Calc Guardian

[Mike_k]

I found a window alarm thing at walgreens today. It senses movement and vibration, Im planning on hooking it up to some internal small AAA size batteries. Heres the general idea, when it senses movement, a connection is made between the buzzer and the batteries. I unhooked the buzzer, and took the wire, attached them to the appropriate place on my linkport. The result, when the calc is tilted, it "sets" one of the wires on the linkport as high until I switch the thing off (still working on a way to turn "high" off internally, or keychain, etc.; right now, i just flip a switch i've soldered on) The calc automatically turns on when the linkport is set high, and I have an appvar on startup that checks the linkport for "high" for about 1 second, if it is high each loop, then it consideres the calc stolen, and sets the other line as high, which is connected to a loud buzzer.

[DISADVANTAGES];
1) linkport doesnt work with cord, luckily I have an 84 so Ive got a USB one too
2) (related to number one) If I turn the alarm hardware off, the calc app is still running, and messes up transmissions between computer --> calc and calc --> calc

[DigiTan]

Not a bad idea! Have an app be kind of like an 'ignition kill switch' they put in cars...but for calcs. If USB is as easy to trigger as the normal GreyLink, it should work out.

[Toksyuryel]

Thank you for not supporting an evil corperation with aspirations of being the only store you buy things from. Oh wait.

[Mike_k]

but I was at walGREENS
They are different :lol:

Oh, and USB has 4 different wires, a red, white, black, and yellow I think (I did some modding from my xbox controller, which is USB) So whenever TI releases the information on how to control the USB port, we could do more stuff. I also though about the app, another problem is if you put it into the startup appvar, whenever you turn on your calc it would sound. Im not the best with hooks, but I'd need to find information on how exactly the link hook works, and general info about it.

[Brazucs]

I'm pretty sure ticalc has a bunch of schematics for link cables. Check those out: they might help.

[DigiTan]

Aahhhhh!!! Dead thread revival!!!!

Okay, I know its been a long time, but the Calc Guardian project is finally coming to a climax. I managed to order a set of wafer-thin buzzers from up north that will easily fit inside a calculator. I haven't tested them yet, but from their look these things are plenty loud (not bowel-shakingly, ear-splittingly loud, but loud enough).

The large version (SafeGuard) of Calc Guard is already programmed and only needs to be fitted together. Currently these are the features:

Sensor
The alarm is shock-sensitive. Any shaking or tilting sets it off.

Infra-red controls
After pressing the "wakeup" key, you can arm the SafeGuard by infrared remote. Since it uses an industry-standard protocol, you can arm/disarm it with any Phillips TV remote. The disarming code is 6 digits long, but that can be increased to 120 digits. Max range is 20 feet indoors. Minimum range is 6 inches.

Password Protection
The on-chip password is completely protected from viewing once the Guard is programmed. Rewriting is also disallowed. Once it's in, changing the password requires a total chip erase. The IR password is not encrypted, but unless some password cracker is really out to get you, there's no worry.

Interface
Just the basics here. 1 wakeup key. And one white LED blinks every 4 seconds to remind you when it's armed.
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I guess the next step is to do an ASM program for non-remote password entries. I'll have more time to finish thing up after the exams are done. Check for it around Christmas time.

[DigiTan]

Okay, the Calc Guardian's gone a little slow last fall, but a few hundred root beer cans later, I've finally got the prototype.



...this is the larger "SafeGuard" version of what will go in the calc. Even with a small battery, it's just as loud as any smoke alarm. The calc version isn't quite as loud, but if nothing else, it's annoying. Both are triggered by vibration and angle, so it'll be hard to mess with them without attracting attention. I got some new stuff shipped in from a forum buddy in Canada (free of charge), so now you can more or less custom the alarm properties (maybe play the theme to "Cops" or something). More updates on the way.

[kalan_vod]

You realize what this could become? You could possibly sell this to TI or some other company, which will then be used in classroom calcs!

[Radical Pi]

*get a patent on that, sell the patent to TI, have your name in the credits for the TI-87 (or whatever else they make next)

[IAmACalculator]

(I know I'd buy something like that...) *koff, koff* Nah. Not TI-87. Maybe the Voyage 400, or a TI-89 Titanium Plus Silver Edition, though.

[Radical Pi]

87 would be the start of a new series, the protected calc series!
Then it would be ported a Voyage 2K.

And everyone knows the next TI-89 will be gold-plated.

[DigiTan]

I wish I could patent it. But those things can cost $10,000 nowadays. Actually, I sort of stole the idea from those alarms stores like Best Buy stick to their high-end items. I don't know how those work exactly, but I'm betting they're pretty similar.

[Radical Pi]

So ask TI if they're interested before you get a patent, and only get a patent if TI will buy it for more than you spend.

[?]Would this type of business work in the real world[/?]

[stranger]

Idea: Create the APP, format it similar to the LOGIN APP, (which by the way, I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT ITS PURPOSE!!!) include it on a mini-CD or something, and include the 4- or 5- key remote thing that was mentioned earlier.

The APP will have a screen with, say, four blanks. The digits are entered, perhaps on the calc's numpad, or even on the remote, then ARM is selected (F1 or something). From there, if the alarm goes off, link it directly to the APP (namely, perhaps, LOCKDOWN, LOCK, ALARM, etc. ) From there, simply enter the four digit code, and make it unexitable so that if it were stolen, it would be useless because the alarm is blaring and you can't change the screen.

Great Ideas, guys, I actually think about like you. I got a TI-84+ SE for Christmas, and formatted a combination lock that would ask for three numbers, and if any one was wrong, it starts over. Great annoyance for my friends... until they figured out that you can quit it... :dry:


By the way, don't limit your outlook to just TI, there are a lot of potential customers out there.

[Iambian]

Never seen anything like it. A just over two year necropost. I'm sorry, but I just *had* to point that out.

After all that time, exactly how is this project going, or has it been going at all ?

[DigiTan]

I haven't worked on it much lately, but I did correct a minor design flaw in an unrelated project. As soon as I find a company that makes cheap circuit boards, I might update the design. If so, I'd probably switch over from these mercury-free tilt switches to actual accelerometers. Some of them are sensitive to say--go off if the calc is moved X number of feet in any direction.