Cat door problem
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Posts: 46,084
Hi there all
I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the cat's
collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of the
door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40 seconds
(so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far and
they go in and out at will.
Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the door
the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door. They
now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not a
good thing.
I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses when
I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see how
the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before they
go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have the
BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to my
555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive coding
project?
If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
Any ideas greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Hank
I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the cat's
collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of the
door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40 seconds
(so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far and
they go in and out at will.
Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the door
the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door. They
now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not a
good thing.
I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses when
I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see how
the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before they
go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have the
BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to my
555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive coding
project?
If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
Any ideas greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Hank
Comments
Is it an idea to mechanically isolate the reed switch from the door
in such a way that banging on the door has no effect to the switch??
I guess you could do this using rubber bands or flexible springs to
mount the switch.
An other way could be to move the switch a bit to a more heavy part
of the construction (in Holland houses are built of bricks, in that
case it would be very easy :-)))))).
The Stamp option is surely possible and will not be too hard to
program I guess.
Regards,
Klaus
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> Hi there all
>
> I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the cat's
> collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of the
> door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
> relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40 seconds
> (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
> causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far
and
> they go in and out at will.
>
> Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the
door
> the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door. They
> now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not a
> good thing.
>
> I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
> could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses
when
> I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
> keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see
how
> the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before
they
> go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have
the
> BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to
my
> 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
>
> Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive coding
> project?
>
> If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
> only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
>
> Any ideas greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks
> Hank
Yes, this sounds like it could work very
well. I wouldn't use the 'Pulsin' command,
I'd just look for the reed relay to close,
and to stay closed for say half-a-second.
I'd check it about 10 times in that time,
to make sure it was STAYING closed.
Once it has stayed closed for that period,
I'd conclude it's a cat, and unlock the
'lock' relay, wait a while, and lock the relay.
You might check if the relay is still activated,
but that's optional.
It's only $50.00 plus a socket, plus some
wire, plus a $7.00 power supply, plus a
linear regulator, plus a few capacitors.
You may already have the power supply and
the regulator and the capacitors. Plus,
note that the BS2 does have an on-module
regulator, so you can feed it with 7 to
12 volts directly if you want to.
If that is the case, it's just the BS2 and
a 24-pin wide dip socket.
Of course, you'll need some board to plug
the module into in order to program it.
And regarding the cost: Raccoons are very
clever animals. It's not JUST a 'cat door'.
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> Hi there all
>
> I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the cat's
> collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of the
> door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
> relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40 seconds
> (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
> causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far
and
> they go in and out at will.
>
> Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the
door
> the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door. They
> now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not a
> good thing.
>
> I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
> could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses
when
> I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
> keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see
how
> the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before
they
> go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have
the
> BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to
my
> 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
>
> Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive coding
> project?
>
> If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
> only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
>
> Any ideas greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks
> Hank
switch could pose a problem. If it does, then you might try a simple
debouncing loop as suggested:
Validate_Switch:
openOK = 1 ' assume debounced
DO : LOOP WHILE (Reed = Open) ' wait for initial closure
PAUSE 5 ' allow
mechanical debounce
FOR idx = 1 TO 250
openOK = openOK & Reed ' test input
PAUSE 1
NEXT
I've use this kind of code before with mechanical switch inputs (it's
easy to adapt for multiple inputs). You start by waiting for the
initial closure, then PAUSE a bit to get past the contact noise. The
loop confirms that the switch stays closed by ANDing the variable openOK
with the input pin. The code above assumes an active-high input. If
it's active-low, change the test line to:
openOK = openOK & ~Reed
You can "tune" the debounce duration by adjusting the loop count or the
PAUSE within the loop.
Happy Holidays.
-- Jon Williams
-- Applications Engineer, Parallax
-- Dallas Office
Original Message
From: Allan Lane [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=8N0rWvXIwTgrpTyV2QnhBKLSapR0KF_yLIz8V64NZQ68KGzHwJks600KieO5lLprGhQ5s3A7uOvWrRN1g9znBTw-VM05]allan.lane@h...[/url
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 2:41 PM
To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: Cat door problem
Debouncing a reed-relay with a BS2.
Yes, this sounds like it could work very
well. I wouldn't use the 'Pulsin' command,
I'd just look for the reed relay to close,
and to stay closed for say half-a-second.
I'd check it about 10 times in that time,
to make sure it was STAYING closed.
Once it has stayed closed for that period,
I'd conclude it's a cat, and unlock the
'lock' relay, wait a while, and lock the relay.
You might check if the relay is still activated,
but that's optional.
It's only $50.00 plus a socket, plus some
wire, plus a $7.00 power supply, plus a
linear regulator, plus a few capacitors.
You may already have the power supply and
the regulator and the capacitors. Plus,
note that the BS2 does have an on-module
regulator, so you can feed it with 7 to
12 volts directly if you want to.
If that is the case, it's just the BS2 and
a 24-pin wide dip socket.
Of course, you'll need some board to plug
the module into in order to program it.
And regarding the cost: Raccoons are very
clever animals. It's not JUST a 'cat door'.
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> Hi there all
>
> I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the cat's
> collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of the
> door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
> relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40 seconds
> (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
> causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far
and
> they go in and out at will.
>
> Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the
door
> the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door. They
> now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not a
> good thing.
>
> I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
> could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses
when
> I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
> keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see
how
> the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before
they
> go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have
the
> BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to
my
> 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
>
> Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive coding
> project?
>
> If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
> only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
>
> Any ideas greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks
> Hank
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abuse@p....
don't need the 555 anymore. You could say something like:
WaitForIt:
If in0=1 then WaitForIt ' sensor goes low when activated
For i=1 to 3
Pause 250 ' 1/4 second
If in0=1 then WaitForIt
Next
' OK the sensor was on for 3/4 of a second and didn't go high so:
HIGH SESAME ' SESAME is the door opening output
Dontclose:
If in0=0 then Dontclose
PAUSE 10000 ' 10s delay after loss of sensor
If in0=0 then Dontclose
LOW SESAME
Goto WaitForIt
So this way, the reed has to be on for 3/4 of a second and not reset. Of
course, if they manage to hit it every 250mS in perfect sync... but that's a
million to one shot...
Then the door opens and you wait until you don't sense the magnetic anymore.
You wait 10 seconds and make sure you still don't see the magnet. If not,
close the door and start over.
You could refine this of course.
Another answer would be to use a hall effect which would not be prone to
mechanical shenanigans.
Al Williams
AWC
*New Kits: http://www.al-williams.com/awce/kits.htm
>
Original Message
> From: hankv98 [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=8y-ZZaQd0NlaBSgZa284UG0xsCnKc3hJjs4NDNTigTw-f5ZMrgZYbyiUHo1WwkR6yIc3ml_zZcRePqa7ZA]hank@s...[/url
> Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2003 11:41 PM
> To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Cat door problem
>
>
> Hi there all
>
> I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the cat's
> collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of the
> door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
> relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40 seconds
> (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
> causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far and
> they go in and out at will.
>
> Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the door
> the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door. They
> now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not a
> good thing.
>
> I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
> could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses when
> I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
> keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see how
> the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before they
> go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have the
> BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to my
> 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
>
> Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive coding
> project?
>
> If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
> only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
>
> Any ideas greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks
> Hank
>
>
>
> To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
> Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
> To visit your group on the web, go to:
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>
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> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>
>
Space does not permit me to isolate the switch mechanically. I tried
that by taping the reed switches wrapped in cotton wool to the
underside of the door. This actually worked for a while but the
raccoons found this and ripped the wires, switches and everything to
shreds (why ? did they get angry ???). I have a wood frame house so
everything vibrates.
Hank
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "klausdejong" <klausdejong@x>
wrote:
> Hi Hank,
>
> Is it an idea to mechanically isolate the reed switch from the door
> in such a way that banging on the door has no effect to the switch??
>
> I guess you could do this using rubber bands or flexible springs to
> mount the switch.
>
> An other way could be to move the switch a bit to a more heavy part
> of the construction (in Holland houses are built of bricks, in that
> case it would be very easy :-)))))).
>
> The Stamp option is surely possible and will not be too hard to
> program I guess.
>
> Regards,
>
> Klaus
>
> --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> > Hi there all
> >
> > I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the
cat's
> > collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of
the
> > door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
> > relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40
seconds
> > (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
> > causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far
> and
> > they go in and out at will.
> >
> > Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the
> door
> > the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door.
They
> > now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not
a
> > good thing.
> >
> > I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
> > could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses
> when
> > I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
> > keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see
> how
> > the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before
> they
> > go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have
> the
> > BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to
> my
> > 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
> >
> > Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive
coding
> > project?
> >
> > If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
> > only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
> >
> > Any ideas greatly appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks
> > Hank
sensitivity at all, and would be very small?
-- Tracy
>Klause
>
>Space does not permit me to isolate the switch mechanically. I tried
>that by taping the reed switches wrapped in cotton wool to the
>underside of the door. This actually worked for a while but the
>raccoons found this and ripped the wires, switches and everything to
>shreds (why ? did they get angry ???). I have a wood frame house so
>everything vibrates.
>
>Hank
>
>--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "klausdejong" <klausdejong@x>
>wrote:
>> Hi Hank,
>>
>> Is it an idea to mechanically isolate the reed switch from the door
>> in such a way that banging on the door has no effect to the switch??
>>
>> I guess you could do this using rubber bands or flexible springs to
>> mount the switch.
>>
>> An other way could be to move the switch a bit to a more heavy part
>> of the construction (in Holland houses are built of bricks, in that
>> case it would be very easy :-)))))).
>>
>> The Stamp option is surely possible and will not be too hard to
>> program I guess.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Klaus
>>
>> --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
>> > Hi there all
>> >
>> > I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the
>cat's
>> > collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of
>the
>> > door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
>> > relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40
>seconds
>> > (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
>> > causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far
>> and
>> > they go in and out at will.
>> >
>> > Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the
>> door
>> > the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door.
>They
>> > now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not
>a
>> > good thing.
>> >
>> > I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
>> > could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses
>> when
>> > I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
>> > keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see
>> how
>> > the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before
>> they
>> > go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have
>> the
>> > BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to
>> my
>> > 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
>> >
>> > Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive
>coding
>> > project?
>> >
>> > If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
>> > only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
>> >
>> > Any ideas greatly appreciated.
>> >
>> > Thanks
>> > Hank
>
>
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I tried a hall effect sensor but the magnet never comes close enough
to register. I like the idea of the BS2 making decisions for me. I
could then also collect all kinds of useless information like how
many times a day they go in and out.
Al and Jon, thanks for the code examples. This will certainly get me
started and you are correct, I could probably get rid of the 555
circuit if I somehow build the delay into the BS2. The thing just
just took me 6 months to create ... <g>
Thanks
Hank
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Al Williams" <alw@a...> wrote:
> I think this is very doable. Of course, if you use the Stamp, you
really
> don't need the 555 anymore. You could say something like:
>
> WaitForIt:
> If in0=1 then WaitForIt ' sensor goes low when activated
> For i=1 to 3
> Pause 250 ' 1/4 second
> If in0=1 then WaitForIt
> Next
> ' OK the sensor was on for 3/4 of a second and didn't go high so:
> HIGH SESAME ' SESAME is the door opening output
> Dontclose:
> If in0=0 then Dontclose
> PAUSE 10000 ' 10s delay after loss of sensor
> If in0=0 then Dontclose
> LOW SESAME
> Goto WaitForIt
>
> So this way, the reed has to be on for 3/4 of a second and not
reset. Of
> course, if they manage to hit it every 250mS in perfect sync... but
that's a
> million to one shot...
>
> Then the door opens and you wait until you don't sense the magnetic
anymore.
> You wait 10 seconds and make sure you still don't see the magnet.
If not,
> close the door and start over.
>
> You could refine this of course.
>
> Another answer would be to use a hall effect which would not be
prone to
> mechanical shenanigans.
>
> Al Williams
> AWC
> *New Kits: http://www.al-williams.com/awce/kits.htm
>
>
> >
Original Message
> > From: hankv98 [noparse][[/noparse]mailto:hank@s...]
> > Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2003 11:41 PM
> > To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Cat door problem
> >
> >
> > Hi there all
> >
> > I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the
cat's
> > collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of
the
> > door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
> > relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40
seconds
> > (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
> > causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far
and
> > they go in and out at will.
> >
> > Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the
door
> > the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door.
They
> > now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not
a
> > good thing.
> >
> > I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
> > could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses
when
> > I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
> > keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see
how
> > the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before
they
> > go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have
the
> > BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to
my
> > 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
> >
> > Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive
coding
> > project?
> >
> > If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
> > only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
> >
> > Any ideas greatly appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks
> > Hank
> >
> >
> >
> > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
> > Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> > To visit your group on the web, go to:
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/basicstamps/
> >
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
> > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> >
> >
> >
> >
There might be a very simple solution. Maybe, maybe......
If you take a look to the construction of a reed relais it seems
likely that the response to vibration depends on de orientation of
the contacts.
It could be that rotating the switch 90 degrees around the long axis
solves the problem.
I don't know for sure but give it a try, if you didn't already.
Regards,
Klaus
PS or put de switch just aside of the door, it will help to a certain
extend for shure. There must be some space for a little switch :-).
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> Klause
>
> Space does not permit me to isolate the switch mechanically. I
tried
> that by taping the reed switches wrapped in cotton wool to the
> underside of the door. This actually worked for a while but the
> raccoons found this and ripped the wires, switches and everything
to
> shreds (why ? did they get angry ???). I have a wood frame house so
> everything vibrates.
>
> Hank
>
> --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "klausdejong" <klausdejong@x>
> wrote:
> > Hi Hank,
> >
> > Is it an idea to mechanically isolate the reed switch from the
door
> > in such a way that banging on the door has no effect to the
switch??
> >
> > I guess you could do this using rubber bands or flexible springs
to
> > mount the switch.
> >
> > An other way could be to move the switch a bit to a more heavy
part
> > of the construction (in Holland houses are built of bricks, in
that
> > case it would be very easy :-)))))).
> >
> > The Stamp option is surely possible and will not be too hard to
> > program I guess.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Klaus
> >
> > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> > > Hi there all
> > >
> > > I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the
> cat's
> > > collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of
> the
> > > door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches
a
> > > relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40
> seconds
> > > (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings
closed
> > > causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this
far
> > and
> > > they go in and out at will.
> > >
> > > Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the
> > door
> > > the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door.
> They
> > > now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night.
Not
> a
> > > good thing.
> > >
> > > I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit
I
> > > could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses
> > when
> > > I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet
must
> > > keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can
see
> > how
> > > the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before
> > they
> > > go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then
have
> > the
> > > BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger
to
> > my
> > > 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it
detects.
> > >
> > > Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive
> coding
> > > project?
> > >
> > > If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be
the
> > > only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
> > >
> > > Any ideas greatly appreciated.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > > Hank
solve your problems.
http://www.skymall.com/webapp/skystore?process=prodDisplay&action=&pid=102046670\
&catId=
At 11:02 PM 12/19/2003 +0000, you wrote:
>Klause
>
>Space does not permit me to isolate the switch mechanically. I tried
>that by taping the reed switches wrapped in cotton wool to the
>underside of the door. This actually worked for a while but the
>raccoons found this and ripped the wires, switches and everything to
>shreds (why ? did they get angry ???). I have a wood frame house so
>everything vibrates.
>
>Hank
>
>--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "klausdejong" <klausdejong@x>
>wrote:
> > Hi Hank,
> >
> > Is it an idea to mechanically isolate the reed switch from the door
> > in such a way that banging on the door has no effect to the switch??
> >
> > I guess you could do this using rubber bands or flexible springs to
> > mount the switch.
> >
> > An other way could be to move the switch a bit to a more heavy part
> > of the construction (in Holland houses are built of bricks, in that
> > case it would be very easy :-)))))).
> >
> > The Stamp option is surely possible and will not be too hard to
> > program I guess.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Klaus
> >
> > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> > > Hi there all
> > >
> > > I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the
>cat's
> > > collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of
>the
> > > door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
> > > relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40
>seconds
> > > (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
> > > causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far
> > and
> > > they go in and out at will.
> > >
> > > Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the
> > door
> > > the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door.
>They
> > > now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not
>a
> > > good thing.
> > >
> > > I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
> > > could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses
> > when
> > > I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
> > > keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see
> > how
> > > the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before
> > they
> > > go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have
> > the
> > > BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to
> > my
> > > 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
> > >
> > > Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive
>coding
> > > project?
> > >
> > > If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
> > > only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
> > >
> > > Any ideas greatly appreciated.
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > > Hank
>
>
>To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
>Body of the message will be ignored.
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>To visit your group on the web, go to:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/basicstamps/
>
>To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
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>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Yes this could work but when my first attempt got ripped up I got
irritated and encased the next switch in epoxy and glued the whole
thing to the cat door entrance floor so I'm somewhat locked into this
course of action. Just shows, you cannot let amateurs close to these
things .....
Hank
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "klausdejong" <klausdejong@x>
wrote:
> Well Hank,
>
> There might be a very simple solution. Maybe, maybe......
>
> If you take a look to the construction of a reed relais it seems
> likely that the response to vibration depends on de orientation of
> the contacts.
>
> It could be that rotating the switch 90 degrees around the long
axis
> solves the problem.
>
> I don't know for sure but give it a try, if you didn't already.
>
> Regards,
>
> Klaus
>
> PS or put de switch just aside of the door, it will help to a
certain
> extend for shure. There must be some space for a little switch :-).
>
>
> --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> > Klause
> >
> > Space does not permit me to isolate the switch mechanically. I
> tried
> > that by taping the reed switches wrapped in cotton wool to the
> > underside of the door. This actually worked for a while but the
> > raccoons found this and ripped the wires, switches and everything
> to
> > shreds (why ? did they get angry ???). I have a wood frame house
so
> > everything vibrates.
> >
> > Hank
> >
> > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "klausdejong" <klausdejong@x>
> > wrote:
> > > Hi Hank,
> > >
> > > Is it an idea to mechanically isolate the reed switch from the
> door
> > > in such a way that banging on the door has no effect to the
> switch??
> > >
> > > I guess you could do this using rubber bands or flexible
springs
> to
> > > mount the switch.
> > >
> > > An other way could be to move the switch a bit to a more heavy
> part
> > > of the construction (in Holland houses are built of bricks, in
> that
> > > case it would be very easy :-)))))).
> > >
> > > The Stamp option is surely possible and will not be too hard to
> > > program I guess.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > >
> > > Klaus
> > >
> > > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> > > > Hi there all
> > > >
> > > > I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the
> > cat's
> > > > collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside
of
> > the
> > > > door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that
switches
> a
> > > > relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40
> > seconds
> > > > (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings
> closed
> > > > causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this
> far
> > > and
> > > > they go in and out at will.
> > > >
> > > > Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on
the
> > > door
> > > > the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door.
> > They
> > > > now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night.
> Not
> > a
> > > > good thing.
> > > >
> > > > I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch
circuit
> I
> > > > could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in
pulses
> > > when
> > > > I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet
> must
> > > > keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can
> see
> > > how
> > > > the cats approach the door. They are there for some time
before
> > > they
> > > > go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then
> have
> > > the
> > > > BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a
trigger
> to
> > > my
> > > > 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it
> detects.
> > > >
> > > > Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive
> > coding
> > > > project?
> > > >
> > > > If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be
> the
> > > > only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
> > > >
> > > > Any ideas greatly appreciated.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks
> > > > Hank
It's that exact model I bought and am now modifying because the
original version just did NOT work !!! The 9V battery did not have
enough power to pull in the latch relay and the door did not relatch
every time.
Hank
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Gary D <gdii@c...> wrote:
>
> either buy this or create one with an RFID tag or iButton and it
will
> solve your problems.
>
> http://www.skymall.com/webapp/skystore?
process=prodDisplay&action=&pid=1
02046670&catId=
>
>
>
> At 11:02 PM 12/19/2003 +0000, you wrote:
> >Klause
> >
> >Space does not permit me to isolate the switch mechanically. I
tried
> >that by taping the reed switches wrapped in cotton wool to the
> >underside of the door. This actually worked for a while but the
> >raccoons found this and ripped the wires, switches and everything
to
> >shreds (why ? did they get angry ???). I have a wood frame house so
> >everything vibrates.
> >
> >Hank
> >
> >--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "klausdejong" <klausdejong@x>
> >wrote:
> > > Hi Hank,
> > >
> > > Is it an idea to mechanically isolate the reed switch from the
door
> > > in such a way that banging on the door has no effect to the
switch??
> > >
> > > I guess you could do this using rubber bands or flexible
springs to
> > > mount the switch.
> > >
> > > An other way could be to move the switch a bit to a more heavy
part
> > > of the construction (in Holland houses are built of bricks, in
that
> > > case it would be very easy :-)))))).
> > >
> > > The Stamp option is surely possible and will not be too hard to
> > > program I guess.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > >
> > > Klaus
> > >
> > > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> > > > Hi there all
> > > >
> > > > I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the
> >cat's
> > > > collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of
> >the
> > > > door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that
switches a
> > > > relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40
> >seconds
> > > > (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings
closed
> > > > causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this
far
> > > and
> > > > they go in and out at will.
> > > >
> > > > Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on
the
> > > door
> > > > the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door.
> >They
> > > > now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night.
Not
> >a
> > > > good thing.
> > > >
> > > > I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch
circuit I
> > > > could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in
pulses
> > > when
> > > > I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet
must
> > > > keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can
see
> > > how
> > > > the cats approach the door. They are there for some time
before
> > > they
> > > > go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then
have
> > > the
> > > > BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a
trigger to
> > > my
> > > > 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it
detects.
> > > >
> > > > Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive
> >coding
> > > > project?
> > > >
> > > > If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be
the
> > > > only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
> > > >
> > > > Any ideas greatly appreciated.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks
> > > > Hank
> >
> >
> >To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
Subject and
> >Body of the message will be ignored.
> >
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >To visit your group on the web, go to:
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/basicstamps/
> >
> >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >
> >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
> > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
receivers that look like an easy interface to any Basic Stamp. I haven't
used them yet, but have been looking into them. They should provide the
range and identification that you need.
Tim
At 03:17 PM 12/19/2003, you wrote:
>either buy this or create one with an RFID tag or iButton and it will
>solve your problems.
>
>http://www.skymall.com/webapp/skystore?process=prodDisplay&action=&pid=10204667\
0&catId=
>
>
>
>At 11:02 PM 12/19/2003 +0000, you wrote:
> >Klause
> >
> >Space does not permit me to isolate the switch mechanically. I tried
> >that by taping the reed switches wrapped in cotton wool to the
> >underside of the door. This actually worked for a while but the
> >raccoons found this and ripped the wires, switches and everything to
> >shreds (why ? did they get angry ???). I have a wood frame house so
> >everything vibrates.
> >
> >Hank
> >
> >--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "klausdejong" <klausdejong@x>
> >wrote:
> > > Hi Hank,
> > >
> > > Is it an idea to mechanically isolate the reed switch from the door
> > > in such a way that banging on the door has no effect to the switch??
> > >
> > > I guess you could do this using rubber bands or flexible springs to
> > > mount the switch.
> > >
> > > An other way could be to move the switch a bit to a more heavy part
> > > of the construction (in Holland houses are built of bricks, in that
> > > case it would be very easy :-)))))).
> > >
> > > The Stamp option is surely possible and will not be too hard to
> > > program I guess.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > >
> > > Klaus
> > >
> > > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> > > > Hi there all
> > > >
> > > > I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the
> >cat's
> > > > collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of
> >the
> > > > door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
> > > > relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40
> >seconds
> > > > (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
> > > > causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far
> > > and
> > > > they go in and out at will.
> > > >
> > > > Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the
> > > door
> > > > the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door.
> >They
> > > > now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not
> >a
> > > > good thing.
> > > >
> > > > I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
> > > > could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses
> > > when
> > > > I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
> > > > keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see
> > > how
> > > > the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before
> > > they
> > > > go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have
> > > the
> > > > BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to
> > > my
> > > > 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
> > > >
> > > > Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive
> >coding
> > > > project?
> > > >
> > > > If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
> > > > only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
> > > >
> > > > Any ideas greatly appreciated.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks
> > > > Hank
> >
> >
> >To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
> >Body of the message will be ignored.
> >
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >To visit your group on the web, go to:
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/basicstamps/
> >
> >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >
> >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
> > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
>Body of the message will be ignored.
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>To visit your group on the web, go to:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/basicstamps/
>
>To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Don't feel sorry!
Large companies make exactly the same 'mistakes', only more complex
and far more expensive :-))))))))))))))))))))).
This is just the way developing a new type of device goes. These
projects are just NOT being engineered but kind of evolving. That is
making it very enjoyable. At least it is to me.
Regards,
Klaus
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> Klaus
>
> Yes this could work but when my first attempt got ripped up I got
> irritated and encased the next switch in epoxy and glued the whole
> thing to the cat door entrance floor so I'm somewhat locked into
this
> course of action. Just shows, you cannot let amateurs close to
these
> things .....
>
> Hank
> --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "klausdejong" <klausdejong@x>
> wrote:
> > Well Hank,
> >
> > There might be a very simple solution. Maybe, maybe......
> >
> > If you take a look to the construction of a reed relais it seems
> > likely that the response to vibration depends on de orientation
of
> > the contacts.
> >
> > It could be that rotating the switch 90 degrees around the long
> axis
> > solves the problem.
> >
> > I don't know for sure but give it a try, if you didn't already.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Klaus
> >
> > PS or put de switch just aside of the door, it will help to a
> certain
> > extend for shure. There must be some space for a little switch :-
).
> >
> >
> > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> > > Klause
> > >
> > > Space does not permit me to isolate the switch mechanically. I
> > tried
> > > that by taping the reed switches wrapped in cotton wool to the
> > > underside of the door. This actually worked for a while but the
> > > raccoons found this and ripped the wires, switches and
everything
> > to
> > > shreds (why ? did they get angry ???). I have a wood frame
house
> so
> > > everything vibrates.
> > >
> > > Hank
> > >
> > > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "klausdejong"
<klausdejong@x>
> > > wrote:
> > > > Hi Hank,
> > > >
> > > > Is it an idea to mechanically isolate the reed switch from
the
> > door
> > > > in such a way that banging on the door has no effect to the
> > switch??
> > > >
> > > > I guess you could do this using rubber bands or flexible
> springs
> > to
> > > > mount the switch.
> > > >
> > > > An other way could be to move the switch a bit to a more
heavy
> > part
> > > > of the construction (in Holland houses are built of bricks,
in
> > that
> > > > case it would be very easy :-)))))).
> > > >
> > > > The Stamp option is surely possible and will not be too hard
to
> > > > program I guess.
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > >
> > > > Klaus
> > > >
> > > > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...>
wrote:
> > > > > Hi there all
> > > > >
> > > > > I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on
the
> > > cat's
> > > > > collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside
> of
> > > the
> > > > > door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that
> switches
> > a
> > > > > relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40
> > > seconds
> > > > > (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings
> > closed
> > > > > causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine
this
> > far
> > > > and
> > > > > they go in and out at will.
> > > > >
> > > > > Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on
> the
> > > > door
> > > > > the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the
door.
> > > They
> > > > > now have free reign of the house in the middle of the
night.
> > Not
> > > a
> > > > > good thing.
> > > > >
> > > > > I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch
> circuit
> > I
> > > > > could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in
> pulses
> > > > when
> > > > > I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The
magnet
> > must
> > > > > keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I
can
> > see
> > > > how
> > > > > the cats approach the door. They are there for some time
> before
> > > > they
> > > > > go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then
> > have
> > > > the
> > > > > BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a
> trigger
> > to
> > > > my
> > > > > 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it
> > detects.
> > > > >
> > > > > Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive
> > > coding
> > > > > project?
> > > > >
> > > > > If I take all my cat door project time into account I must
be
> > the
> > > > > only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat
door.
> > > > >
> > > > > Any ideas greatly appreciated.
> > > > >
> > > > > Thanks
> > > > > Hank
Wow, this project has certainly stirred a lot of discussion. I
think the hall effect solution is by far the best, but I see that you
have encased the switch in epoxy. Timing the duration of the switch
would also work but it doesn't take a Stamp chip to do that operation.
A 555/556 system could be a solution. I used to have a cat and I know
that they are persistant and will hang around the door for hours,
meowing and sniffing, trying to get in. So a timer set for 5-10
seconds (or more) will probably work and you can screen out the
momentary set or re-set of the reed switch from a racoon impact. The
cat's smart enough to figure out that it will eventually work if it
keeps pushing on the door. Just my opinion of course.
Still, there may be an opportunity here that you're missing. Just
keep the cat locked in the bathroom for a couple of nights... (sure it
will be mad but bear with me and it will all be clear...). As long as
you're sure the cat is safe, wire the solenoid to the trigger of a
shotgun aimed at the door. That would take care of the raccoon problem
and I'll bet there's a Yahoo group on Davy Crockett hat making.
CAT
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> Hi there all
>
> I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the cat's
> collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of the
> door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
> relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40 seconds
> (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
> causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far and
> they go in and out at will.
>
> Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the door
> the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door. They
> now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not a
> good thing.
>
> I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
> could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses when
> I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
> keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see how
> the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before they
> go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have the
> BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to my
> 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
>
> Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive coding
> project?
>
> If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
> only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
>
> Any ideas greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks
> Hank
>to register.
Some Hall effect sensors are designed to be _not_ sensitive,to
reject stray fields in favor of magnets or ferrous vanes a tenth of
an inch away. They might switch at 100 or 400 gauss.
Specialty Hall devices or linear sensors might get down to 5 or 10
gauss (10 gauss = 1 milliTesla). A reed relay will usually operate
somewhere in the range of 5 to 50 gauss.
Better for low fields are magnetoresistive sensors, which can go
below 1 gauss and detect the earth's magnetic field. They are the
basis for some electronic compass modules, and for things like
vehicle detectors.
But I say, if the reed relay is already epoxied to the door, and it
works, why start over? The Stamp should be able to debounce it
enough to ban the raccoons!
-- Tracy
well. What a pain. So I used an ID system that reads a little
plastic strip, like the ones stores use to id their products, both
for security & inventory purposes. I found a site that helped me
out. Instead of using a pic, I used a bs2. Hope this helps.
http://www.media.mit.edu/resenv/pubs/papers/99_05_CHI99_Tags.pdf
Geoffrey Lewis
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Tracy Allen <tracy@e...> wrote:
> >I tried a hall effect sensor but the magnet never comes close
enough
> >to register.
>
> Some Hall effect sensors are designed to be _not_ sensitive,to
> reject stray fields in favor of magnets or ferrous vanes a tenth
of
> an inch away. They might switch at 100 or 400 gauss.
>
> Specialty Hall devices or linear sensors might get down to 5 or 10
> gauss (10 gauss = 1 milliTesla). A reed relay will usually
operate
> somewhere in the range of 5 to 50 gauss.
>
> Better for low fields are magnetoresistive sensors, which can go
> below 1 gauss and detect the earth's magnetic field. They are the
> basis for some electronic compass modules, and for things like
> vehicle detectors.
>
> But I say, if the reed relay is already epoxied to the door, and
it
> works, why start over? The Stamp should be able to debounce it
> enough to ban the raccoons!
>
> -- Tracy
i have a cat door which works on the same idea as yours except it is
simpler.
it only consists of a reed switch annd solenoid.
the secret to its success is that the door flap is mounted at the end of a
tunnel that is approx the length from the cats nose to the magnet on his
collar.
as the cats nose aproaches the flap the magnet
trips the latch and allows the cat to continue unimpeded.the latch pops up
immediatly so that when he's inside the flap locks.
this has worked perfectly for many years and is
supplied and fitted by the company i work for
approx $45 usd.
sorry if ive rained on anyones parade.
ian
Original Message
From: hankv98 <hank@s...>
To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Saturday, December 20, 2003 9:25 AM
Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Cat door problem
>Hi there all
>
>I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the cat's
>collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of the
>door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
>relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40 seconds
>(so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
>causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far and
>they go in and out at will.
>
>Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the door
>the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door. They
>now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not a
>good thing.
>
>I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
>could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses when
>I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
>keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see how
>the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before they
>go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have the
>BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to my
>555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
>
>Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive coding
>project?
>
>If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
>only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
>
>Any ideas greatly appreciated.
>
>Thanks
>Hank
>
>
>
>To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
Body of the message will be ignored.
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>To visit your group on the web, go to:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/basicstamps/
>
>To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>
Original Message
From: "hankv98" <hank@s...>
To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 6:40 AM
Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Cat door problem
> Hi there all
>
> I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the cat's
> collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of the
> door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
> relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40 seconds
> (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
> causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far and
> they go in and out at will.
>
> Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the door
> the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door. They
> now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not a
> good thing.
>
> I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
> could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses when
> I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
> keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see how
> the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before they
> go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have the
> BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to my
> 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
>
> Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive coding
> project?
>
> If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
> only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
>
> Any ideas greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks
> Hank
Hank,
It seems, you are in success with the magnets in cat's collar without
having problems of collecting nails and other ferro-materials on cat's
daily way.
So using a Hall-IC instead of Reed-contact should work for you.
Also take care for the detailed discussion for opening cat's door
in stamplist 01/Nov/5...8 with header "tolltag like sensor for cat door"
The contributions are more oriented for inductive methods.
Two coils/ are working together, one in cat's collar, one fixed in frame
of door.... There are some ways of influencing an oscillator by an
external field, also stopping the oscillations by solid metalic materials
Some industrial sensors are cheapy und easy to use.
Klaus
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I'm certainly going to look at
hall effect sensors further but also debouncing the reed switch with
the BS2 is a real option.
Of course this whole project is more about having fun with little
electronic gadgets that having the cats be able to get in and out. In
a pinch they simple wait at the door to be let in.
The shotgun suggestion is interesting. I have a couple of deer that
could use that solution while they are eating my roses ......
Hank
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Ian Lawson" <irlawson@i...>
wrote:
> hi hank
> i have a cat door which works on the same idea as yours except it is
> simpler.
> it only consists of a reed switch annd solenoid.
> the secret to its success is that the door flap is mounted at the
end of a
> tunnel that is approx the length from the cats nose to the magnet
on his
> collar.
> as the cats nose aproaches the flap the magnet
> trips the latch and allows the cat to continue unimpeded.the latch
pops up
> immediatly so that when he's inside the flap locks.
> this has worked perfectly for many years and is
> supplied and fitted by the company i work for
> approx $45 usd.
> sorry if ive rained on anyones parade.
> ian
>
Original Message
> From: hankv98 <hank@s...>
> To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
> Date: Saturday, December 20, 2003 9:25 AM
> Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Cat door problem
>
>
> >Hi there all
> >
> >I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the cat's
> >collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of the
> >door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
> >relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40 seconds
> >(so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
> >causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far
and
> >they go in and out at will.
> >
> >Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the
door
> >the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door. They
> >now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not a
> >good thing.
> >
> >I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
> >could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses
when
> >I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
> >keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see
how
> >the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before
they
> >go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have
the
> >BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to
my
> >555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
> >
> >Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive coding
> >project?
> >
> >If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
> >only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
> >
> >Any ideas greatly appreciated.
> >
> >Thanks
> >Hank
> >
> >
> >
> >To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
Subject and
> Body of the message will be ignored.
> >
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >To visit your group on the web, go to:
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/basicstamps/
> >
> >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> >
> >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
> > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> >
> >
> >
the next thing i could recommend is the RFID Tag. when combined with the
stamp it could definitely power a relay or solenoid. and it is really
tamper proof. I don't think the raccoons can decipher the 26 bit
encryption. and also your lovely cats don't have to wait to enter. its read
distance is good up to 5 inches. of course you could also go with the Hall
effect sensor, but i would recommend the open collector hall effect sensor
found at www.jameco.com gives open collector output (0 or 5v) when magnetic
field is detected.
good luck,
At 11:31 PM 12/19/2003 +0000, you wrote:
>Gary
>
>It's that exact model I bought and am now modifying because the
>original version just did NOT work !!! The 9V battery did not have
>enough power to pull in the latch relay and the door did not relatch
>every time.
>
>Hank
>--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Gary D <gdii@c...> wrote:
> >
> > either buy this or create one with an RFID tag or iButton and it
>will
> > solve your problems.
> >
> > http://www.skymall.com/webapp/skystore?
>process=prodDisplay&action=&pid=1
>02046670&catId=
> >
> >
> >
> > At 11:02 PM 12/19/2003 +0000, you wrote:
> > >Klause
> > >
> > >Space does not permit me to isolate the switch mechanically. I
>tried
> > >that by taping the reed switches wrapped in cotton wool to the
> > >underside of the door. This actually worked for a while but the
> > >raccoons found this and ripped the wires, switches and everything
>to
> > >shreds (why ? did they get angry ???). I have a wood frame house so
> > >everything vibrates.
> > >
> > >Hank
> > >
> > >--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "klausdejong" <klausdejong@x>
> > >wrote:
> > > > Hi Hank,
> > > >
> > > > Is it an idea to mechanically isolate the reed switch from the
>door
> > > > in such a way that banging on the door has no effect to the
>switch??
> > > >
> > > > I guess you could do this using rubber bands or flexible
>springs to
> > > > mount the switch.
> > > >
> > > > An other way could be to move the switch a bit to a more heavy
>part
> > > > of the construction (in Holland houses are built of bricks, in
>that
> > > > case it would be very easy :-)))))).
> > > >
> > > > The Stamp option is surely possible and will not be too hard to
> > > > program I guess.
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > >
> > > > Klaus
> > > >
> > > > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> > > > > Hi there all
> > > > >
> > > > > I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the
> > >cat's
> > > > > collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of
> > >the
> > > > > door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that
>switches a
> > > > > relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40
> > >seconds
> > > > > (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings
>closed
> > > > > causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this
>far
> > > > and
> > > > > they go in and out at will.
> > > > >
> > > > > Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on
>the
> > > > door
> > > > > the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door.
> > >They
> > > > > now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night.
>Not
> > >a
> > > > > good thing.
> > > > >
> > > > > I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch
>circuit I
> > > > > could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in
>pulses
> > > > when
> > > > > I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet
>must
> > > > > keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can
>see
> > > > how
> > > > > the cats approach the door. They are there for some time
>before
> > > > they
> > > > > go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then
>have
> > > > the
> > > > > BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a
>trigger to
> > > > my
> > > > > 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it
>detects.
> > > > >
> > > > > Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive
> > >coding
> > > > > project?
> > > > >
> > > > > If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be
>the
> > > > > only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
> > > > >
> > > > > Any ideas greatly appreciated.
> > > > >
> > > > > Thanks
> > > > > Hank
> > >
> > >
> > >To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> > > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> > >from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
>Subject and
> > >Body of the message will be ignored.
> > >
> > >
> > >Yahoo! Groups Links
> > >
> > >To visit your group on the web, go to:
> > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/basicstamps/
> > >
> > >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> > >
> > >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
> > > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
>Body of the message will be ignored.
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>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>To visit your group on the web, go to:
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>
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detector. I doubt the raccoons have access metallurgy technology.
>>> hank@s... 12/18/03 11:40PM >>>
Hi there all
I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the cat's
collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of the
door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40 seconds
(so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far and
they go in and out at will.
Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the door
the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door. They
now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not a
good thing.
I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses when
I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see how
the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before they
go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have the
BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to my
555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive coding
project?
If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
Any ideas greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Hank
To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
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of the message will be ignored.
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i have these available if anyone interested. just email me.
NOTE: you can have up to 25 cats on a single door. haha!
At 10:51 AM 12/22/2003 -0800, you wrote:
>Oh, I see.
>the next thing i could recommend is the RFID Tag. when combined with the
>stamp it could definitely power a relay or solenoid. and it is really
>tamper proof. I don't think the raccoons can decipher the 26 bit
>encryption. and also your lovely cats don't have to wait to enter. its read
>distance is good up to 5 inches. of
>course you could also go with the Hall
>effect sensor, but i would recommend the open collector hall effect sensor
>found at www.jameco.com gives open collector output (0 or 5v) when magnetic
>field is detected.
>
> good luck,
>
>At 11:31 PM 12/19/2003 +0000, you wrote:
> >Gary
> >
> >It's that exact model I bought and am now modifying because the
> >original version just did NOT work !!! The 9V battery did not have
> >enough power to pull in the latch relay and the door did not relatch
> >every time.
> >
> >Hank
> >--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Gary D <gdii@c...> wrote:
> > >
> > > either buy this or create one with an RFID tag or iButton and it
> >will
> > > solve your problems.
> > >
> > > http://www.skymall.com/webapp/skystore?
> >process=prodDisplay&action=&pid=1
> >02046670&catId=
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > At 11:02 PM 12/19/2003 +0000, you wrote:
> > > >Klause
> > > >
> > > >Space does not permit me to isolate the switch mechanically. I
> >tried
> > > >that by taping the reed switches wrapped in cotton wool to the
> > > >underside of the door. This actually worked for a while but the
> > > >raccoons found this and ripped the wires, switches and everything
> >to
> > > >shreds (why ? did they get angry ???). I have a wood frame house so
> > > >everything vibrates.
> > > >
> > > >Hank
> > > >
> > > >--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "klausdejong" <klausdejong@x>
> > > >wrote:
> > > > > Hi Hank,
> > > > >
> > > > > Is it an idea to mechanically isolate the reed switch from the
> >door
> > > > > in such a way that banging on the door has no effect to the
> >switch??
> > > > >
> > > > > I guess you could do this using rubber bands or flexible
> >springs to
> > > > > mount the switch.
> > > > >
> > > > > An other way could be to move the switch a bit to a more heavy
> >part
> > > > > of the construction (in Holland houses are built of bricks, in
> >that
> > > > > case it would be very easy :-)))))).
> > > > >
> > > > > The Stamp option is surely possible and will not be too hard to
> > > > > program I guess.
> > > > >
> > > > > Regards,
> > > > >
> > > > > Klaus
> > > > >
> > > > > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "hankv98" <hank@s...> wrote:
> > > > > > Hi there all
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the
> > > >cat's
> > > > > > collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of
> > > >the
> > > > > > door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that
> >switches a
> > > > > > relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40
> > > >seconds
> > > > > > (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings
> >closed
> > > > > > causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this
> >far
> > > > > and
> > > > > > they go in and out at will.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on
> >the
> > > > > door
> > > > > > the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door.
> > > >They
> > > > > > now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night.
> >Not
> > > >a
> > > > > > good thing.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch
> >circuit I
> > > > > > could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in
> >pulses
> > > > > when
> > > > > > I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet
> >must
> > > > > > keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can
> >see
> > > > > how
> > > > > > the cats approach the door. They are there for some time
> >before
> > > > > they
> > > > > > go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then
> >have
> > > > > the
> > > > > > BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a
> >trigger to
> > > > > my
> > > > > > 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it
> >detects.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive
> > > >coding
> > > > > > project?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be
> >the
> > > > > > only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Any ideas greatly appreciated.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Thanks
> > > > > > Hank
> > > >
> > > >
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you can purchase which do exactly this, though there's still a lot of
homebrew solutions I've seen (One interesting solution I saw actually took
a video scan of the animal enterring the door, did outline tracing using
an imbedded PC, and refused entry if the animal was carrying a smaller
animal such as a mouse...). Have you considered doing this with IR
transmission instead? It's probably more secure.
On Sat, 20 Dec 2003, Klaus Zahnert wrote:
>
>
Original Message
> From: "hankv98" <hank@s...>
> To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 6:40 AM
> Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Cat door problem
>
>
> > Hi there all
> >
> > I have built a cat door that is activated by a magnet on the cat's
> > collar that activates a reed switch attached to the outside of the
> > door. This activates a 555 timer circuit I built that switches a
> > relay that allows the door to open and keeps it open for 40 seconds
> > (so the cat's tail does not catch in the door as it swings closed
> > causing the latch not to relatch). Everything works fine this far and
> > they go in and out at will.
> >
> > Now, the local raccoons have found out that if they bang on the door
> > the reed switch will mechanically activate and open the door. They
> > now have free reign of the house in the middle of the night. Not a
> > good thing.
> >
> > I was thinking that if I put 5V through the reed switch circuit I
> > could use a BS2 and PULSIN to analyse the differences in pulses when
> > I bang on the door or if I open it with a magnet. The magnet must
> > keep the reed switch closed longer than a bang because I can see how
> > the cats approach the door. They are there for some time before they
> > go through. If I can detect this time difference I can then have the
> > BS2 make the decision whether to open the door (send a trigger to my
> > 555 circuit) or not based on the length of the pulses it detects.
> >
> > Does this sound like it could work or am I in for a massive coding
> > project?
> >
> > If I take all my cat door project time into account I must be the
> > only guy in the world with a $10,000 (and climbing) cat door.
> >
> > Any ideas greatly appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks
> > Hank
>
> Hank,
> It seems, you are in success with the magnets in cat's collar without
> having problems of collecting nails and other ferro-materials on cat's
> daily way.
>
> So using a Hall-IC instead of Reed-contact should work for you.
>
> Also take care for the detailed discussion for opening cat's door
> in stamplist 01/Nov/5...8 with header "tolltag like sensor for cat door"
> The contributions are more oriented for inductive methods.
> Two coils/ are working together, one in cat's collar, one fixed in frame
> of door.... There are some ways of influencing an oscillator by an
> external field, also stopping the oscillations by solid metalic materials
> Some industrial sensors are cheapy und easy to use.
>
> Klaus
>
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>
Sean T. Lamont, CTO / Chief NetNerd, Abstract Software, Inc. (ServNet)
Seattle - Bellingham - Vancouver - Portland - Everett - Tacoma - Bremerton
email: lamont@a... WWW: http://www.serv.net
"Do not fear mistakes, There Are None" - Miles Davis