DiyLightAnimation
Hardware => Other Projects => Topic started by: jwells on November 17, 2008,
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I am looking for feedback on how most of you are dealing with the placement of your controllers. Last year when I had SSR'4 and CAT 5 I was not too worried I had the 595 in the garage and ran the CAT5 out to the yard. This year with the Lynx I am not sure I want to put it out in the yard at a central point or run a LOT of extension cords out into the yard. I am going to eat two Lynx's with just the leaping arches and thinking of where to put the controllers and keep them safe. How are you guys planning on keeping them safe from the vandals ? what have you done in the past and did you have any problems. I already have security camera's up but it does me no good if they take stuff that I can't replace quickly and not likely to get back.
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I parked this on my dads front yard and have the turret set up to move a little every minute or so and for some reasons I have had no problems! LOL
OK so I didn't but it would be COOL!!!!!!!
I have not had an issue but others have so it varies from person to person on what to do about it. Alot of people tell me the motion lights are the best thing to put in.
RJ
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Well, my plan for this year is a frame made out of pressure treated wood that hold the enclosures vertical and is stacked in the ground with 2x2's. I will then padlock each individual enclosure. I am not worried about vandals because we live in a pretty save neighboor hood. I am also putting up "candy canes" that are striped with red duct tape and pounded into the ground and white lights strung between them that will be off/dim during the show but go infront and to the side of the yard.
Ben
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One trick I like to use.....
The Lynx enclosure has 4 mounting holes, I will use 4 different types of screws, and none of them will be phillips. I will use a #2 square head, 2 different size torx heads, and maybe a 5/16 hex head. then I might put one big screw through the inside of the enclosure so that you have to remove the cover to get to it.
Nobody is going to show up to your house in the middle of the night with all 4 of those types of bits. If someone is really determined, they'll still get what they want, or maybe come back later, better prepared. But this will stop kids, and take away the opportunity for the standard thief.
Kyle ;D ;D
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RJ You are a Man after my own heart a BIG YES to the Tank Love that idea. Of course my front yard is tiny so the tank will consume most of it. RJ where do you place your controllers ?
Kylec great idea on the different screw heads. I am just wondering how to secure it to the ground Metal Stakes ? Not sure whats the best way. Dig holes and pour concrete ? I like concrete but not sure the wife will go for it. If I drive posts into the ground I wont get them out very easily.
One idea I have is to build a box with a back door and make it look like a stack of presents "part of the display" and "hide" the controller's inside and somehow secure the box down maybe tent stakes ?
I may be too paranoid but we have kids in this neighborhood that look for anything to tear up for no reason at all.
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They are staked in the ground where ever I need them.
RJ
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RJ You are a Man after my own heart a BIG YES to the Tank Love that idea. Of course my front yard is tiny so the tank will consume most of it. RJ where do you place your controllers ?
Kylec great idea on the different screw heads. I am just wondering how to secure it to the ground Metal Stakes ? Not sure whats the best way. Dig holes and pour concrete ? I like concrete but not sure the wife will go for it. If I drive posts into the ground I wont get them out very easily.
One idea I have is to build a box with a back door and make it look like a stack of presents "part of the display" and "hide" the controller's inside and somehow secure the box down maybe tent stakes ?
I may be too paranoid but we have kids in this neighborhood that look for anything to tear up for no reason at all.
Well, I am going to take some PVC valve covers (the ones with the green tops) and bury some 1 1/2" PVC pipe 2 feet or so into the ground and I will mount a PVC and pressure treated frames with controllers on it. My boxes get screwed using the mounting holes and I padlock each one with a small padlock.
Ben
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BIG YES to the Tank Love that idea. Of course my front yard is tiny so the tank will consume most of it. /quote]
Couldn't you just put your lights on the tank, and the controllers inside? That way it can serve as a prop as part of your display, in addition to being your security system. :)
don
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In the interest of bumping the bump...
How many of you have lost a board to thieves? I figure they'd have no idea what they just got themselves into...
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My neighborhood has a LOT of teens in it and they vandalize stuff just for the heck of it. I am the HOA president and our security board member which by the way works for the bureau got hit fairly hard this past week as well. They trashed his Gemmy Christmas Tree new this year from Lowes and did other damage to his display. It may be just an issue where I live which is a large 500 home HOA and in a great area but kids are just kids a few rotten apples. I have to deal with their stuff on a weekly basis so I am just more "sensitive" about it. I ended up mounting the controllers to plywood then added 1/2 inch conduit to the backs slid that over re bar that was pounded into the ground and then used the pet corksrew and a cable that goes through the plywood. I am working on some coroplast Christmas gift boxes to go over the top to help keep the water off the controllers as well and to "hide" them and just make it look better overall.
I already have security camera's at my house I put those in last year for Halloween and "boyfriend" issues that happened to one of my daughters cars.
I really liked RJ's tank idea.
Jim
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In the interest of bumping the bump...
How many of you have lost a board to thieves? I figure they'd have no idea what they just got themselves into...
highly doubt it. If they can read they will see where the boards came from and probably learn here :-\
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So maybe we need (other than RJs tank or a machine gun nest on the roof) is an authorization key that is sent via DMX every so often that enables the PIC. Those of us with PIC programmers could choose our own. At least the hardware would be useless to a thief at least until they figured out how to reprogram the PIC.
Greg
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So maybe we need (other than RJs tank or a machine gun nest on the roof) is an authorization key that is sent via DMX every so often that enables the PIC. Those of us with PIC programmers could choose our own. At least the hardware would be useless to a thief at least until they figured out how to reprogram the PIC.
Greg
Devils advocate here, >:D buy a new pic :-\
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True enough but the thief would still need to program a PIC. Now suppose "someone" kept a master list of authorized owners of Lynx equipment and some attempts were made to control the firmware distribution only to the authorized owners.
Aw, I think I'll just continue using the fence charger to zap anyone attempting to futz with my gear. Thats sufficient for the casual thief, a more determined one will get the equipment no matter what a person might do to protect it.
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One trick I like to use.....
I will use 4 different types of screws, and none of them will be phillips. I will use a #2 square head, 2 different size torx heads, and maybe a 5/16 hex head. then I might put one big screw through the inside of the enclosure so that you have to remove the cover to get to it.
Nobody is going to show up to your house in the middle of the night with all 4 of those types of bits.
and take away the opportunity for the standard thief.
Kyle ;D ;D
i say the samething all the time, but i carry everything in my tool bag cause you don't know what you need working on something
James
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What has worked for me ... razor wire fence, it bloody well serves them right!
A few dead bodies in the yard ... "never hurts to show results"
A sign that says "Protected by Smith and Weston" you can only get away with this in the south.
High Voltage signs through the display. Normally serves to keep all but the Darwin Awards folks at bay. (this one actually works well for some folks)
The neighbors pitbull has the run of the display at night. He is grouchy if he gets woke up ... and don't you dare surprise him either. We keep him fairly well tranquilized during the day time
Lawn lights are a method I use to slow them down so I can use my tire iron on them .....
Taping razor blades to the controllers ... this has some obvious flaws in case YOU have to work on them ...
POP out snakes compressed into the enclosures ... old folks have a hard time with this one.
pound several rebar stakes throughout the yard, and lots of fishing line.
and My favorite is free DONUTS and coffee, and unlimited WIFI for the local law officials all night long ..
I really just stick them around the yard on stakes, if someone really wants them I am glad to help out ....
seriously I make a point of going to the Police head quarters and make sure that they all know that they are more then welcome to come by with a special invitation to them. I also DO supply coffee and donuts to them ... they often come by and do their paperwork and make themselves very visible. When they do come around I MAKE A special effort to go out and visit with them for a while. Almost every night we have a marked vehicle out on the street watching the light show.
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Last year I had someone steal a lighted reindeer so I took some small chain and ran it to the remaining 5 and zip tied the chain in two spots per deer and then zip tied the power cords to the chain and to each other. They can still be stolen, but the thief will certainly be slowed down. Most of my controllers were screwed to a board mounted to my front porch, but his year with more controllers and probably putting them out in the yard I'm think of more small chain and zip tying everything in reach together. I also have a big motion light covering the front yard which lights up everything.
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Mine is much like jnealand. But instead of small chain, I ran a single 16 AWG wire thru everything in a big loop. I drilled small holes thru my pvc and things. So the wire actual goes thru everything. On the few items I did not want to drill, I used small U-bolt cable clamps for steal cable. I run 12 vdc thru it and back to an ice cube relay. The relay is connected to my doorbell. So if anyone breaks or cuts that wire, my doorbell rings repeatedly. This year I got a big 8” fire alarm bell to use for it, so the neighbors and thief can hear it too. Just in case I am not at home. I don’t know if it worked, but no one has stolen anything since I started doing this. Maybe the neighborhood is just getting better.
This year with all of the controllers I am adding. I use the enclosure that RJ recommends; I will just run my alarm wire in one of the wire holes and out another.
Jeff