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Arduino (attiny 85) sensor triggered carnival-style light bar question

e14 Contributor

Hi everybody, I'm very much a "maker", and I know electroinics and have some familarity with Arduino, and have a general question and would like to dip my toe in the water per-se to see if what I would like to accomplish is can be done with relatively low cost.

 

I run my dogs as part of an agility troup here in Michigan in the United States. For those unfamilary with the sport, we find ways to burn off our dogs energy while getting them and ourselves some exercize. Pictured below is one of my Welsh Pembroke Corgi's jumping a hurdle.We perform our shows for charity at both indoor arenas as well as outside fairgrounds.

 

Our group consists of small dogs (like Ben, pictured) that generally clear the hurdle with only an inch or two of distance, to much larger dogs, where their feet still clear the hurdle by a bit, but the dog's body goes over the hurdle by perhaps a foot. (so a fairly large distribution of hurdle clearance differece)

 

So here is what I could like to accomplish:

 

When a dog clears the jump, I would like to have one strip of addressable LEDs on mounted to each side of the hurdle light up in a way similar to the old carnival "he-man" attractions where a person swings a mallet hitting a target pad, which usually sending up a weight upwards to hit a bell, but in later versions just had lights that sequentially and additively lit up a bar of lights to indicate success.

 

A couple ways I'd like to consider approaching it:

 

#1: I could use an ultrasonic sensor mounted to the base and when a dog passes over the hurdle, the sensor measures the distance and lights a number of the LEDs light up in sort of a sine wave up-and-down look (greater height more leds are light up and then down). The problem I see with this approach is the width of these jumps is about 3 feet and I wonder if a dog jumping the hurdle close to one end will trigger the sensor. Maybe two sensors? Ideas?

 

#2: I was thinking about using some PIR sensors like shown here on ebay They are cheaper, but I wonder if they can be used in direct outdoor light. They don't need much sensing accuracy, and it is possible to mount the sensor about half way up one of the sides, again triggering when any size dog passes over the hurdle.

 

Ideally, I'd like to be able to get a day's worth of jump time out of a 9-volt battery, or maybe put in a 3S 12v rechargeable Li-Po battery. In any given day, there is going to be much more idle time than actual time where the LEDs are going to be on.

 

Finally, to conserve costs, do you think this project can be ported to an ATTINY 85, then the cost per hurdle would be significantly reduced.

 

Probably my biggest concern is being able to sense something under lots of direct sunlight, then next battery life.

 

General thoughts or ideas?

 

Roger

 

 

image

  • 0 in reply to e14 Contributor

    Rodger

    I kind of lost who started the thread, so apologies for directing the replys at Bill .....

     

    Nice picture,

    The middle two with sideways looking sensors is achievable with just one on either side.

    These things tend to go 4m with a decent reflective surface, so 1m shouldn't be hard.

     

    The last one is easily achievable, you just set you software to do something when the 'target' distance is x.

     

    The sensors are a round 'speaker' and its like a ripple in a pond tend ie spherical, so plotting ping v time it would appear conical, rather than flat.

    They need a reasonable surface to bounce the ultrasonic signal back off, and I guess the proof is when you aim it at the dog.

     

     

    There is one thing I hadn't considered though.

    At 38KHz is your furry friend going to hear it.????

     

    I think you might need to get hold of one, fire up a bit of simple software using an lcd, and try it.

    The worst that will happen is it doesn't work, but you've gained some knowledge and are one step closer.

     

     

    Mark

  • 0 in reply to billpenner

    I think you nailed down the whole problem as not doable with sonar.  I like to think of it as a question of determining the acoustic reflectivity of shag carpet.

     

    If it were my project, I would be researching what kind of signal emitters should be mounted on the animal. 

     

    I am not too clear on exactly what data is being sought.  Velocity while crossing over the hurdle or height above the hurdle?

  • 0 in reply to billabott

    Hi Bill,

     

    Really no data at all. I just want to light some LEDs (the addressable ones) so that approximately when the dog makes the jump, the sensor fires the LEDs. Doesn't matter how high, doesn't matter how fast, I just want to make sure we don't miss a dog if he/she jumps too close too close to one of the side uprights, and I'd sorta like to have the lights go off as he/she is midair over the hurdle itself -- again though, firing exactly isn't all that important.

     

    I do have one of the 4-pin sonar units. I plan to prototype the thing in a week or so -- less the LEDs. I think I may buy a whole 5M roll -- (yikes, $99), but that can wait until I make sure the sensor works with the dogs

     

    Thanks for your advice.

  • 0 in reply to e14 Contributor

    Look on eBay for the 5 meter roll  for cheapest.  Also taydaelectronics is way less than the $99 you quote.

     

    Thanks for the explanation.  So what you want is something akin to a metal detector (dog tag/metal buckle) or a capacitive touch sensor (without the actual touching).  I own and have used a metal detector to search for a lost ring in the yard with success.  I seem to recall that the simple coil tech of the metal detector can be made at home and circuit diagrams are available online.  If memory serves it relies upon the extreme differential amplification available from Op-Amps.

     

    I also know that jfets can be very sensitive to enviromental changes in their free hanging gate wire.  I am thinking possibly that a strip (1/2" to 1") of tin or aluminum in a U shape on the inner part of the hurdle might get enough electrons moving toward the jfet gate to turn it on when a moving body of a dog passes through.

  • 0

    OK Roger.. A much better picture of what is desired.  You need to trigger an up/down timer upon close approach of the dog. Try a PIR sensor and adjust sensitivity to trigger at short distance in front of the hurdle. The dogs will rarely jump at a height much greater than the base of the hurdle. So place the PIR at the bottom center of the base point at the approach. I believe that will work. Test for confirmation. You won't have to build triggers or anything since the output of the PIR can trigger the up/down counter or Arduino. The delay can easily be adjusted to create a sine of triangle type function with the LEDs. Some experimentation should confirm effect. Depending on your time frame, bright and colorful LEDs on Ebay are very reasonable in price. Drivers might be needed with the Arduino but I think a U/D counter will drive them directly.

    Sorry I didn't under the full needs at the beginning. Please advise of the progress.

    Bill