Milton Bell Driveway and Drive Through Alarms

Rush Limbaugh, Identity Alert , Gas Station Bells & Sting-Rays

2011-07-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

While listening to the Rush Limbaugh show I was reminded of personal security, preventing theft and of a system that is capable of providing an early notification in the event of an intruder.

Naturally, I was expecting the radio commercial to be advertising some type of driveway signal bell system. After all this is what we sell, and our alarms do promote personal security and help to prevent theft by providing an early notification of a potential threat each time they ring......"Ding-Ding".

The actual commercial was promoting a service to protect your personal identity and its ability to deliver an early warning alert via email in the event of an actual identity theft. There were enough similarities between the keywords that they used to describe their product and those to describe one of our driveway alarm bells to confuse anyone who was casually listening in.

The similarity in the keywords got me thinking of how much things have changed from the simple days of the gas station bell. It made me nostalgic for those days when "identity alert" meant that the gas station attendant was annoyed enough to run off me and my friends riding our Sting-Ray's and Huffy's back and fourth across the black rubber hose at the corner gas station.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore & Milton's Bells

2011-04-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Milton's Bells has recently donated two of our driveway bell kits to Habitat for Humanity International. The driveway alarm bells are used by Habitat for Humanity to let them know when a new donor has arrived.

“We are always teaching our new managers that making their ReStores donor friendly is extremely is important. The drive-way bell is a great way to ensure that donors are received as soon as they arrive at the store with their donation.”

Habitat's ReStore locations sell surplus building materials to the public at a fraction of the retail price. The proceeds are used to fund the construction of local Habitat home projects.

If you are a Habitat ReStore manager and would like to discuss a bell system for your location please contact us at: 713-927-3914.

Home Security Driveway Alarm Kit - Extension of Home Security Alarm System

2011-04-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

Home Security / Driveway Alarm Integration

Our driveway bell and chime kits are a valuable extension to any home security system. The driveway alarms that we sell provide an early warning whenever a new visitor drives into your driveway. The new visitor will be announced each time with the clear ringing of a bell, "Ding-Ding", or chime depending on which of our kits is purchased and installed. Our bell and chime kits are simple to set up and provide a feeling of security.

We also have momentary contact switches that are activated when a vehicle drives across the black rubber driveway tubing. These momentary contact switches can be tied directly into a home security system to alert the security system that either a vehicle has entered the driveway or that a vehicle within the garage has been moved or may be in the process of being stolen. The hose can be placed anywhere you want to monitor the movement of a vehicle traffic. It is definitely an integral part of any home security system.

Home Security Driveway Alarm Kit

The momentary contact switch can be wired into your home security system. It also includes 20' of driveway tubing a one pound steel end-of-hose anchor.

By placing the driveway alarm hose under the tire of a car that is parked in your garage it will act as a supplementary alarm letting you know if the vehicle has been moved. It will send a momentary contact closure, if it is wired into your home security system, each time the hose is compressed. It could be considered a separate security zone for your driveway.

Single mother home security - Reassured by driveway chime.

2011-04-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

We have recently received an email from a single mother who expressed her feeling of improved home security knowing that she could depend on her new driveway bell to alert her when a vehicle arrives in her driveway. She was comforted knowing that the bell would be rung announcing the arrival of a visitor before the doorbell was rang. She said that the chime gave her an advanced warning so that she could monitor new arrivals before they got to the door.

We have also received comments from customers who have purchased bell kits for older parents who are living alone. They are comforted knowing that their parents will be notified with the clear ring of a bell or chime each time a new visitor arrives in their driveway. This early warning gives them a chance to prescreen the visitor through a window before the bell is actually rang. They have also commented that they appreciate the simplicity of the bell's setup.

The bell and chime kits are an extension to any home security system.

Truck scale notification bell and chime kits - Agriculture Scales / Yard Scales

2011-04-07T14:39:00.000-07:00

Do you need to be notified each time a truck drives up to your scale? We have systems that can produce a soft chime or a clear bell ringing each time a truck drives up. Our hose systems are rugged and dependable. They transmit a signal each time the hose is compressed and activate the bell or chime.

We offer a couple of monitoring options, the first is the Milton and Original bell kits; the second is a wireless chime kit. All of the kits including the wireless kits use a driveway hose to activate the bell. The hose crosses the driveway that you want monitored and connects directly to the bell or, in the case of the wireless kit, to a transmitter box.

The difference between the Milton and Original bell kits and the wireless system is that the hose is not needed to run all the way to the receiver/chime. This can be an advantage for longer distances. The wireless kit is rated up to 600' however this distance can be reduced with thick vegetation, trees, and buildings between the transmitter and receiver. The wireless kits activate an electronic chime that is capable of playing four different sounds. This chime is also able to ring a low-voltage bell for situations that require something louder than the chime alone. When a bell is used in conjunction with the electronic chime both the chime and bell ring. The low-voltage bell has to be wired to the chime using low-voltage wiring. This low-voltage wiring is not included with the kit and needs to be purchased separately.

The standard Milton bell kits can be used with up to 300' of driveway hose and the Original Bell can be used with up to 150' driveway hose.

All three systems will help alert you to vehicles arriving and leaving your scale.

Bell rings when a rented vehicle is returned to the store.

2011-03-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be nice if you were notified, with the ring of a bell, each time a rented vehicle was returned to your facility? Our driveway bell systems are dependable and simple to install.

Set-up of the bell notification system is simple. The bells are sold as kits and include all of the items needed to set up a working system. Each kit includes either a bell or chime, driveway signal hose, and an end-of-hose anchor. Our wireless systems include a wireless transmitter but still use the dependable driveway signal hose to detect when a car or truck arrives.

Truck rental companies such as U-Haul, Penske, Budget, Ryder and car rental companies such as Hertz, Budget, Alamo, Avis, and Thrifty find our bell systems rugged and simple to install.

Please visit our site at www.miltonsbells.com for more information.

Why we don't sell motion detector driveway alarm sensors.

2011-01-26T22:35:00.000-08:00

It's very simple. They are not dependable.

We have tested several motion detector driveway patrol sensors and we have found that they send false signals. They ring when there are no vehicles in the driveway or worse, don't ring at all even when a vehicle has entered the driveway. These monitor alarms can produce false signals like when a leaf falls from a tree, cats or dogs cross their path, and sometimes even when the wind blows. We have received several calls from frustrated owners of motion sensor driveway alarms who need our assistance in getting a dependable driveway notification system. The owners of these passive infrared (PIR) sensors often describe them as "Cheap plastic toys".

The most reliable driveway alarms use the black rubber tubing to send the signal to the bell.or transmitter. These are the only systems that we sell at www.MiltonsBells.com. These drive-thru monitoring systems are physically activated each time a car or truck compresses the driveway signal tubing. This simple design has been around for 50-70 years depending on the type of system and many of these bells have been continuously working, with some regular maintenance, for 40+ years.

Milton's Bells at Goodwill International Tradeshow

2010-08-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

We recently traveled to Atlanta to participate in the Goodwill Industry International Tradeshow. It was our first convention and we learned a lot about traveling with inventory, manning a booth, and we were very excited to be a part of the show and to participate in the events provided for the vendors. Goodwill is a very interesting organization, whose motto is, "A hand up, not a hand-out."

At the end of the show we had donated some of our inventory to Goodwill for use in their stores.

Hockey Players Bell

2010-05-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

We have recently had a customer use one of our driveway bells in the most interesting way. They have created a hockey goal ringing bell. The hockey goal has been outfitted with two plumbers plungers one on each of the upper corners. A thin piece of rubber was stretched across the end of the plunger and a bulls-eye was painted on it. When the hockey puck strikes the bulls-eye on the end of the plunger the pressure change activates the bell to ring.

According to the team's coach it has taken the boredom out of what had been a very repetitive practice.

Here is a close-up photo of the plumbers plunger connected to the driveway tubing.

Below is a photo of both plungers that connect back to the driveway bell: "Ding-Ding"

Oil Field Vehicle Monitoring Bell Kits

2010-02-23T15:08:00.000-08:00

Do you work in the oil field and have the responsibility of monitoring vehicle traffic arriving and leaving the site? We have kits that will help notify you with a clear "Ding-Ding" or a soft chime. All of our kits come with a rugged driveway hose that can be used on the gravel roadways that commonly access oil field sites.

We offer a couple of monitoring options, our first are the Milton and Original bell kits; the second is a wireless chime kit. All of the kits including the wireless kits use a driveway hose to activate the bell. The hose crosses the driveway that you want monitored and connects directly to the bell or, in the case of the wireless kit, to a transmitter box.

The difference between the Milton and Original bell kits and the wireless system is that the hose is not needed to run all the way to the receiver/chime. This can be an advantage for longer distances. The wireless kit is rated up to 600' however this distance can be reduced with thick vegetation, trees, and buildings between the transmitter and receiver. The wireless kits activate an electronic chime that is capable of playing four different sounds. This chime is also able to ring a low-voltage bell for situations that require something louder than the chime alone. When a bell is used in conjunction with the electronic chime both the chime and bell ring. The low-voltage bell has to be wired to the chime using low-voltage wiring. This low-voltage wiring is not included with the kit and needs to be purchased separately.

The standard Milton bell kits can be used with up to 300' of driveway hose and the Original Bell can be used with up to 150' driveway hose.

All three systems will help alert you to vehicles arriving and leaving your site.

Golf Pro Shop Chime System - Golf Cart Return

2009-12-20T04:50:00.000-08:00

The staff at golf pro shops are often responsible for monitoring when golf carts have been returned to the shop and need to be alerted when they arrive. Our chime kits are the perfect way to be quietly alerted that another golf cart has been returned and needs service. The most important issue to consider, when choosing a bell or chime for a pro shop, is that it is not too loud or disruptive to the inside of the shop. We recommend using either a Milton chime kit or our wireless chime kit. Our wireless chime kit can be set to ring with four different preset tones. There are instructions that are included with each wireless kit that allow you to change the ring tone.

The second thing to consider is between a wireless chime kit and a Milton chime kit.

Wireless Chime Kit

Milton Chime Kit

Both systems use a driveway hose to detect vehicles. When a golf cart or any other vehicle drives across the hose it produces a change in pressure within the hose. This change in pressure triggers each of the chimes to ring. Our standard Milton chime uses a driveway hose that runs all the way from where it crosses the driveway to where it is connected to the chime. This means that if you need the chime to be inside of the store the hose will have to be run into the pro shop.

The wireless systems use a short length of hose to detect vehicles but transmitts the signal received from the driveway hose to the chime wirelessly. This means that you do not need a driveway hose that runs all the way inside of the pro shop.

The transmission range on our wireless systems are around 600'. This distance can be shorter if there are obstructions between the chime and transmitter such as hills or metal wall panels.
"Ding-Ding".....Milton

Using buried PVC in place of driveway hose

2009-11-04T04:07:00.000-08:00

I have had several customers ask about using buried PVC to connect their driveway bell to a short segment of hose at the end of their driveway. The reason for doing this, usually, is to conceal what would be a very long length of driveway hose that is being replaced by the buried PVC. Here are a few things to remember if you choose to install a buried PVC system: The inside diameter of the driveway hose is 3/8". You will need to transition from the PVC to the 3/8" ID hose using transition couplers. Any water or condensation that gets into the PVC will affect the performance of the bell and may pevent it from ringing. Be sure to glue all PVC connections with PVC cement and to use plumbers tape to connect any metal fittings. The reason for this is to keep the PVC as air-tight as possible and to keep moisture out.

The Milton bell can operate on up to 300' of driveway hose and the Original bell can operate on up to 150' of driveway hose. The inside diameter of the standard driveway hose is 3/8" and the inside diameter of the smallest common PVC is 1/2". Be sure to test your system prior to burying it to make certain that the bell works with the length of 1/2" PVC and hose before you actually bury it.

"Ding-Ding".....Milton

Milton service station bell rings when email arrives.

2008-08-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have been trying to customize a Milton bell so that it will ring when an email arrives. Of course I do not want the bell to ring when every email arrives, just certain emails. I have it set up to ring when emails arrive from someone important to me or with certain words in the subject line. It has taken me some time to figure it out but here are the basic steps that I went through to set it up.
I began with the "rules wizard" in Microsoft Outlook. The rules wizard allows you to monitor incoming emails and scan for emails that contain defined words in the subject line. I then had Outlook execute a simple .BAT file that changed the voltage between pins 4 and 5 on the DB-9 port or COM port. The voltage between pins 4 and 5 was not enough to ring the bell or to even close a low-voltage relay. I had to insert a simple transistor circuit to amplify the signal and ultimately activate the relay.

After getting the electrical signal to the COM port and getting it to activate a relay the rest was straight forward. The last step was to connect the solenoid inside of the bell to the relay.

The electrical signal that is sent to the COM port through the .BAT file is sent in two momentary pulses. This simulates a car driving across the driveway signal hose at a service station: “Ding-Ding”.

It is a conversation starter. You have to be very selective on which emails you want to have the bell ring for. It is definitely a merger of the internet and petrolania.

Please let me know if anyone is interested and I can share more of the specific details.

Ding-Ding".....Milton

"Ding-Ding"

2008-02-09T20:25:00.000-08:00

As a young kid I can remember riding my bicycle across the driveway hose at the gas station over and over listening to it ring "Ding-Ding" each time my bike rolled across the hose. To make it even more fun my friends were also riding their bikes across the hose. The bell was ringing like a machine gun. It was a lot of fun. It probably drove the gas station employees crazy.

Then, the employees of the gas station would sit waiting for the next customer to arrive in chairs lined up in front of the station. They would fill cars with gas in addition to checking the oil, tire pressure, and cleaning the windshield. As far as we could tell they tolerated our fun and after a few times of riding our bikes across the hose we were on our way.

On another occasion in New Orleans, I was walking through a neighborhood gas station with my grandfather, and he pointed out to me that my name was on the bell, "Milton". I found it interesting and thought that it would be neat to have one of those bells.

The "Ding-Ding" of the gas station bell was carved into my memory.

After several years I have rekindled my interested in these gas station bells. I began selling the bells and kits including everything necessary to set up a working bell system for both residential and commercial applications.

Milton's Bells has taken the standard gas station bell into the 21st Century. We offer a modified gas station bell that operates off of a low-voltage signal. This bell has been used as a door bell in an industrial loft apartment, in auto-shows, and for very long driveways where a driveway hose would be impractical.

We are also working on a modified bell that connects directly to you personal computer. The bell could be set to ring when an email is received. Of course there are email rules that would need to be set so that not every email would generate a "Ding-Ding".

Instructions to assemble your long-driveway low-voltage Milton bell kit.

2008-02-09T05:43:00.000-08:00

Assembly: Connect your low voltage, two-strand electrical wire to the two screws at the bottom of the remote end of driveway box (gray box). I recommend an 18 AWG stranded wire. Connect the other end of your two-strand electrical wire to the two screws at the bottom of the Milton bell.

Next connect the black driveway hose to the silver tube on the bottom of the end of driveway box by pushing the hose over the silver tube until it is snug. Do the same for the Milton end-of-hose anchor on the other end of the black driveway hose.

The bell must be positioned so that the name Milton reads upright to work properly. Also, the gray box must also have the hose and electrical wire connections mounted so that they are facing down toward the ground to work properly.

The air switch is located in the gray box and could possibly need to be adjusted due to changes in humidity / temperature between Houston and your location. I have adjusted it to be sensitive and it should ring the bell when something as light as a bicycle crosses the driveway hose. Adjusting the sensitivity is described on my website under the link “Servicing you Bell”. See Figure 6.

Next, plug the bell into a standard 110V electrical outlet to test.

Be sure to mount the Milton bell in an area that is not directly rained upon as it has electrical components inside. A spot with an overhang or inside of a garage, that does not get wet, is the ideal location.