Meeting Notes October 31st, 2025
Discussion
- Needed range: 67 inches (1.7018 meters)
Pi’s:
- Pi 0: 5 volt limitation (without work around)
- Pi 4: bigger (heat issues), more expensive (dont have the budget for each step to have a Pi 4)
Sensors we have in house:
- Ultrasonic
- Con: Interference issues, doesn’t work with 0
- Pro: Plenty of range
- Analog distance Sensor
- Con: Needs an ADC (analog digital converter)
- Pro: Enough range (barely)
- Time of flight
- Con: Slightly more expensive, not enough range
- Pro: N/A not enough range to consider (works with Pi 0)
- Beam break sensor
- Con: Not enough range
- Pro: N/A not enough range to consider
- IR Trip Sensor
- Con: Not nearly enough range
- Pro: N/A not enough range to consider
- Infrared-red trig
- Con: Not enough range, also analog
- Pro: N/A not enough range to consider
Not in house:
- Radar/microwave sensors
- Con: Requires to much power
- Pro: Enough range
- Garage door sensor
- Con: High voltage requirements (works with power workaround)
- Pro: Enough range
Key Decisions
- Learned we do not have the supplies in house to make a working prototype