In this instructable, you will learn how to make a regular tailgate into a automatic tailgate.

Step 1: Materials

Here are the materials you will need for this project:

-Parallax Homework Board
-Tailgate
-12V Car Battery
-9V Battery
-DNA Motoring Central Lock System (3 slave 2 wires-actuators, 5 wires actuator, and 1 master)
-Power Diodes(X10)
-10k Ohm Linear Taper Potentiometer
-TIP 120 NPN-D Transistor
-Extra Wire(22 AWG Hook-up Wire)
-Electric Tape
-Industrial strength Velcro
-Duct Tape
-WD-40

http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/Tutorials/HighCurrentLoads
http://arduino-for-beginners.blogspot.com/2011/03/controlling-12v-dc-motorfan-with.html

10Kohm potentiometer        power diodes

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Step 2: Step One

FIrst, you must remove the tailgate and remove faceplate from the tailgate,make sure you understand how the tailgate works. Do research on how a tailgate and actuator works

Step 3: Step Two

Remove the bars that connect to the handle of the tailgate

Step 4: Step Three

Velcro Actuators inside of tailgate, make sure the actuators are at a 45 degree angle pointing down.

-For extra grip, you can use the duct tape.

Step 5: Step Four

Attach the bars to the actuators

Step 6: Step Five

Plug in actuators

Step 7: Step Six

Connect the wires from the actuators to the Homework Board, then hook those to the battery.

Step 8: Step Seven

Now it is time to wire up the Homework Board, First, get about 5 feet of hookup wire, the TIP 120 transistor, the power diodes, the 10k ohm potentiometer, 12V car battery, and the 9V battery.

Notes:
-you only need one power diode, the rest are in case one of them burns out.
-If you get the same power diodes and potentiometer that we got, you will need to solder the diodes to some hookup wire.
-The potentiometer is adjustable, adjust it accordingly to how much power you want

Here is a useful website for wiring the board up:
http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/Tutorials/HighCurrentLoads

Step 9: Step Eight

Solder all of the necessary wires together, the hookup wire to the diodes and the potentiometer, then some extension wires from the tailgate to the to the battery(hookup wire will work fine).

Step 10: Step 9

Now you must wire the board with all of the components. Connect one of the long extension wires from the positive (+) end of the battery to a column under VDD on the breadboard and the other long extension wire to the negative (-) under VSS

Step 11: Step 10

Connect one end of the diode near each end of the extension wire on the white breadboard

Step 12: Step 11

or this next step, you need to solder three lengths of hookup wire (each one about 2-3 in. in length) to the potentiometer and then connect one wire to the VIN section of the white breadboard, one wire into the VDD section of the white breadboard, and the final piece of wire into a pin (i.e. p1,p2,p3...) on the left of the breadboard.

Step 13: Step 12

Now, you need to take the TIP 120 transistor and plug it into the VDD section of the breadboard.

Step 14: Step 13

For this step, you need to take the power cables from the actuators, cut off the ends of the wires, and connect some hookup wire to the end of each one, then plug them both into VDD, the negative (black) wire near the transistor and the positive (red) wire a few higher spots up on the breadboard..

Step 15: Step 14

Now cut two pieces of wire (both about 1-2 in. in length) and connect one piece from VDD to the column on the column directly under it, and the other wire from VSS into the column directly unger that one

Step 16: Step 15

Now is the time to get the more velcro to secure the wires to the back of the tailgate. This is more of a personal preference depending on where you have the battery. Ater, you need to mount the wireless receiver to.

Step 17: Final Step

Reattach the tailgate to the vehicle.

Step 18: Code to Run the Breadboard

Do

High 9
high 10

loop

Introduction: Tailgate Opener