I want to build a doggy alarm

1. 2019-11-17 at 12:38 AM UTC

   #1
   

   Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Dark Matter [my scoffingly uncritical tinning]
   The Poms will climb the stairs, especially when they are lonely. This is a big problem, as it isn't safe, and they are too small to be able to get back down.
   
   At the minute we have a turned over drying rack blocking them, this is obviously inconvenient.
   
   I'm thinking of putting an arduino hooked up to a loud alarm at the bottom of the stairs. The big problem is what sensor to use that can distinguish between dogs and humans. A system with two IR or laser trip wires might work. I don't think any of the microwave presence sensors distinguish between humans and dogs, despite the massive size difference.
   
   I was thinking of doing something with OpenCV, but I don't know how production ready it is.
2. 2019-11-18 at 10:01 PM UTC

   #2
   

   Kuntzschutz African Astronaut
   Electrostatic
   
   Cheap and easy to set up. You could also calibrate a passive infrared system since a dog's body has a higher body heat than a humans, but you could also just wire some electrostatic sensors so that they don't trip the alarm unless only one set of sensors is tripped in a certain time period. That is, have one set at about 5 feet, so if a human walks through, both the low one and high one are given feedback, which doesn't trip the alarm.
   
   Should be cheaper than lasers.
3. 2019-11-18 at 10:07 PM UTC

   #3
   

   Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country Dark Matter [my scoffingly uncritical tinning]
   I haven't seen any electrostatic sensors for arduino or anything. Also doubt cheap little arduino PIRs would be able to be calibrated that finely, they're just simple little things. I do have two PIRs, but I think it would be gimmicky to get running right.
   
   The lasers I am referring to are just the little diode + lens ones, they cost next to nothing.
4. 2019-11-18 at 11:19 PM UTC

   #4
   

   Kuntzschutz African Astronaut
   https://www.instructables.com/id/Capacitive-Sensing-for-Dummies/
   
   Lots of stuff online about using capacitave or electrostatic sensing with arduino
5. 2020-01-07 at 3:20 PM UTC

   #5
   

   SHARP Yung Blood
   Should be pretty easy, with for example a couple of Velleman MK120 kits (https://www.vellemanstore.com/en/velleman-mk120-ir-light-barrier-kit). Place one system on the bottom step so it triggers when someone steps onto the stairs, and place another at about knee height. Then what you do is simply replace the siren on the top system, with a relay that cuts power to the bottom system, for as long as the top system is triggered. The idea is that when you're walking up or down the stairs, your knee will trigger the top system before your foot triggers the bottom system. A tiny dog won't trigger the top system, but only the bottom one. I've used a similar system in a mousetrap once, these kits are extremely easy to assemble, and runs on either battery or whatever charger with the correct output. This is how I'd do it, off the top of my head.
6. 2020-01-07 at 3:27 PM UTC

   #6
   tee hee hee Naturally Camouflaged [slangily complete this slumberer]
   Why not a baby gate that swings open at the bottom of the stairs? U dont even need to latch it close.
7. 2020-01-07 at 4:36 PM UTC

   #7
   

   Cheyes Tuskegee Airman
   Do you have like a puppyfarm or something OP?
8. 2020-01-08 at 4:01 AM UTC

   #8
   

   komokazi Houston
   They doggy IS the alarm.
9. 2020-01-08 at 4:14 AM UTC

   #9
   

   MexicanMasterRace Black Hole

   Originally posted by tee hee hee Why not a baby gate that swings open at the bottom of the stairs? U dont even need to latch it close.

   
   This. It's really all you need. An alarm will just be annoying when you have to bring em back down anyway
10. 2020-01-08 at 4:17 AM UTC

    #10
    

    A College Professor victim of incest [your moreover breastless limestone]
    i thought u just bought a new gun to shoot dogs with
    
    ( pervert )