Group Actions
Engagement
  • Author Author: dubbie
  • Date Created: Date Created
  • Views 1231 views
  • Likes 14 likes
  • Comments 6 comments
Related
Recommended

CatDogFoxBot #1 : My Initial Idea

dubbie

There are lots of good competitions and stuff going on at the moment and I am torn between which one or ones to get involved with. However, the Remote Monitoring and Control Project14 challenge is one I have been considering for some time. I am blessed (or plagued) in my back garden by wandering cats and the occasional fox and I thought I would like to make something that would detect how often a cat (or other small animal) actually passes by. I have also been interested in the GridEye thermal array sensor so I am going to see if I can use a GridEye to detect these cats.

 

There are a number of challenges such as getting the GridEye to detect cats at night. I do not have a cat of my own to experiment (do I mean play?) with and it is outside in the dark, wet, cold and damp, often when I am asleep. If at all possible I would also like to make it a mobile robot that could move around seeking out the cat but that might be a challenge to far with this activity so I will start with a stationary module that is able to scan rotationally. I am going to order a breakout board for the GridEye using the AMG8833AMG8833 rather than try surface mount soldering myself. There seems to be one that is not too expensive on line. I'll probably start with a normal 180 degree scan micro servo motor as I can always put it at the side of my garden and if it does work I can replace that servo motor with a small step motor left over from my HoloPiBot.

I'll have to decide what to do with the data, maybe use Bluetooth to send it to my laptop inside or maybe to some dedicated display unknit. I have some small OLED displays that would probably be ideal. I recently received a MKR Zero from Element14 (which I think was just for being nice) so that could be something to try out, as they are both 3.3V devices.

 

Not sure what I will do about weather-proofing it, possibly 3D print a nice casing and then paint it with Weather shield gloss white paint perhaps.

 

I'm off to order the Grideye now which will take a couple of weeks to come.

 

Dubbie

  • in reply to dubbie

    The GridEye is reasonably well protected for where it is placed. I developed a little box to prevent solids from contacting the air quality sensors and provide positive air flow going out and away from the GridEye. See this blog here:

     

    Smart Range Hood - Final PCB assembly; final component assembly, finally done??? Pi Chef Challenge Blog post #10

    So far, so good! It is still running after more than a year.

  • in reply to gecoz

    Fabio,

     

    This is very helpful. I hadn't thought about problems with using the Grideye outside other than weather related ones such as rain, cold, hot(! - hardly ever happens in the UK anyway), windy and so on. It makes sense that thermal sensors might have problems outdoors. I've used IR and light sensors outdoors before and I have had lots of problems. Still, PIRs work outside. Plus, the main use will be at night when the temperature is much more stable and consistent. All I need is a good temperature differential between ground and a cat/dog/fox and it shoud be OK. I'll have to experiment.

     

    Dubbie

  • Hi Dubbie,

     

    Very interesting project, and useful, as I have the same wandering little friends running about in my back garden too!

     

    My only concern is about the GridEye sensor giving you reliable readings while used in outdoor areas. The sensor specifically targets indoor environments, as the thermopile sensor if heavily influenced by the changing conditions you find when in the open, affecting also the detection range. I did some testing some time ago, and I have to say that I had problems with the readings when trying to use it in the garden.

     

    I hope you won't experience the same issues. Looking forward to see your progresses.

     

    Fabio

  • in reply to aspork42

    James,

     

    I must have missed your Smart Range Hood Project, that or I have just forgotten about it, either could be true!. It looks like you had some good success with the Grideye so I will have to come back to your Blogs and gleam all the important information. Being able to hand solder it surface mount is very impressive. I think the AMG8833 should be OK for me as not many animals have temperatures above 80 degrees centigrade.

     

    Is the Grideye still working as it must have quite a flow of contaminated air (fats and other particles) flowing across it. Also, do the sensors you have used for air quality have a maximum life due to contamination? I used some CO2 sensors one in the pass but the datasheet said they would gradually become more contaminated over the space of approximately 12 months and then effectively be useless.

     

    Dubbie

  • I love it! I used the GridEye as well in the Smart Range Hood project. I had pretty decent luck using an open source PCB file and getting the boards made and sent to me. I'm pretty bad at SMT soldering, but it all worked out. I started with the AMG8833 Grid Eye but later upgrade to the 8834 to get a greater temerature range (0 to 80C versus -20 to +100 C). But the upgrade required doing the surface mount soldering myself. I even reached out to a company selling the 8833 breakouts to ask about getting a one-off but couldn't convince them... Sounds like you've found the same limitations.

     

    I'd be more than willing to send you my Gerber files so all you have to do is solder if you'd like (and also supply some 0805 resistors and caps). Best of luck! Can't wait to see the results.