Remote Xbee Bird Feeder moniter

Ragtop · 2012-03-26 12:09

I wanted to extend my camera control box whose motion sensor I was using to take pictures of visitors to the bird feeder. I wanted to be able
to see when the motion sensor went off from inside my computer room. XBEEs!

I didn't want to make the xbee a permanent addition to the camera control box because I don't have room in the case and it was really only going to
be used in this one application. So I tied the detection pin of the motion sensor to the digital pin 0 of the xbee.

And the other Xbee's matching pin outputs to my demoboard connected to my computer. It uses a gps module to timestamp each time the
motion sensor gets hit and displays this through the parallax serial terminal with a running total of how many hits.

[video=youtube_share;1S1r80QW6Zc]

Ragtop · 2012-03-26 12:11

This is the code that is running on the demoboard xbee inside my computer room.

CON
  _clkmode = xtal1 + pll16x                           
  _xinfreq = 5_000_000
    
CON
   Status = 0
   led = 1

VAR
 long x,myhour
  
OBJ   

  Debug : "Parallax Serial Terminal"
  GPS            : "GPS_Float_Lite"  
  
PUB Start
 GPS.Init  'start GPS for timestamp
 debug.start(57600)'to send info to computer serial window
  
 '-----set to inputs
  dira[status]~     'from xbee motion sensor connection
 '-----set to outputs 
  dira[led]~~       'red led to show motion detected
  
  outa[led] := 0
  waitcnt(clkfreq*6 + cnt)   'give GPS time to set-up
  x:=0
  repeat
     if ina[status] == 0   'if motion detected
         x++
         debug.str(string("TimeStamp: "))
         myhour := GPS.Long_Hour - 4     'set to eastern time
         debug.dec(myhour)
         debug.str(string(":"))
         debug.dec(GPS.Long_Minute)
         debug.str(string("      Total Hits: "))  
         debug.dec(x)
         debug.str(string(13))
         outa[led] := 1       'turn on red led on demo board for four seconds
         waitcnt(clkfreq*4 + cnt)
         outa[led] := 0

StephenMoore · 2012-03-26 20:47

Do you have a shot of the feeder itself?

Any shots of birds?

Ragtop · 2012-03-27 05:17

The feeder is made up of scrap wood designed to give photos a natural perch of a tree branch.

So far only one bird and a gang of squirrels visit the feeder.

shimniok · 2012-03-28 07:02

This is really cool. Great photos! I might've missed the camera control box, but will take a quick look. Sounds like a really fun project.

Ragtop wrote: »

So far only one bird and a gang of squirrels visit the feeder.

Typical

Ragtop · 2012-04-08 14:19

Sweeper arm added to new bird photo shoot/feeder. Using a drill motor that I got at a garage sale for 50 cents.

xanadu · 2012-04-08 14:54

Ragtop wrote: »

The feeder is made up of scrap wood designed to give photos a natural perch of a tree branch.

So far only one bird and a gang of squirrels visit the feeder.

I've gotta say, that is the best photography idea I've heard of for photoing birds.

Remote Xbee Bird Feeder moniter

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