Mail Box Activity Monitor - MEGR 3171 Spring 2018

Using two photons, a PIR sensor, IFTTT, google sheets, and a piezo buzzer, mailbox activity will be monitored and homeowner notified.

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Mail Box Activity Monitor - MEGR 3171 Spring 2018

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Particle Photon

PIR Motion Sensor (generic)

Buzzer

Breadboard (generic)

Software apps and online services

IFTTT Maker service

Google Sheets

Story

Overview

Have you ever had an important piece of mail en route, and want to know when it is delivered? Maybe you've had to go out in the rain to check the mail, only to realize it has not yet arrived. With mail and package theft an ongoing problem, perhaps you would like to be notified when there is activity at your mailbox at an odd time? This project was designed to solve these issues. Using two Particle Photons, a PIR sensor, buzzer, and online services, you can now be notified when there is activity at your mailbox.

To detect motion, a PIR sensor was connected to a particle photon. When it senses motion, the photon publishes the event, 'Mail_Man'. Once published, an email alert is sent to the user, by the service IFTTT. IFTTT also sends this event data to a google sheet, where the data is graphed. Both photons are subscribed to each other and monitor events published.

The photon circuit with the PIR sensor is placed inside the mailbox, on a cardboard platform. When activity is detected, it publishes the event "Mail_Man", which sends an alert to the user. The second photon subscribes to the photon in the mailbox and when the event is published, its buzzer plays a tone, alerting those inside, that the mail has arrived. It also publishes the event "Received", when it sees that "Mail_Man" is published. When "Received" is published, the first photon flashes its LED at D7.

IFTTT Applets

Email Alert

1 / 2 • Google Sheets graph showing Date & Time the event Mail_Man was published

Link to Google Sheet

YouTube Video

*****NOTE: Due to the recent package bombings in Austin, TX, this project WAS NOT left in the mailbox while the mail man delivered mail. We didn’t want to scare him or have the bomb squad called out...

Code

int pirState = LOW;             //No motion detected
int val = 0;    
int inputpin = D0;             
int calibratetime = 5000;
int Mails_Here = 1;
int LED = D7;


void setup() {
pinMode(inputpin, INPUT);
pinMode(D7, OUTPUT);
Particle.subscribe("Received",Good_Receive, "2f0056000651353530373132");
}

 void Good_Receive(const char *event, const char *data){
        digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
        delay(1000);
        digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
        digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
        delay(1000);
        digitalWrite(LED, LOW);       
        digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
        delay(1000);
        digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
 }

void loop() {
    if (calibrated())
    {
    readthesensor();
    reportthedata();
    }}
    
void readthesensor() {
    val = digitalRead(inputpin);
    delay(10000);
}

bool calibrated() {
    return millis() - calibratetime > 0;
}

void reportthedata() {
    if (val == HIGH) {
        Mails_Here = Mails_Here;
        Particle.publish("Mail_Man", String(Mails_Here));
        delay(10000);
    }
    else if (val == LOW) {
        Mails_Here = 0;
    }
}