1 year, 8 months ago
email door contact closure
I am looking for a simple way to monitor the doors in my house and to send me an email when one is opened. I could use wired or wireless door contacts. I'm just not sure how to put it all together.
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M$1 Answer
The common sensor for telling if your doors or windows are opened is called a reed switch. Inside is a bendable metal reed which is pulled toward a metal contact to complete the circuit if there is a magnet nearby. You attach the switch to your door frame and a magnet to the door, or vice versa. These come in a stick on the outside style or a version which neatly embeds into a drilled hole.
You can wire this directly to one of the buttons on a computer gamepad. All good nerds know about this website as a source of cheap and tacky chinese crap:
http://www.dealextreme.com
They can sell you a wired gamepad for $10ish or a wireless one for $20ish.
It really is that simple! There is your entire hardware interface... a switch wired to a gamepad plugged into your computer.
Now in software you need to convert a joypad button press event into sent email. Your options here are pretty endless and depend on what you feel most comfortable with.
If it was me I would write a program in Visual Studio to do this. There is plenty of sample source code for every language demonstrating how to read from game devices and other source for sending emails. Just mash the two together.
Another way would be to use the free essential pocket knife software Autohotkey. This software allows you automate tasks in windows by scripting your own macro routines. It can receive input from all your devices including gamepads. It can also simulate keyboard presses etc.
http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/topic38105.html
http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26104&highlight=email
http://justanasterisk.com/autohotkey-command-line-gmail-ahk-script/
http://lifehacker.com/5190601/email-yourself-reminders-from-launchy
You can wire this directly to one of the buttons on a computer gamepad. All good nerds know about this website as a source of cheap and tacky chinese crap:
http://www.dealextreme.com
They can sell you a wired gamepad for $10ish or a wireless one for $20ish.
It really is that simple! There is your entire hardware interface... a switch wired to a gamepad plugged into your computer.
Now in software you need to convert a joypad button press event into sent email. Your options here are pretty endless and depend on what you feel most comfortable with.
If it was me I would write a program in Visual Studio to do this. There is plenty of sample source code for every language demonstrating how to read from game devices and other source for sending emails. Just mash the two together.
Another way would be to use the free essential pocket knife software Autohotkey. This software allows you automate tasks in windows by scripting your own macro routines. It can receive input from all your devices including gamepads. It can also simulate keyboard presses etc.
http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/topic38105.html
http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26104&highlight=email
http://justanasterisk.com/autohotkey-command-line-gmail-ahk-script/
http://lifehacker.com/5190601/email-yourself-reminders-from-launchy
source(s):
Visions received while attaching car jumper cables to my nipples
Visions received while attaching car jumper cables to my nipples
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
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