Automated my blender to keep my cats out of unwanted areas.

[johndimo]

Hey all, new to this forum and new to the picaxe line of chips. I been reading on here for a few weeks and doing research to fix my issues with the cats getting on my counter tops. I needed to find a way to keep them off, especially when I'm not around. After reading about how easy it was to program these chips (last time I did any microcontroller programming was in college learning assembly language on motorola chips), I decided to implement my own solution.

So the basic rundown is that my cheapo blender can be activated rather easily. A simply normally open relay wired into the blender to close the circuit between the ac power and the motor. A motion sensor as an input source and a picaxe in between to handle everything else.

Part 1 of my project is on my blog here, Part 1, and part 2 (with a video of it in action) is here, Part 2

Here's the schematic I of the circuit I built.

Here is a shot of it where it is currently sitting. It works so well on the counter, I decided to put it under the Christmas tree to keep the cats out.

And last but not least, the simply program I threw together.

init:
symbol relayout = 2		; Set pin 2 as an output with name 'relayout'
symbol prox = pin3		; Set pin 3 as in input with name 'prox'
for b1 = 1 to 15			; Loop that creates a 30 second delay
	pause 2000		; so that the proximity sensor can initialize
next b1

main:				; Main program code to watch for movement
	if prox = 0  then goto alarm	; If there is movement launch the alarm subroutine
	goto main

alarm:				; The alarm subroutine
	high relayout		; Turn on the blender
	pause 2300		; Wait 2.3 seconds
	low relayout		; Turn off the blender
	pause 5000		;Wait 5 seconds to give cats time to run away
	goto main			; Go back to the begining

Looking forward to building more gadgets!

 

[fernando_g]

This project would be an ideal candidate for "Pavlovian conditioning" your cats, with a very simple code change.
When a cat intrusion is detected, power up another, less disturbing stimuli for a pair of seconds before actually enabling the blender. It could be a small chime or a light.

Then, after sufficient conditioning, whenever the cats listen to the chime, they will run away -the blender will no longer be needed. No noisy blender startling you up in the middle of the night.

What did you use as a PIM sensor??

 

[papaof2]

Nice use of an 08 chip.

I'm much more low tech in cat training - a folded newspaper to swat with and a firm, loud "No!". Did it once on our cat when I caught him on the kitchen table. For the next 14 years he never got on another table unless he needed attention - as in "I gotta go out", when he would jump up on an end table and immediately get back down.

I never foud any hair in places he shouldn't be so he apparently remembered even when there was no one in the house to remind him.

Maybe cats are like dogs, in that they obey the "alpha male"? If so, guess I was the alpha cat ;-)

John

 

[johndimo]

Nice use of an 08 chip.

I'm much more low tech in cat training - a folded newspaper to swat with and a firm, loud "No!". Did it once on our cat when I caught him on the kitchen table. For the next 14 years he never got on another table unless he needed attention - as in "I gotta go out", when he would jump up on an end table and immediately get back down.

I never foud any hair in places he shouldn't be so he apparently remembered even when there was no one in the house to remind him.

Maybe cats are like dogs, in that they obey the "alpha male"? If so, guess I was the alpha cat ;-)

John

That works for me as well, but not when I'm home. Cat's can associate very well. So if you're doing the punishment, they associate it with you. In some cases the cat can resent you for that. Makes him more prone to biting you. Also means its fare game to do whatever they want when you're not around and that's when the most damage occurs.

When I came home one day and found an entire roll of paper towel rolled out over the kitchen floor, that was the tipping point, lol.

Now they associate the punishment with the blender, which is vigilant and offers 24/7 monitoring. So now that hate the blender and not me.

 

[johndimo]

This project would be an ideal candidate for "Pavlovian conditioning" your cats, with a very simple code change.
When a cat intrusion is detected, power up another, less disturbing stimuli for a pair of seconds before actually enabling the blender. It could be a small chime or a light.

Then, after sufficient conditioning, whenever the cats listen to the chime, they will run away -the blender will no longer be needed. No noisy blender startling you up in the middle of the night.

What did you use as a PIM sensor??

Very interesting concept, I like it! I may have to consider that for the next revision.

As for the PIR sensor, I used one I found at sparkfun. http://www.sparkfun.com/products/8630

EDIT: I guess I made a typo in the schematic. Should be PIR and not PIM. Oops.

 

[papaof2]

So now that hate the blender and not me.

Not a problem with that cat. He wanted lap time and although he was "the kids' cat", he gravitated to my lap; plus he was a junk food junkie - if I ate anything salty/crunchy he wanted some and would poke the side of my leg and speak ("Meow") until I shared with him.

Animals have personalities just like people...

John