Red Alert

The system involves hacking a garage door, microwave, and smoke alarm using python, Arduino, and circuits to set off a sprinkler, alert a phone, and open the garage door, all from a smoke detector.

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Inspiration

Before the hackathon Marcus and Alex Francisco were building a welder from a microwave and we thought it was extremely dangerous. So we decided to create something that would make sure that if there were to be a fire it would be dealt with the right way. We also thought that it would be very easily distributed into many households and is a cheaper system that those that are commercially available as well as being expandable.

What it does

When a smoke detector detects a fire, a garage door will open, the owner will be notified, and a sprinkler system will be activated.

How I built it

Using a smoke detector, Arduino, motors, and Twilio API. The Arduino was wired to the smoke detector to read the voltages received by the smoke detector's buzzer. When it detected an increase in voltage, the Arduino would activate a motor which initiated the sprinkler system and opened the garage door. Additionally, the Arduino sent data to an external machine running a python script. This script would wait to receive data from the Arduino port and then sent a text message to the owner using the Twilio API.

Challenges I ran into

Wiring the smoke detector's buzzer to the Arduino was difficult due to smoke alarms complexity. We also had to deal with having water near sensitive electronic equipment. Along with attempting to setup a feed back system from the user to interact with the device from their phone.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Wiring a smoke detector to an Arduino, being able to problem solve on the fly due to various problems we encountered, experimented with systems that were new to us.

What I learned

Inner workings of a smoke detector Inner workings of a microwave How to use an Arduino Basics of Azure In a pinch a leaf blower is an excellent way to dry off circuitry.

What's next for Red Alert

Azure support Expand to commercial use Carbon Monoxide detection User Interface Feedback monitored arc welding Water proofed parts

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