My latest cool DIY automation idea

"Robert Green" wrote in news:6sSdnQbgStloYDPZnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@rcn.net:

What brand? Where to buy? What is the measurement? How much?

TIA, Jo

I bought my roll of pressure mat quite some time ago locally but I see similar items at online alarm sites that are made by USP. Search on 'USP pressure mat.' The prices are *much* higher than what I think I paid (about

45 bucks), but I think the USP stuff is better than what I bought. If you look around, you can probably find something cheaper.

IIRC, it was about 25' long and wide enough to cover an average stair tread, about 30" wide. I'll look for any identifying marks on the edge. It's really simple. There are clicker type snap metal band switches along every few inches and leads that run like a ladder out of the sides. You can get by with much less than a foot of the stuff for each door side so you can do quite a bit of sensoring with a 25' roll.

IIRC, I bought the pet immune variety which takes a bit more pressure than the normal stuff. Fifty plus pounds, I think, but that's turned out to be a problem under thick carpets. A child or small person often won't register. Hard to use on tile and hardwood, too. I'd have bought a roll of both pet immune and normal had I known about the carpets and how much another roll would cost in 2006! I'd put the normal stuff under thick carpets and the pet immune stuff under thinner material.

FWIW, I bought it along with a roll of window foil - that gives you some idea of how long ago it was. I think it might have been before the advent of PIRs. (-: I believe it was around 1982 or so.

If you want me to snap a picture and mail it to you or post it somewhere, let me know. It's just clear poly that's been heat sealed so as to encapsulate each switch "rung" so it won't move around or get dirt between the sensing elements.

-- Bobby G.

Some pictures would be great, I have never seen that stuff myself before. Like some posts before, I'll try my occupancy detecting using only PIR and the result is not very good (wave hand 8)).

TIA, Jo

ps: oops... almost forgot... Email to utomow at gmail dot com

It will take a day or so, but I'm happy to oblige . . .

-- Bobby G.