I think next time I go to the junk yard I will have to see how much an old air bag is worth. These things really pack a punch. If you watch the video from Daves Farm keep watching past the first air bag test, the second one is amazing.
Thanks Stagueve
Here's a video of Zedomax Alarm System II in Action:
Parts List:
1 RadioShack Motion-sensing Door Chime/Alarm $27
Other parts from Zedomax Alarm System Part I
Estimated Time to Assemble: 3 minutes
Estimated Time to Program: 10 minutes (or none if you use my source code)
The other day I was walking through RadioShack and found this neat little Motion-sensing Door Chime/Alarm.
Since I already had an alarm system, I decided I could simply add a motion-sensor to my existing alarm system.
Connections
1) First disassemble the motion-sensor like shown in above picture.
2) Now disconnect the speaker wires, we don't need the speaker on the motion sensor since we already have one on our alarm system.
3) Solder 2 wires to the speaker wires. Make sure to mark one of the wires as ground for later. I used a black tape to mark it.
4) When you measure the speaker outputs, you should get around 8V DC, we will need this information in order to not burn up our CB280 module.
5) You can take the wires outside of the casing through the battery connectors.
6) Assemble your motion-sensor now like shown above.
7) Now you have a motion sensor w/ 2 wires you can use to sense motion!
8) Connect the the Positive wire of the motion sensor to the middle of a 3804 TR.
Connect the GND of motion sensor to GND of the study board.
Now you can connect 5V of the study board to the right side of the 3904 TR and the P21 of the study board to the left side of the 3904 TR as shown in the above picture.
Connect a LED Output to P21 to check that motion sensor is working and the CUBLOC module will receive correct digital signals.
Now check that your motion sensor is working by turning the motion sensor to "Chime" and try flickering your hands in front of it.
The LED on the motion sensor and the study board should go off together in harmony.
Now simply unzip and download this program using CublocStudio:
You should get a nice Motion line added to your existing alarm system.
Try turning On your alarm system, the password is 1234.
Now make some movements on the motion sensor to set it off.
The alarm system will go off and the only way to turn it off is by entering your password again.
Press the CNCL button if you mess up your password.
Program Source...
(Bold for added code)
Const Device = CB280
#define MyPass 1234
Set Pad 0,1,10
Const Byte KEY_TABLE=(0,0,14,16,0,15,0,0,0,0,13,9,8,7,0,0,0,0,12,6,5,4,0,0,0,0,11,3,2,1)
'Key table if Keypad inserted backwards to the Keypad Controller
'Const Byte KEY_TABLE=(0,0,1,4,7,10,0,0,0,0,2,5,8,11,0,0,0,0,3,6,9,12,0,0,0,0,13,14,15,16)
Dim X As Byte
'Status of Alarm
Dim AlarmON As Byte
Dim AlarmStayON As Byte
'Status of Door
Dim Door As Byte
'Status of Motion Sensor
Dim Motion As Byte
Dim Password As Long
Door=0
Motion=0
Password=0
AlarmON=0
AlarmStayON=0
Input 0
Input 1
Input 2
Input 3
'Set port P5 to output
Output 5
'Set Magnetic Switch to input
Input 20
On INT0 Gosub GETINT
Set int0 2
Input 21
On INT1 Gosub GETINT_M
Set int1 2
On Pad Gosub PAD_RTN
Set Ladder Off
Set Display 2,0,0,128
Cls
Delay 100
Csroff
Locate 0,0
Print "Zedomax Alarm System"
'Add motion sensor LCD commands
Locate 0,1
Print "Motion: "
If In(21)=1 Then
Print "movement"
Else
Print "none"
End If
Locate 0,2
Print "Door is: "
If In(20)=1 Then
Print "open"
Else
Print "closed"
End If
If AlarmON=1 Then
Locate 0,3
Print "Alarm Status is ON"
Else
Locate 0,3
Print "Alarm Status is OFF"
End If
Do
If (AlarmON=1 And Door=1) Or (AlarmON=1 And Motion=1) Then
AlarmStayON=1
End If
If AlarmStayON=1 Then
Alarm
End If
Loop
GETINT:
Door=In(20)
Debug "Door: ",Dec Door,Cr
Alarm
If Door=0 Then
Locate 9,2
Print "closed "
Debug "door closed",Cr
Else
Locate 9,2
Print "open "
Debug "door open",Cr
End If
Delay 500
Return
GETINT_M:
Motion=In(21)
Debug "Motion: ",Dec Motion,Cr
'Add motion sensor LCD commands
If Motion=0 Then
Locate 8,1
Print "none "
Else
Locate 8,1
Print "movement "
End If
Delay 200
Return
PAD_RTN:
Peep
X=Getpad(1)
If X>29 Then Return
X=KEY_TABLE(X)
Debug "Key Pressed: ", Dec X,Cr
If X <>
Password=Password*10+X
If Password > 9999 Then Password=X
Debug "Password: ", Dec Password,Cr
If Password = MyPass Then
AlarmON=AlarmON Xor 1
If AlarmON=1 Then
Locate 0,3
Print "Alarm Status is ON "
Else
Locate 0,3
Print "Alarm Status is OFF"
AlarmStayON=0
End If
End If
'If ENTR pressed
Elseif X=11 Then
'If CNCL pressed
Elseif X=15 Then
Password=0
End If
Return
End
Sub Alarm()
Out 5,1
Delay 100
Out 5,0
Delay 100
End Sub
Sub Peep()
Out 5,1
Delay 5
Out 5,0
Delay 5
End Sub
Taking it Further...
Now you can take it further, maybe add a SMS messaging capabilities when the alarm goes off, or hack a wireless motion-sensor to do the same thing.
You can always build from scratch but sometimes I feel you can simply hack stuff from RadioShack and save yourself the trouble.
Parts List:
1 Magnetic Contact Switch
1 12VDC Piezzo Buzzer
1 2N3904 Transistor
Available at RadioShack
1 CB280 Start Kit
1 CLCD420-B
1 4x4 Keypad
1 Keypad Controller
Available at Comfile
Okay, today I was thinking that I needed an alarm system for my dog, so I decided to make a doggy door alarm system. Since my dog sleeps w/ me, I needed to make an alarm system for the night, to protect my apartment from other intruding dogs...
Anways, you might think I am crazy making an alarm system for furry people...
Before I made the actual system, I decided to do it with a study board that has a little breadboard.
You can get a 12VDC Piezzo Buzzer from your local Radio Shack for about 10 bucks and magnetic contact switches w/ screws for about 5 bucks.
These magnetic contact switches are neat, they are the same ones used for a lot of residential and commercial door sensors.
They are simply magnetic switches. If door is closed, the contact is open and if door is open, the contact is closed.
You can screw them into door and the wall using the holes on the switch ends.
Yes, if you got that and some CUBLOC or any type of microcontroller w/ i/o ports, you should be ready to go.
Here, we will use Comfile's CB280 embedded computer module and a 4x4 keypad and keypad controller, which will make things easier for us since we won't have to build from scratch.
(Close-up)
You will need to solder on your Keypad to the Keypad Controller first.
Then plug in black wire to GND, red wire to 5V, and rest of the pins to ports P0, P1, P2, and P3. (labeled 0, 1, 2, and 3 on the black IDC headers)
Once you are done connecting the Keypad Controller to your study board, connect the LCD to connector labeled, "CuNET".
Yes, now you have a keypad and an LCD.
Now connect the black wire of the piezo to GND and red wire to the left side of the 3904 transistor.
Connect 5V to the right side of the 3904 transistor.
Connect the middle pin of the transistor to P5 of the CUBLOC Study Board (labeled "5").
Now why are we using a transistor?
Because the piezo takes about 150mA and each I/O of CB280 CUBLOC module only can take so much (<50ma).>
So when the I/O port goes on, the transistor will simply connect power from 5V pin to the red wire of the piezo.
Okay, now we have 1 more item, yes, that's right, we can put the magnetic contact switch.
Connect one end of the Contact switch to 5V pin and the other end to port P20, labeled "20" on the study board.
Now connect a wire from P20 to an LED on the study board.
This is to do a pull-down and we should be able to check the status of the contact switch using the LED.
All right, now you are done, you should have something like this:
Now download this source file diy100.zip and uncompress it.
You will find HomeAutomation001.cul and HomeAutomation001.cub.
Open HomeAutomation001.cul file in your CublocStudio.
Download the program to CB280 module.
When you move the bottom part of the magnetic contact switch, you should see the LCD displaying "open" and "close" while the piezo beeps.
Now enter "1234" as password on the keypad controller.
If you mess up, you can press "CNCL" button, which will clear the password.
You should see the Alarm Status on the LCD go ON.
Now when the door is open, you will hear the alarm go off.
Video of Alarm System in 3 minutes:
[Source Code]
Const Device = CB280
#define MyPass 1234
Set Pad 0,1,5
Const Byte KEY_TABLE=(0,0,14,16,0,15,0,0,0,0,13,9,8,7,0,0,0,0,12,6,5,4,0,0,0,0,11,3,2,1)
'Key table if Keypad inserted backwards to the Keypad Controller
'Const Byte KEY_TABLE=(0,0,1,4,7,10,0,0,0,0,2,5,8,11,0,0,0,0,3,6,9,12,0,0,0,0,13,14,15,16)
Dim X As Byte
'Status of Alarm
Dim AlarmON As Byte
'Status of Door
Dim Door As Byte
Dim Password As Long
Door=0
Password=0
AlarmON=0
'Set port P5 to output
Output 5
'Set Magnetic Switch to input
Input 20
On INT0 Gosub GETINT
Set int0 2
On Pad Gosub PAD_RTN
Set Ladder Off
Set Display 2,0,0,128
Cls
Delay 100
Csroff
Locate 0,0
Print "Zedomax Alarm System"
Locate 0,2
Print "Door is: "
If In(20)=1 Then
Print "open"
Else
Print "closed"
End If
If AlarmON=1 Then
Locate 0,3
Print "Alarm Status is ON"
Else
Locate 0,3
Print "Alarm Status is OFF"
End If
Do
If AlarmON=1 And Door=1 Then
Alarm
End If
Loop
GETINT:
Door=In(20)
Debug "Door: ",Dec Door,Cr
Alarm
If Door=0 Then
Locate 9,2
Print "closed "
Debug "door closed",Cr
Else
Locate 9,2
Print "open "
Debug "door open",Cr
End If
Delay 500
Return
PAD_RTN:
Peep
X=Getpad(1)
If X>29 Then Return
X=KEY_TABLE(X)
Debug "Key Pressed: ", Dec X,Cr
If X <>
Password=Password*10+X
If Password > 9999 Then Password=X
Debug "Password: ", Dec Password,Cr
If Password = MyPass Then
AlarmON=AlarmON Xor 1
If AlarmON=1 Then
Locate 0,3
Print "Alarm Status is ON "
Else
Locate 0,3
Print "Alarm Status is OFF"
End If
End If
'If ENTR pressed
Elseif X=11 Then
'If CNCL pressed
Elseif X=15 Then
Password=0
End If
Return
End
Sub Alarm()
Out 5,1
Delay 100
Out 5,0
Delay 100
End Sub
Sub Peep()
Out 5,1
Delay 5
Out 5,0
Delay 5
End Sub
Taking it Further...
You can modify the source code to change the alarm times, scheduling,
menus, etc...etc...
The CB280 module supports up to 49 I/Os, so you can add up to 49
door sensors or you can add temperature chip to monitor temperature
at the same time.
The CB220 and CB220 Proto Board can be substituted for cheaper
alternative.
The CLCD420B can be substituted for smaller LCD such as the CLCD216G
OR you can also add a graphic LCD, such as the GHLCD for expanding
your alarm system...
I will try to update w/ a touch screen alarm system for more high
tech alarm system in the future w/ CuTOUCH.
Up until now, items that are hard to inspect have been checked via manual collection methods (“swabbing”) which are far less accurate. CompactSafe is not intended to replace the standard chemical detectors currently used, but to add to their efficiency and accuracy. The system has already been field tested in Israel at the Ben Gurion Airport and at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
“TraceGuard is very proud to have completed the ISA certification process. The ISA is known to be one of the most demanding certifying agencies worldwide. We believe that CompactSafe offers a unique solution to improving explosives detection, one of the critical challenges in border crossing and in public events. This approval allows us to start sales of the CompactSafe system in Israel and other countries” said Avi Kostelitz, CEO of TraceGuard.
CompactSafe's inspection process is done by placing the item in the machine's inspection chamber. Then, using the proprietary automated trace extraction technology, CompactSafe causes the rapid release and extraction of particles from the item by sealing and manipulating air molecules. The trace material collected is then analyzed via a chemical analyzer which displays the results on its screen.
"This technology is capable of extracting microgram levels of explosives, traces smaller than fingerprints. CompactSafe is able to extract any type of explosive trace, in both solid and liquid form," further explains the company.
TFOT has recently covered RedXDefense's portable kit that could provide a quick and simple visual diagnostic for detecting plastic explosives favored by terrorists. The device, which was designed to be used by in security checkpoints and under harsh conditions, is currently undergoing field tests in Iraq. TFOT also covered variable speed bullets as well as a spray which enables “dusting” for explosives .
More information about CompactSafe can be found at TraceGuard's official website.
I remember my Meccano set that I played with when I was growing up. Lots of nuts, bolts and pieces of metal. This Spykee robot represents the new face of Meccano that I could only wish was available when I was a kid. I can just imagine the creative hacks that we will see in the near future! Thanks to Sven for the system overview.
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Thanks Robert.
The Message Pump project from Spikenzie Labs provides you with some surface mount soldering enjoyment and a resulting device that will allow you to display messages from your computer. Lots of computers don’t have a serial port these days so the USB connection is very handy. It is available in many forms including bare board or a kit with all the required parts.
"The Message Pump A.K.A. the USB to LCD Backpack is a device that allows you to connect a LCD display directly to your computer. It uses a PIC micro-controller, to drive the LCD and a FTDI USB to serial chip to connect to your computer. Most of the parts on the Message Pump are surface mount. If you are good or OK at soldering though hole parts then building the Message Pump will should be a problem. You may just have to change your technique a bit. Look around the web and you will find lots of tutorials on how to do surface mount (SMT) soldering. The most popular part used in this project is the FTDI USB chip. People are afraid of it because it has a small pin pitch (spacing). The version used here is the SSOP-28 package. Yes, this tight spacing does make it a bit more difficult to solder but if you have not tried, I think you’d be surprised, it’s not that hard."
Via: Make
You probably don’t need a Geiger Counter but wouldn’t it be fun to have one? This DIY Geiger Counter project will not only demonstrate how to build one, this circuit will also connect to a computer using USB to grab the data. Since this device used very high voltage the output to the USB is opto-isolated to protect the delicate low voltage computer circuitry.
"The Geiger-Muller tube is a simple device, it’s a tube filled with a gas with two electrodes. A high potential is applied betweens electrodes. When a ionizing particle arrived, it create a temporary conductive path between electrodes. The resulting current can be detected by an electronic amplifier. A Geiger counter is composed of a high voltage generator, a geiger tube, an amplifier and a monostable. The following schematic show clearly these 4 parts. In the second part of this article will show how to connect this counter to a USB microcontroler and a computer. "
Thanks Sylvain
Didn’t think a laser could retain this much power after traveling through many inches of water. But it looks like this 150mW laser somehow managed to do it. The target is flash paper, not regular paper which may have a bit to do with it but it is impressive regardless! Anyone think this is not real or staged somehow?
A group of scientists led by Alex Zettl, a Physicist at the University of California, Berkeley, has developed a nanoscale radio, with a key circuitry consisting of a single carbon nanotube. Today, any wireless device, from cell phones to environmental sensors, can benefit from the nanoradios. Smaller electronic components, such as tuners, could reduce power consumption and extend battery life. Nanoradios have potential applications in many fields, including medicine, where they could be incorporated into tiny devices that navigate the bloodstream to release drugs on command.The nano receiver translates the electromagnetic oscillations of the radio wave into the mechanical vibrations of a nanotube. The vibrations are then converted into a stream of electrical pulses that reproduce the original radio signal, and are anchored to a metal electrode that is wired to a battery. Just beyond the nanotube's free end is a second metal electrode. When a voltage is applied between the electrodes, electrons flow from the battery through the first electrode and the nanotube and then jump from the nanotube's tip across the tiny gap to the second electrode. The nanotube - now negatively charged - is able to "feel" the oscillations of a passing radio wave, which has both an electrical and a magnetic component.
The team’s next goal is to allow their nanoradios to transmit signals in addition to receiving them. Professor Zettl says that it will not be difficult to achieve this goal, since a transmitter is essentially a receiver running in reverse.
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TFOT recently covered BIOTEX - biosensors, which can be integrated into special fabrics. The sensors are capable of measuring sodium, chloride, and potassium in miniscule volumes of sweat samples on the skin. Another related device covered by TFOT is the NIKE+ sports band, which collects information during running, jumping, or any other athletic activity, and analyzes the data either in real-time or later, on the user's PC.
To read more about Zettl's nanotube radio, see the University of California, Berkeley website.
This DIY Hovercraft Project was done on a budget and the results are very good based on the amount of money that was put into it.
"The workings of a hovercraft are fairly straightforward: one high-power motor with an airplane propeller forces air down through the hole in the center, which pushes the bottom of the hovercraft off the ground. This greatly reduces friction, allowing the hovercraft to scoot around without much trouble. It also makes it much more difficult to control, however: when the hovercraft turns, it will keep traveling in a straight line unless more thrust is applied. Since we are used to controlling cars or boats, the newtonian behavior of a hovercraft is challenging indeed. The body of the hovercraft is made out of styrofoam, cut with a saw and sanded to smooth the edges. The skirt on the bottom is made out of pieces of a plastic GAP bag, attached with Scotch tape and hot glue. The radio control unit was scavenged from an old boat I had, along with the drive motor mounted on the wooden supports, while the lifting motor was from my physics teacher. The battery is 300 mAh 6V NiMH (or NiCd, I forget), and I have a pair of them. They were about $6-$10 each (again, forgot) and about $12 for the 2 1/2 hour charger. The servomotor for steering was from an old RC car I had"
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TFOT recently covered liquid crystals that battle cancer and other diseases, as well as SuperThread – the strongest carbon nanotube ever – which is100 times stronger than steel and carbon nanotubes used for chemical detection developed at Rice University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
More about the new antibacterial coatings can be found on the Auburn University's Samuel Ginn College of Engineering website.
Have a look at this Robot that is built on an iRobot platform. Have a look at the number of sensors, this thing has lots of computing power since is uses the Propeller microcontroller from Parallax.
"This is an iRobot Create fitted with a Robot Arm I pulled from an old Radio Controlled vehicle. It uses a Propeller Protoboard and motor controllers and accelerometers from Parallax to control the Arm and monitor it’s position using the two accelerometers mounted on the arm. The Create is controlled by another Propeller and uses a CMUCam1 for Color Tracking to track the object. A Sharp GPD120 IR ragne sensor is used at the Claw to determine when the object is close enough to grab. The robot is tracking the color, driving up to it until it senses the object within it’s grasp, stops, grabs the object, and raises it up. Simple example of great possibilities. And this isn’t even in ideal lighting."
Here is a list of 5 cool coil guns, either one would be fun to try out. Remember that coil guns can be dangerous, if you build one and shoot out your eye don’t say you weren’t warned.
| 5. The Mk II Coil RIfle
This is the second gun that Nicholas Howard has built. |
| 4. 18 Shot Repeat Coilgun
This one packs the punch of an automatic. Unfortunately the Timing is not optimal over into PP more spacer used light barriers, part would be far better with only one coil!!!! ” |
| 3. EM-15 coil gun
The EM-15 is a gun that the military could get lots of use from if it ever goes into production. |
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This Wifi Robot that Jonathan Bennett created is very well put together, best of all it was built on a budget. The five dollar base car that the hardware is mounted to is proof of that.
"A remote control car that can be driven over the internet or with a laptop wirelessly from up to 500m away. It has a live-feed network camera so that it can be driven without line of sight and a horn so that you can honk at people. Adding a network camera, router, heavier batteries, extra circuits, and a whole bunch of wires adds a lot of extra weight that the car wasn’t designed for. Because of all of the additions, you’ll need to find a pretty large RC car. Thrift stores often sell RC vehicles (without remotes!) for $3-5. I have bought a number of cars this way for taking apart. Vehicles in the 1:10 size ratio or bigger are appropriate; you probably don’t want to go any smaller. I bought this car for $5 at Value Village."
Via: Robot Maker
Don’t get me wrong, I love adding technology to things that don’t need it. I wouldn’t have made the LED fish lights otherwise :). But some of the commercial products that are coming out are making me roll my eyes. Here is my top 5 things that should not have been produced.
 | 5) Knife with a USB drive. When I am looking to buy a pocket knife I want to know how long the blade is, how easy the scissors are to use and if it comes with a bottle opener. NOT how many Megabytes of capacity it has, data transfer speed and if a USB cable is included!! |
 | 4) Digital Pens. What is up with the digital pen? When I want to write a note I don’t want to care about system requirements, charged batteries, recognition accuracy! Sorry I couldn’t leave you a note because my pen had trouble syncing with my XP computer. |
 | 3) Internet Ready Appliances. The internet fridges seem to be catching on. Ok this product has a cool factor and if I had money to burn I could see myself getting one. But thinking practically, I couldn’t justify purchasing one. If I want to surf the internet I will use a computer not the fridge. If I want to listen to music I will use the stereo, not the fridge. I can imagine the slew of new excuses now… Sorry we ran out of milk, the fridge inventory database got corrupted a few days ago. |
 | 2) Pet Gadgets. Do our pets need their own cell phones and digital cameras? I remember a time when checking if your pet had enough water was enough now their are pet bowls that will ensure the quality of the water is up to par! |
 | 1) Toothbrush. Ok this is one product that does not need a built in computer. A plastic stick with bristles stuck in one end is fine for me. Adding some water and some motorized movement is an improvement to the standard. But who is the marketing team that is thinking we want or need a computer in our tooth brush? I think we have gone too far when our toothbrush has multiple computer controlled settings and a downloadable user guide! What is next 24 hour tech support? |
The Acceleration Sensing Glove (virtual keyboard) was created by some students at the University of California, Berkeley. I can think of lots of other cool applications for this other than just typing. |
 This glove is so clean looking it reminds me of Michael Jackson |
This KeyGlove seems to be quite ea 10+ plastic zip ties ($1)” |
 The Thumbcode Glove was born in Stanford University. There is a full paper available on the site about the creation of the glove. |
 The Data Glove uses IR LEDs to read finger positions. There is a complete parts list and code to make your own on the site. |
 One extra glove for good measure… Dennis Crowley used flex sensors in his Keyboard Glove to get rid of his keyboard. He provides full source code and a parts list on his site. |
Check out the full description of the 