I am working with a group of students who are competing in a STEAM Tank Challenge. They want to create a mailbox that will send a message to their phone or email when something is placed inside the mailbox. We were thinking that a pressure sensor inside the mailbox would be a place to start. We are unsure, however, how to get the sensor’s message to a phone or computer without hard wire. If anyone could give us some ideas on how to tackle this challenge, we would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you for sending the example. My school district is willing to purchase the items necessary for this project from your company, but we are not sure of all the components. If you could help me to know what to order, I will have our curriculum secretary order them right away. Our competition is at the end of October, so we need to move quickly. I am sorry for the delay in replying. I have been working with some friends to help us decipher the directions you sent.
Thank you,
Cathy Grant
STEAM Teacher
Stafford Intermediate School
First, you will need the part that will detect the mail when placed into the mailbox. The simplest and most straight-forward solution is probably to use a micro switch. Depending on the dimensions that you envision for the mailbox, you can use more than one micro switch per mail box.
For example, this SPDT Roller Lever Micro Switch (2pk).
You will also need a microcontroller board and a GSM module. You can use an Arduino UNO Board as microcontroller. It’s probably the most popular microcontroller board, so you can easily find examples and sample codes online.
We unfortunately don’t offer the exact same GSM shield/module used in the tutorial we sent, but you should be able to use any Arduino UNO compatible GSM shield/module. For example, you can use this SIM800F GPRS / GSM Shield.
Then, you will need an appropriate power supply to power your setup. We assume that the mailbox is not accessible to a wall power plug to use a wall power adapter. Therefore, you can either use this Battery Holder - 4xAA Flat with 4 x AA Batteries or a rechargeable battery pack as LiPo Pack. For example, this 7.4V, 1000mAh, 5C LiPo Battery that you can charge using this 7.4V Lipo Battery Charger.
You will also need some M/M Jumper Wires to make the necessary connections between the micro switches and the Arduino Board + GSM Shield. For example, this 6" M/M Jumper Wires (20pk).
As for the Arduino code, you can use the code provided in the tutorial and modify it to work with the SIM800F GSM Shield.
