First, is this the only “non cannabis” sub forum section? If there’s a better place to ask or maybe talk about this, please let me know.
Before I get into the why, I’d just like to know the answer to the question in the thread title, please. So…I duno, a simple “yes” or “no” would be good, or you can give some details if you like. I’d like to get an idea if, and how many, people might have skills in this area.
Thank you.
a little…
Nice. Self taught? Hobbiest? Some work/professional experience? If you care to share.
all self taught, things i’ve picked up for projects here and there. some are unfinished due to my lack of ability. i got a gps working off a raspberry pi but couldn’t get the display and barometer working. it was gonna be a digital altimeter for skydiving. i did get a video surveillance system, raspberry pi with camera module, hidden inside an empty coffee can that actually caught some thieves. you could be right up on that and not see the hole for the camera. i also put a pi with a camera looking out of the back of a derby for a contest at derbycon. you could watch the video on your phone, and i had big googly eyes on the back.
i got some 9 way accelerometers and some sensors and was gonna put together a virtual reality suit. all that came out of that was a cool tracking headset for arma 3. i also designed my own skydiving helmet with the camera enclosed, but all i got out of that project was a 3d printer, a roll of carbon fiber and resin, days of lost time learning blender, and some really cool dice, lots of dice. built a really nice video game cabinet with a raspberry pi running retro pi. i won a $200 prize for that one. i get a few done, some just sit there waiting on something.
Yes. I prefer programming for raspberry pi. But I’ve done a lot of arduino as well. made a bunch of Bluetooth CO2 sensors for a production mushroom grower, and set up custom automation for his whole operation.
What are you trying to do?
I see, self taught, nice. Sounds like a cool project.
That’s outstanding. I have a raspi, and at the time was either planning on some security stuff but moreso got it to try and follow along with ledgardener’s diy garden controller series. I got to the setting it up part and other things took priority. It’s still connected, just not doing anything.
Derbycon; I had to look that one up. Neat.
Those arma games/sims look like good fun. I’ve known about that game for a while now. I got out of gaming so long ago now.
I start many things and finish very few of them, haha.
Thanks for sharing some of your experiences, zombie.
Very cool! That sounds awesome. Last I checked with ledgardener’s yt channel (probably 6-12 months ago) he was showing one of his latest…gadgets, it was a leaf surface temperature measuring “module”, with the whole 3d printed holder and everything, so that his software setup could accurately report VPD. Man, fantastic stuff.
To put it simply, I’m trying to build a better mouse (rat) trap, haha. Which I only somewhat recently realized is an idiom.
More specifically, I’m wanting to change or ‘replace’ the mechanical trigger/activation nature of most rodent traps into a more ‘advanced’ and far more effective trigger mechanism. I chose an infrared break beam sender/receiver. Something a rodent can’t see, smell, taste, feel or avoid.
I can give more details, if anyones interested. (And no doubt I will, as I might be asking if anyone would be willing to help. This is for a personal/community-neighborhood issue). I have literally years worth of camera footage, purchased gear, and time invested in this endevour.
I feel as though I have more knowledge of rodents than almost any other topic, now. Haha.
Ah! cool.
Have you ever checked out Shawn Woods’ channel on youtube? The dude is a mousetrap master! I think he’s even tested a couple high-tech mousetraps.
https://www.youtube.com/@ShawnWoodsprimitive-archer/videos
But, I think your idea would be a good one. And, it should be super easy to program. basically, as soon as the IR beam gets disrupted… spring the trap!
Here’s a sample project, that would be a starting point:
A little yes. Or at least I have friends that help me beyond my skills using Raspberry Pi and Arduino.
Just gonna throw this idea out here even though it’s analogue:
took me a minute to figure out what site you were talking about. thanx. i’m writing a book for a training course i am developing also, complete with labs. well, it will be when i get it finished. that has put a lot of projects on the back burner. i have a draft of the first 2/3 of the book up on that site along with the story of why i am doing it if you want some reading for the weekend. have a great weekend.
I’ve got Arduino experience but most of my work has been for other microcontrollers (ARM, PIC).
Formally educated EE with almost 20 years of experience. I definitely lean towards hardware.
Most relatable project is my drying cabinet detailed here. Arduino Nano
Experience: YES
Skill: NO
Good luck on the mouse trap!
I want to design a motion detection system that fits inside a soda can that can sync with the Wi-Fi from my house and send an alert to an audible alarm in my bedroom.Some thieves broke into my whole blocks cars and stole stuff from everyone’s vehicles.Most of us always lock our stuff they still got in somehow.
I suggest an alternative with everything already figured out. download yawcam and use a wired cam, just find a way to hide it. The motion detection and alert options are great and it’s free.
I’ve been dealing with this for more than a couple years now; so, of course I’ve watched every Shawn Woods video. Hah. He is a rodent trap collector and enthusiast. But unfortunately, he is not someone I’d consider knowledgeable on how to actual “deal with” rodents, nor rid a property of them, or anything like that. Nice guy though, and seemingly good family man, with “admirable” lifestyle. The best part of his channel is that “makers” and electronics hobbyists/professionals send in ideas and prototypes for testing, etc.
I have some of them. High and low tech.
I’ve done it. I have several of their IR beam breaks, the 3mm variety.
Here’s just one of the tuts I followed and ended up getting set up: Controlling A Solenoid Valve With Arduino - BC Robotics. (Except I ended up using adafruit’s “5v mini push pull solenoid”, their 12v doesn’t seem to fire quickly or powerfully enough, I couldn’t quite figure out why).
Getting by with a little help from your friends, that’s the best. I don’t have any coding/electronics literate friends. I desperately need to make some.
I appreciate the suggestion. I have some ‘analogue’ traps.
But I can’t overstate this enough; it’s been a couple years where no more than a few days, maybe a week, have gone by without me spending hours in a day watching, reading about, testing methods, watching camera footage, tracking, trapping, or losing sleep over something to do with rodents - namely “Rattus Norvegicus”.
I doubt there’s a video on the internet I haven’t watched, nor a method I haven’t either considered or tested.
We have spent over $1500 cad, easily, on various things relating to this.
Haha, yea. That’s excellent! I will check that story tomorrow if I have time. I didn’t even realize it was the weekend.
That’s what I need, 20 years of EE experience. Unfortunately, I only have maybe 2 years of electrician apprenticeship (construction variety, some residential). I’ll trade you?
Interesting. Sure, that counts.
Thanks.
‘Story’ time…
I initially wanted to join one of the arduino forums and get some direction or assistance there. But an online acquaintance told me (his opinion, and experience) that that particular “crowd” or community was not very welcoming or helpful to those who just come in with little or no experience of their own. Which I understand, to a degree. But he seemed to be suggesting that this particular community was more like this than ‘other online communities’. So, I decided I wouldn’t bother until I had done some research, bought some stuff (arduino kits, etc.), tried some things myself, etc. Well, it’s been over 2 years, and I’m still “afraid” to join one of those forums and ask for any help.
About a year or so ago, (at which point I’d already decided I needed to use some kind of intelligent sensor; an infrared beam) I finally found a small, obscure(?) channel on youtube called “Rat Trap Chronicles”, where a man had used an Arduino NANO based setup with a wooden, victor rat trap (modified), in an enclosed box, to dispatch rats. I watched every single video. He’d started as most do, with just a standard snap trap, and quickly realized (with the aid of ip cams he’d setup to monitor) that the traps are just too dumb, unreliable, under powered, etc., and that the rats are too cautious, skilled, and “clever”.
He gradually improved the trap over time. His arduino trap had gone something like 26-0 versus any rat that tried their “luck”. 100% success rate.
I contacted him. He was kind enough to share his code, and a little bit of information. I downloaded a video or two of his (for images, etc.) and saved the text of the code he shared via yt comments. It’s was not something from the arduino IDE - different language, and the format didn’t carry over via youtube comment. I still have that, but it’s more confusing to me than the stuff I’d been trying to learn.
Not too long ago, maybe 6-8 months, I watched a mousetrap monday video (LINK) and it’s follow up video, and noticed there was a contact email for the trap creator. I contacted him and explained my predicament and ideas. We chatted for a bit, and he was extremely friendly and generously offered to not only help, but offered to write the code, and put together something for me, with a NANO, if I recall correctly, and that he had all the other compononets laying around, etc. I was so relieved and excited. He even offered to help mod and retrofit a repeating trap I have that is really stupid in it’s trigger mechanism. I was mind blown that someone would be so helpful and generous.
Last I talked to him, he said that he’d been a bit busy, and now feeling sick with cold or flu, and he’d write me back later. And that’s the last I’ve heard from him in 5 or 6 weeks. (I genuinely hope he’s alright).
Now, I just recently decided to check what was up with Rat Trap Chronicles channel lately, and I see that he’d gotten two or three more recent successes and videos uploaded, so I watch them. Then, just a day or two ago, when I search for the channel, I can’t find it. Not surprisingly at all, when I go to my bookmark of his channel, it brings me to the now dead/deleted (by youtube) channel. People who’re “offended” by pest control, allegedly, like to go around looking to be offended by things and making complaints.
So now this man’s channel and all the valuable footage and stuff is gone (except I have maybe one or two saved somewhere).
Anyway, the IR break beam mod or method is proven. Since I thought about it, I’ve come across two if not more great, successful implementations of it. One of which was featured on mousetrap mondays, and I purchased to try.
I currently have a circuit on a breadboard and arduino sketch for a “12v solenoid” control (the one I linked above) that…‘works’. But it’s essentially a break beam in place of a button; it needs refinement and a bit more…‘intelligence’ than it has. The only thing I changed is maybe which pin is controlling what, and changing how long the solenoid is on for.
I haven’t played with it for at least a couple months now. And the last place I left of on one of the many arduino code books and videos was “IF, ELSE” statement - which I thought sounded like the “logic” I might need to do what I need to do, but didn’t grasp yet.
That really sucks. 
The one thing that did help me for all my exterior rodent population is setting up feeding stations and over-night houses for the feral cats of my chood.
Now we have a permanent resident, little to no mice, no more rats and several corpse gifts a few times a month.
Garden lions = great mouse traps.