LCD Shield: Toolbox Alarm

Well I’m back. As you all know, I received my new Arduino and have been playing with it. I must admit having it not tied to a little robot is quite nice, so I haven’t put it on the bot yet. Instead I have been playing with my forgotten LCD shield from HobbyKing. Oh yes you say. I remember that one. Well I have been doing some more stuff with that and decided it’s time to share that with the world. Here it is.

            Today I will talk about the first project I embarked on. It is called the toolbox alarm. This project is a copy of a similar project that is used here at Tech in one of the classes. I just stole it and decided that if I’m going to do this stuff, I should be able to do the less interesting things too. Well I was a bit surprised. I actually found this project slightly fun.

Project Description: Create an alarm system for a toolbox. It should prompt for a 4 digit button sequence and then allow you an amount of time to close the lid. Next, a light sensor will read the light level. If the light level changes (ie. the toolbox is opened) the user will have a certain amount of time to re-enter the passcode before a buzzer sounds.

Well I should tell you that I did not do that. My alarm has no light sensor or buzzer. It just gives you a pat on the back if you get it right and an incorrect if you don’t. Basically, mine is completely useless as opposed to just extremely impractical.

Anyway, I really liked working on this. I got more accustomed making functions and such. The more time you spend looking at code and working on it the better.

I guess that’s about all I have for today. If you want the code I created, get it HERE. It’s free and all that jazz. Go forth and do with it what you wish. If you somehow find a way to make lots of money on it, send me a nice gift or something (I’m pretty confident that won’t happen). The video below is of it running.

            If you need the example code it is HERE. If you need to buy the LCD shield it is HERE. If you want my review of the LCD Shield it is HERE. I can’t think of anything else you’d want. You can find info on the LCD library on your own at arduino.cc.

            I have at least one more LCD shield project I will talk about soon as well as the return of the IMU (That is what I was working on when I fried my last board) and all the sonar sensor stuff. I can’t say which will be next. It depends on my mood. I hope you’ll check back in to see that. If you have any questions about this project, post in the comments or send me an email.

Matthew