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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Have been asked to pertake in Laser trip wire project






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Yes they are well aware of the rain or depress tripping the system.
Again, snow wont be a problem because the system wont be on in the winter.

That is why I was thinking to either use multiple beams or beam expanders and multiple
detectors. That way small objects like insects and raindrops would be filtered out. In heavy
rain you would still have a problem.
 
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That is why I was thinking to either use multiple beams or beam expanders and multiple
detectors. That way small objects like insects and raindrops would be filtered out. In heavy
rain you would still have a problem.

Ya either way in heavy rain its just got going to work which is expected.
I think I would have to go with multiple beams.

I did some research on this DPSS laser diode and still trying to do some more research on them just to understand them.

So far what ive gathered is that there low power consumption. But not really seeing information of life span or whats so different about them from other diodes.

Or maybe Im just not understanding it.

Also I found this site for mirrors to use. Anyone have any good sources for these mirrors?
 
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Trevor

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This would probably work better with some off-the-shelf motion detectors.

Eventually you're going to pound this square peg hard enough that the corners shear off and it goes into the round hole - but why not start with a round peg? :eek:

Or an octagon at the very least...?

Trevor
 
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What about LEDs and retroreflectors?

The retroreflectors will allow you to put the LED and sensor power and circuits and sensors all in one spot, while just having to bolt a piece of plastic to the opposite end of the sense line segment. They will also keep you from having to align things as precisely, i.e. you could use zip ties or self-tapping screws to mount the thing, instead of fancy fine-tune 2-axis mounts

Just trying to throw some ideas into the fray ;-)

edit:

...and you're gonna have a bad time.
Reminded me of this clip:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/153300/thumper-the-super-cool-ski-instructor
 
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Why wont a good old fashioned electric fence work??

Michael.

op.. don't take things as a negative. Yes this is a laser forum, it does not mean that every project is ideal for a laser. Also, there are really educated people in this thread that can really help you, but you need to provide as much information as possible.
Try to understand, that just because somebody isn't sugarcoating their response to you, that there is condescension in the undertone.

Good luck
MIchael.
 
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Why wont a good old fashioned electric fence work?

Yeah, or a guy with a shotgun. Does your grant money cover an $800 NV rifle scope?

Seriously though I bet there is a stipulation that he doesn't get his grant money unless this is
a system that uses lasers. No money, no food, etc.
 
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Yeah, or a guy with a shotgun. Does your grant money cover an $800 NV rifle scope?

Seriously though I bet there is a stipulation that he doesn't get his grant money unless this is
a system that uses lasers. No money, no food, etc.

Shotguns work great. But no one wants to stay up 24/7 with a gun waiting.
And there trying to come up with a humane way of keeping animals out for the community.

Electric fence will work great but first off they could jump the fence (they will see a fence, not a laser)

Second is an electric fence can cost thousands of dollars to put around acres of land. Being that a light can travel so far and precise, you can cover a large area with just 2 lasers.

so far I've quoted out the project to be around $900
 
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And what about the sprinklers? Can those reach as far as the light can?
 
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Why do you want to keep it to one laser and one sensor? If you had 4 sensors and 4 lasers you could use lower power and you wouldn't have the nightmare of aligning the whole system. Then you could hook up each segment to it's own sprinklers. That way not all of them would go off all at once. As a fail safe you could also have your system shut down one side if it is tripped for 5 continuous minutes then set to reset once the photo detector sees the laser again.
 
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Electric fence will work great but first off they could jump the fence (they will see a fence, not a laser)

from what I've seen on discovery channel, many different animals can see many different colors we cant.

michael
 
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Why do you want to keep it to one laser and one sensor? If you had 4 sensors and 4 lasers you could use lower power and you wouldn't have the nightmare of aligning the whole system. Then you could hook up each segment to it's own sprinklers. That way not all of them would go off all at once. As a fail safe you could also have your system shut down one side if it is tripped for 5 continuous minutes then set to reset once the photo detector sees the laser again.

I never said i wanted to keep it to one sensor and laser? I plan on using at least 2 if not more.
 
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Sorry, I meant one "unit" if you will. Bouncing a laser off 3 mirrors and back into the same box will require quite a bit of aligning and a break on the east perimeter would trigger the whole system. You could alleviate the aligning headache and make it a bit more efficient by using 8 lower powered lasers (2 per side assuming a quadrilateral field) and having them aimed at a photo detector directly. This would however require buried lines.

Just a thought, but how often would the field be checked? The housing windows will need periodic cleanings.

I don't want you to think that I'm bashing the project, I know that you didn't chose the project and truth be told I love the idea of it. I am thinking of a similar set up for my house to cover windows and door ways. Although I think I'll skip the sprinkler system ;)
 
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What would you consider as a cheaper alternative to a lower powered laser for this is I was to use a multiple system.

I know the aligning thing will be very painful and plus with all the mirrors I would have to use to get it working properly will be just "oh so fun"

I would like to find the most efficient way of doing this!

Now you said a break on the perimeter would trigger the whole system which is what Im wanting, but nor trip because of the aligning of coarse.

Buried lines wouldn't be an issue. I will have to bring it up to the guys in charge to see what they think for sure, but it shouldn't be a problem.

We this project will be a 2 year long project. So the field will be checked quite often. Every other day at least.

Hey no problem. Ill accept all feedback. I just got into lasers a year and a half ago so I'm still learning a lot.

Oh come on, a little water in the house wont hurt :beer:

Are there any other options for lasers besides the DPSS setup? (Just want to look at all possible ideas for diodes)
Just looking for one that can stay on through out the night and the diode its self will last a decent amount of time.

Sorry, I meant one "unit" if you will. Bouncing a laser off 3 mirrors and back into the same box will require quite a bit of aligning and a break on the east perimeter would trigger the whole system. You could alleviate the aligning headache and make it a bit more efficient by using 8 lower powered lasers (2 per side assuming a quadrilateral field) and having them aimed at a photo detector directly. This would however require buried lines.

Just a thought, but how often would the field be checked? The housing windows will need periodic cleanings.

I don't want you to think that I'm bashing the project, I know that you didn't chose the project and truth be told I love the idea of it. I am thinking of a similar set up for my house to cover windows and door ways. Although I think I'll skip the sprinkler system ;)
 
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-What would you consider as a cheaper alternative to a lower powered laser for this is I was to use a multiple system.

Well there are several low powered diodes available but the problem with low powered diodes is they aren't tested quite as extensively and their quality is often questionsable

I know the aligning thing will be very painful and plus with all the mirrors I would have to use to get it working properly will be just "oh so fun"
I would like to find the most efficient way of doing this!
-Now you said a break on the perimeter would trigger the whole system which is what Im wanting, but nor trip because of the aligning of coarse.

I was just thinking that as a fail safe it might be desireable for one section to stop while leaving the other 3 (assuming a quadrilateral field) still operable. Imagine a bag blows into the path of the beam and you have the whole system running for 8 hours!

Buried lines wouldn't be an issue. I will have to bring it up to the guys in charge to see what they think for sure, but it shouldn't be a problem.
We this project will be a 2 year long project. So the field will be checked quite often. Every other day at least.
Hey no problem. Ill accept all feedback. I just got into lasers a year and a half ago so I'm still learning a lot.
-Oh come on, a little water in the house wont hurt :beer:

You know, a high power jet of water coming down from the roof / overhang would be a great deterrent

-Are there any other options for lasers besides the DPSS setup? (Just want to look at all possible ideas for diodes)
-Just looking for one that can stay on through out the night and the diode its self will last a decent amount of time.

I wouldn't use a DPSS laser for this just because they are temperature sensitive and finicky. I just ran the math and you might want to think about a system that allows for easy diode swapping. you are asking that a diode be run for hours and hours at a time for a total of 8,760 hours (based on 12 hour nights for 2 years) It might be beneficial to just use low quality diodes and expect that they will burn out and just have them "plug and play" by implementing a male & female jack.

Another alternative is to use a lab style laser. These will cost a bit more but hey, you've got grant money right? :beer:

As for not wanting an animal to see the laser you could just use a tube that extends a few inches from the emitter and receiver ends. This will help hide the splash crated from the light hitting the glass, and will help keep dirt / dust from collecting.
 
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Thanks for that feedback.

As far as the laser its self, originally I wanted to use 2 high powered lasers that would go around a whole acre using mirrors that would bounce back to the main box containing sensors. These would have to be more powerful lasers and a DPSS cost anywhere from $150 and up for each!. I don't want to have to buy 12 or more of those. The other reason for the project is to make this system as economical as possible which i know is saying a lot these days. That's why were getting the grant to try out a few ideas.:D

Now to answer your question about the system being fun for 8 hours or so from a bag setting the system off. There will be a timer incorporated into the system to have the "defensive" system run for 5 or 10 minutes. So if a leaf or bag or what ever trips it, that's fine. Were aware of something like that happening and its nature, we cant stop it all.

Might have to bring up the high power water system because for some reason, I dont think a simple sprinkler system will scare off animals that easily.

I like the idea of being able to plug and play. I did have thought of that because i know laser diodes dont last forever so there would have to be a simple way of swapping them out.

Honestly Im not to worried about an animal seeing the laser. If they can see it, and it scares them off well then the laser system works lol:D

im going to draw up my plans of how Im going to house the lasers so you can see what Im going to be using.

So what type of cheapish (but not to cheap) diode could be used that will last awhile?
 




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