OK, ladies and gentlemen, put on your Thinking Caps...

Newfies note: this is NOT a cure for squeaks.

 

Hey! I like how this guy thinks!

Where's Scott?

 

Definitely sounds like a future candidate for the Darwin Award...

I was thinking about this while listeneing to the BBC this AM. THey were
talking about juvenile crime in Brazil.

THink of this: for every criminal that 'makes it' there are thousands that
don't, get sent to jail and get whatever they 'earned' from crime taken
away.

Then they get out and do it all over again. OK, some may live high on the
hog for a while, but sooner or later they're going to get caught and get
it all taken away again.

Jail sucks big time. Why not just get a job, never have to look over your
shoulder, and let the government take it away in taxes, anyway?

Wait a minute...I think I begin to see the incentive...

 

Isn't putting an alarm on a Mazda more like bringing a bazooka to a
shoving match?


Sorry, couldn't resist the temptation.

 

All I've read so far are questions about how the car owner would
switch an unidentified alarm system off and on. Since you are not
buying an off-the-shelf alarm what kind of alarm system are you
proposing. And more importantly how will the alarm be triggered by a
potential intruder.

 

I fondly remember back in the 1960's when my roomate bought a Honda 90
and was worried that someone might steal it. He actually did that for a
couple of nights though there was no Glock available. (Provided service
revolvers were locked away to prevent mischief). Quite a feat
considering that we lived on the third floor of a high rise...

JT

(Yep, the ol' Army days in DC)

 

Like I said in another post, I don't think they're after cars, they're
after wallets, electronics, etc. They've been into almost 100 cars in the
last three months.

I want to hear it so I can have them meet my Louisville Slugger...

 

It ain't the car I'm worried about...it was $150 (but it is a NICE car!)

I'm more worried about the JVC MP3 player and my *new* XM Receiver!

 

Why not just have a scr trigger from the interior light?
The scr will switch the horn relay to ground.
Door opens, light switch fires SCR, horn blows until someone turns off
the hidden (under dashboard or seat) switch, which breaks the circuit to
SCR. You could use a capacitor to give you a few seconds to leave or
enter the car.
After thinking about it, you may have to use a transistor to invert the
signal from the door switch. You could set up your delay with the
capacitor, resistor, to wait 10 or so seconds before firing the
transistor, which would then set the scr.
Back in the 70's when the price of gas was rocketing, people stealing
gas from your car at night became a common occurance.
I thought about attaching a small magnetic reed switch to the gas cap
cover that would do the same thing. Just never got around to doing it.
One guy I know wired a 120 volt hot wire to the frame of his car. I
wouldnt recommend doing this though, it could kill someone and give you
a manslaughter charge.
(I know, it shouldnt be against the law to kill a thief, but it is.)

 

All I want is something that will blow the horn, and maybe flash the
lights.

In it's simplest form, a switch mounted somewhere outside the car that
turns the system 'on' by providing a ground path for a relay. When someone
opens a door, the relay closes, current is passed to a flasher (like for
your turn signals) and then to the horn and headlight relays. Very simple.

Also, this is instantaneous. As soon as they open the door, the horn
starts. There is an 'always on' current source (courtesy lights) that do
not turn off when the dome light is turned off, so I intend to use this
for the 'trigger'.

 

Because this would blow the horn when *I* open the door. I leave at 1AM.
But I don't want a delay. A key switch with a cover outside would solve
this.

I like the way your friend thinks. Who cares if the theif gets fried?

Guess they must have shorted the battery somehow, officer!

 

looks to me like you have it all figured out. So why are you asking us this?
You know you could give away your secret device.
For instance, from this conversation thus far, if I were a crook, I
would know to look under the fender of your car for a keyswitch. Then
take a sharp chisel and hammer and shear the switch off, then cut the
wires to the switch, then get on with business as usual.
Sometimes the best intrusion device is to catch the crook offguard.
I kinda like the string tied to the toe suggestion. Ive heard it works
for napping while fishing too.

 

Basically, wanted to see if it was feasible. (If anyone would say, "I
wouldn't do that if I were you...").

I was an elec. tech for 19 years, and a geek for the past 15. I know my
way around a ckt or two...

As far as giving away a 'secret', if these guys even know what Usenet is,
I'd be surprised.

Either that, or they'd post a message like, "This is a great site!"

 

Newfies, eh? Where are YOU at?

 

At a safe distance, eh?

 

LOL! I'm actually from Mass, but I spent a lot of time in the Toronto area
back in the 80's. Love the place.

For some reason, the 'eh?' stuck...

 

I listen to their AM 740 every night at bedtime.

 

Youse meenz da joint doodookakakus usta run?

<G>

JT

 

dat be da place!

now, diz romney homey runnin' for prez.
I say, go da other way...

 

One of the reasons I left. (I used to live in RI).

Biggest complaint: Idiotic handgun policies for law abiding citizens.

Biggest hassle: High taxes and auto insurance rates

Biggest disappointment: Them thar' politicos keep on makin' the same
mistakes and the dumb public keep on electin' 'em!

Oh, and don't forget the copious amount of salt/chemicals used to de-ice
the roads and eat away on our cars. Which brings us to COLD winters
that are far too long.

Other than that, it's beautiful country...

JT

(It might be hot in the summer in TX, but that's why gawd invented A/C)