Arduino Snail Mail Notifier

My mailbox is across the street from my house because our mailmen don't walk door-to-door, so I never know when the mail is delivered. Sometimes, I'm waiting for something and I'd really like to know when it arrives. I got my first Arduino last week, and thought it might be a neat toy project to build a notifier that would tell me when the mail is delivered.

It's designed to live inside the mailbox (I have a big one) and detect changes in the ambient light level. When the mailbox is opened, it triggers a wireless doorbell transmitter, ringing the house's doorbell and letting me know the mail's there.

Step 1 Get the stuff.

Things you'll need:
-Arduino (I used an Uno)
-9V battery pack
-Breadboard/Prototyping shield
-Wireless doorbell transmitter
-Transistor (I used an IRF510 MOSFET from RadioShack)
-Photoresistor

not pictured:
-10k resistor
-jumper wires for breadboard

Comments

[Roby91]

Nice Project!

In case someone may be interested, here my Arduino Facebook Notifier project:


http://rosafante.altervista.org/arduino-facebook-notifier/

[DillyDog]

Hi gwrome

Been thinking about this for some time, and it seems that you are wasting the power and the versatility of the arduino.
Why not use a tilt switch or micro switch on the mailbox and have the transmitter send a signal to the receiver of the doorbell which is in turn connected to the arduino. You would then only need one power source in the mailbox. You would then have the arduino in the house where you can power it from a 'wall wart' psu. attach an LCD display, have it tweet you when the mailman has been etc.

Just my 2 cents

Dillydog

[Sir Calidus]

Hey Gwrome - LOVE your Instructable! It has inspired me.

I, too, live far from my mail box and the mailman seems to alter when he delivers the mail each day - and there is no way to know when he has delivered the mail - so I want one of these gadgets.

However, I am learning how to use the Arduino not to ring a bell, but to inform me on a display - time and date the mailbox was opened (with the use of an LDR) - as well and store each past delivery time and date, so I can create a more approximate time and date.

Can you or anyone help me with how to make the Arduino talk to the display?

Thanks All - and keep making! C

[A.C.E.]

Will you be using an lcd display? If so, there is the liquidcrystal library, and there are various lcd screens on adafruit you can use, but if you want the screen to be wireless then im not sure what to do.. Bluetooth probably wont reach, maybe you could use wifi?

[Ugifer]

I put an e-bay wireless doorbell on my daughter's play-house. When the transmitter battery went, it would cost more to replace than the original price of the bell! As a result, I just soldered a pp3 battery clip on the transmitter and it worked fine. Haven't tried to test the range, however. Play house is only about 6' wide!

If you are powering your Ardu' off a 9v battery then I would try using that for the transmitter too. Might very well work.

[Ugifer]

Nice project BTW - great way to add a remote effect to your Arduino at minimal cost. I'm sure I will be using this for something (laser tripwire anyone?)

[batman96]

Actually the little transmitters work just fine off of 9 volts, a little shorter range, but it is what the little battery puts out after a couple of months of use, so it works just fine, I converted my doorbell do us a nine volt stuffed behind the J channel where you can't see it and it runs way longer than those expensive little batteries.

Batman

[kInstructor]

Hi gwrome,

nice project!
Hopefully your mailman didn't thought it was a bomb. :D