6 might have been confusing the way I wrote it out.. the detector IS the electromagnet at the moment, and if not, needs to stay on that side.
That variation sounds really interesting! Hopefully I've solve it before having to test my skills on that idea :)
The door is a ferrous alloy and the core is electrical steel. Do you think a capacitive sensor directly adjacent to the electromagnet be affected by the EM's fields?
Still trying to absorb this solution. Does this require running this loop non stop until a hit is detected? I think I read this as changing my measurement from a voltage change to the time it takes for a voltage change of N amount. Is that right?
Well, it's primary function is as an electromagnetic catch, but I also need to detect the presence both with the magnet powered on and off. Just trying to use it for both before I use a secondary sensor.
What are you suggesting I use an analog output pin for? It does have a couple available.
Circuit attached.
What do you mean by tap? Do you mean a second voltage divider to operate in the EM's on state?
And yes, I believe the readings are occurring every 50 milliseconds.
Oh yes, the detector ideally needs to be on the electromagnet side of the equation, hence my trying to use it as the detector. The way it's wire up, I have 12 volts going to the electromagnet, with a line coming off it that goes to an analog IN pin on the Arduino. I have a voltage divider to...