairs power in, and the last pair for power out.

I dont know how their device works, but the actuators I'm using, you give it power in one direction for it to push out, flip the wires or the power's direction and it retracts. I am using one power source, but 2 cables coming out from the + wire and 2 to -(grnd). The first pair of wires are wired + then -, then so the polarity is flipped, the second set is wired - then +. When the relay is off or in its normal position, it will have + - for its power source, then when the relay gets power the turn on or make the switch, it will have - + for its power source.

I am using the fan to get power to the relay to activate only when the car is on.


If this is confusing, I will draw you a diagram shortly. I have been told I explain things bad, everything goes on so fast in my head and I understand it but once it comes out it might not make sense to the outside world.
 
Alax7 said:
Use a DPDT relay, its what I am using.

There are 8 pins on it. A pair to activate the relay, 2 pairs power in, and the last pair for power out.

I dont know how their device works, but the actuators I'm using, you give it power in one direction for it to push out, flip the wires or the power's direction and it retracts. I am using one power source, but 2 cables coming out from the + wire and 2 to -(grnd). The first pair of wires are wired + then -, then so the polarity is flipped, the second set is wired - then +. When the relay is off or in its normal position, it will have + - for its power source, then when the relay gets power the turn on or make the switch, it will have - + for its power source.

I am using the fan to get power to the relay to activate only when the car is on.


If this is confusing, I will draw you a diagram shortly. I have been told I explain things bad, everything goes on so fast in my head and I understand it but once it comes out it might not make sense to the outside world.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's the same how this one works.

What I don't get is how will it be able to retract when you turn the key off since there will be no power there and you need power for it to retract

If you could draw a diagram that would be helpful!
 
The relay will alway have power, thats why you need a dpdt relay, double pole double throw relay.
 
Alright thanks for clarifying

Searched the dpdt relay got a variety of different kinds. Any certain one you recommend?
 
I think I got mine at radio shack. Which one are you looking at?
 
Basically like this. The location of each pair of pins might be different, but there will still be 2 pairs of pins for power in, 1 pair for power out and 1 pair for switched power(activates the relay). So long story short, for the power ins, first pair of pins have the power and ground wire one way, second pair is the opposite to switched polarity.

DPDTrelay.png


dpdt2.png
 
Best I could do. Came out good, only thing that bugs me is the track that sticks out, but its as far in as it can be. Just like anything else on this car......no room to work with.


PLATE RETRACTOR - YouTube
 
Great work! I was going to go that route to begin with.

The rail sticking out is what also bugged me, but that is a sick install!

I dont know how much room you have to work with, but a way around it is to mount that system on a rail, the rail slides out, then the hide away plate extended and flips the plate. Once retracted, the hide away rail will also retract. Its what I have in mine to have no visible signs of the gizmo once its "hidden"
 
That's a good idea Alax, to mount this system on a rail, then you could send this retractor out, then deploy the plate.
I had to disasemble the unit and take the spring out so it just natural gravity drops when you get to the end, part of the reason why the rail sticks out to so it would end at flat facing.

I'll take a better pic in the light tommorrow with the rail.
 
Actually have to give all the credit for the idea to Alax. He posted this idea Oct 2010, exact same time this car was last driven. I just finshed putting the car back together and got it on the road so I figured I'd post this up and give him some props.
 
Update,
Now its been on the car for a couple weeks. Works awesome, only problem is at speed there's too much wind resistance for the motor to actuate correctly.

State cop pulled me over said my plate was crooked, I didn't believe him, thought maybe the frame had come loose and blown/bent it up because I knew the actuator had been working correctly.
I asked if I could get out and look, got out, went to the front, it was halfway down. Reached back inside, lowered it all the way, the look on the cops face was priceless, he wasn't sure to either give me a ticket or was like WTF?
He said: "I've never seen that before!!!????"
Told me to have a nice day.
 
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