A challenge for tech heroes., please read and spread the word...

I have a challenge for you designers and hobbyists alike. For those of you who have or still have elderly relatives, you may be aware of the type of criminal who target them, posing as officials, police, workmen, asking for drink of water etc, then enter their homes and rob them.
These cowardly scum target our golden generation as they know their memories aren't as sharp, they're weak and vulnerable and often too
embarrassed of being tricked to report the crime and can't face the ordeal of court, even if the offender is caught.

You, as designers and electronics wizards can put a stop to this.

All that is required is you help design a device to be mounted above the door frame of the persons home. It just needs to be a low cost mini pinhole digital camera (not cctv), with image storage capability (such as link to an sd card) and linked to an infra-red PIR sensor to trigger the camera, when someone approaches the door.

Ideally this is going to be bought by relatives and law enforcement to be provided free, so price per unit must be low.

Sensor detection need only be 0-1 metre and the camera itself low tech, as it will only be couple of metres. It would need to refresh every few seconds when activated, so that several images of the offender could be obtained.

I know this sounds low tech, but once captured on one or more crime scenes, officers will be able to build strong cases against these people and put them away for a decent sentence. If they become widespread in use then you could even wipe out this type of crime, as they wont
be an "easy target" any more.

Pir's are available for low cost from China. I'm no expert, a complete newb to be honest and am struggling to do this on my own. Problems as I see it are with it needing to be small and easily mountable, so battery operated would be best, but then how to maintain the power to the pir so it can be immediately activated (rather than waiting for the circuit to power up and stabilize once triggered). I don't know If a solar cell could help, reliability etc. Hence I need your help.

With your expertise this could easily be achieved and you could actually rest easy, knowing you have genuinely made a difference.

Please spread the word, change the world.

how to build a witness camera
**broken link removed**






Best regards,
Peter

Peter, that's great thanks - didn't know how this'd come across. Just the problem with having it battery operated to solve. Ideally this needs to be as easy a set up as possible
so that it's implemented as widespread as possible. Please pass on to as many of your tech buddies as possible. Also need to find cheap
camera components, being a newb I've not had much luck, but since it literally only has to be the same as a camera from mobile phone
it must be sourceable at a low cost from someone in China etc, just don't know where to look.

In theory I would expect it to be only £1 / £2 at the most, with bulk buying reducing this further. I'd aim to produce the full unit for under £5
- £10.

Thanks for your help,
Nickoli

nickoli said:

Peter, that's great thanks - didn't know how this'd come across. Just the problem with having it battery operated to solve. Ideally this needs to be as easy a set up as possible
so that it's implemented as widespread as possible. Please pass on to as many of your tech buddies as possible. Also need to find cheap
camera components, being a newb I've not had much luck, but since it literally only has to be the same as a camera from mobile phone
it must be sourceable at a low cost from someone in China etc, just don't know where to look.

In theory I would expect it to be only £1 / £2 at the most, with bulk buying reducing this further. I'd aim to produce the full unit for under £5
- £10.

Thanks for your help,
Nickoli

Click to expand...

Hi Nickoli,

I'm not sure that this is possible to this as DIY with budget of £5, just ATMega32 is around 2,5eur at my place.

But check this ready device. Logs to SD card, start recording on movement,... Price is around 10eur.

**broken link removed**



Best regards,
Peter

Hey, thanks Peter. £5-10 is the ideal. Not remotely interested in a profit. Hoping it'll catch on and we can stop this sort of crime.
Any idea's re the charging up of the pir on the circuit? Or know people who might? Bit of a specialist area I think.
Cheers

nickoli said:

Hey, thanks Peter. £5-10 is the ideal. Not remotely interested in a profit.

Click to expand...

Recently I saw similar motion viodeo recorder such previous what I post but with access over GSM/GPRS/3G, and with alarm SMS,MMS,Call. But price was around 80-100eur.

nickoli said:

Hoping it'll catch on and we can stop this sort of crime.

Click to expand...

I'm affraid that todays thiefs takes even and CCTV and rest equipments. Its good to have one or more false cameras/sensors and true equipment should be hidden as possible including all cables and power supplies.

nickoli said:

Any idea's re the charging up of the pir on the circuit? Or know people who might? Bit of a specialist area I think.
Cheers

Click to expand...

I didnt understand what you try to ask in first sentence, can you elaborate more or on different way.



Best regards,
Peter

If a battery is used as a power source, it seems to take around 45 seconds to power up the circuit to be able to operate the PIR.

Nick

nickoli said:

If a battery is used as a power source, it seems to take around 45 seconds to power up the circuit to be able to operate the PIR.

Nick

Click to expand...

Often PIR sensors have determined inactive starting time which gives additional time to owner to quit from secured space before PIR sensor is armed. This is not linked with power source, and time can be adjusted in hardware or software.

I hope you dont expect thiefs in 45sec range, and before you leave space.



Best regards,
Peter

Hi, you're fortunate to not know how these thieves operate. They knock on an elderly or vulnerable persons front door pretending to be someone they can trust,
like gas engineer, police, water board etc. Then when they get let in, they rob the old person. It's vital their image is captured when they approach the door and
when they're stood there lying to the victim. Once the police have a few images of the same person doing the same thing they can put together a good case against
them. Thanks for your help, shame no one else seems to be interested. I'm a bit shocked no one else has thought it's a good thing to help.
Nick

nickoli said:

Hi, you're fortunate to not know how these thieves operate. They knock on an elderly or vulnerable persons front door pretending to be someone they can trust, like gas engineer, police, water board etc. Then when they get let in, they rob the old person. It's vital their image is captured when they approach the door and when they're stood there lying to the victim. Once the police have a few images of the same person doing the same thing they can put together a good case against them. Thanks for your help, shame no one else seems to be interested. I'm a bit shocked no one else has thought it's a good thing to help.
Nick

Click to expand...

One of solution of this is education of people. I will say what gas engineer, electrician,... wants on my door if I didnt call them? Without court writ they can go inside. I dont know how this things works in your country but this is pretty strange to let in some stranger which press my door bell and say I must to do something in your house. Without no immediate threat even police or firefighters should not pass door without court writ.

For that situation use good megapixel CCTV camera 0 lux, and put in front of house, CCTV recorder to record non stop 24h. Second one or several panic tasters in house with SMS, phone call and loud alarm siren.

I have GeoVision CCTV system on my building, and I several times catch thiefs in night work how trying to steal my car. I receive immediately SMS and email with screenshots of event on my phone, that there is movement in car area. They have hoods on heads, and camera cannot see their faces. When I turn lights they run, but when start to see recorded logs I saw their car which they use to drove into the parking lot. I call police and police catch both thiefs. They now waiting for court trial.



Best regards,
Peter