Re: Deer camera for cars?

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Nick Hull" <nhull@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:nhull-

<stuff snipped>

> > Reliable automobile sensing almost always seems to be done by buried
> > sensors.  I've had my X10 Hawkeyes detect moving cars from 50 feet
away -
> > but not reliable.  Many cars scooted by undetected for reasons I never
> > bothered to ascertain.  Maybe only well-warmed up cars triggered the
PIR.
> > I'd look toward putting the sensor about a foot off the ground and very
> > close to the roadway.  A car's exhaust system and engine will be the
warmest
> > parts and they're down below.  Try keeping the sensor pointed north so
that
> > you minimize direct sunlight exposure.
> >
> > What kind of sensor is it?
>
> PIR, "1.3 Megapixel".  I had the sensor low and the cars warm, but my
> Saturn was never able to trigger it.  I did get ONE shot of the rear of
> my wife's Caravan, presumably trigerred by the exhaust.

Still not sure what you're using in the way of PIR but the battery-powered
Hawkeyes from X-10 would be certain to detect warm vehicles from 10 feet
away.

www.Smarthome.com offers a wide variety of driveway sensors and alerts.
Perhaps the manuals for their PIR models might give better ideas about
placing the sensor you have to maximize detection.

A good outdoor PIR has a lot of features that take into account the ultimate
location and environment of the unit.  Here are some specs for the outdoor
PIR that I use, which so far has not been triggered by squirrels or cars -
just people::

http://www.optexamerica.com/products/specsheets/lx40.cfm

Show me where you have the detector set now, with C being where I would
place it - it should be close enough that car would fill the entire
field-of-view of the sensor.

'_' = 10 feet

                C
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Roadway
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


What's the ambient temperature at the sensor?  Is it possible the deer
trigger the unit only after multiple "counts?"  If that's the case, it's
going to be difficult to trigger on a car unless it stops to munch on your
shrubs.   You might be able to tell by looking at the existing deer pictures
to see if they are just entering the frame or already dead center when the
camera trips.

--
Bobby G.