Episode 53 – I Was a Teenage Texter
Season 3 of our show begins with a 2 part episode in which we build an Anti-Teen-Texting Device that parents can install in their kid’s car. Of course in my day this problem would have been solved by 1) cell phones barely existing 2) my parents would never have bought me one if they had 3) they also didn’t buy me a car …but I digress.
More photos and info can be found below.
The device consists of an MCU (the ever-useful ATMEGA328) a hand-wired MicroSD card for datalogging, and a really loud siren.
The device works by detecting the amount of current being drawn by the MicroUSB charge jack. Current being drawn = phone in dock = no alarm.
If the car is started without the phone in the jack your teen has about 10 seconds to stick it in, else there’s an alarm and the infraction is logged to the SD card.
Download Case Files and Code for this project.
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November 6th, 2012 at 3:44 am
what about leaving the cellphone at home?
November 6th, 2012 at 11:00 pm
@nah!
Well, are they ever gonna do that? nah!
November 12th, 2012 at 7:07 pm
Hi Ben!!! Long time watcher. So what happens when the phone has full power ans stops charging. I would hate to have that go off on a road trip at 65 MPH.
Thanks
Trickey
November 14th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
What about removing the SD card? Then the data is not logged??
November 19th, 2012 at 7:57 pm
Could this be tied to the ignition? Car won’t start until phone docked.
November 27th, 2012 at 7:37 pm
looking for circuit diag. of teen cell/text blocker. also would more info (wiring diag. ) of xbox360 keyboard+pocket computer(would like to dup. it) is case for sale have the uno pc board (i’m a hardware type (altair8800 days)
Douglas sasse
p.o.box 1064
mankato, minnesota, u.s.a. 56002-1064
December 5th, 2012 at 10:58 pm
If my parents would have done this..I would just get this
http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0188/4558/products/black_extender_cable_3_1024x1024.jpg?97
and tada..phone in hand..and the SD card won’t know.
But i don’t text and drive..nor talk and drive. but i have a quick thinking mind.
December 26th, 2012 at 12:20 pm
Personally I would simply pop out the SD card, and maybe even kill the power to it.
It is pretty hard not to do that. I don’t even have much of a phone anyway lol.
January 28th, 2013 at 6:14 pm
with all you people who talk about taking out the SD card…. if you wired the car so that unless the phone were in the dock you couldn’t start the car… what would you do then?
January 28th, 2013 at 6:17 pm
oh.. and if you took it out the car would turn off. (took out the phone i mean)
April 8th, 2013 at 4:57 pm
Ben’s Ultimate Combo Gaming System HOW WOULD YOU GET THE CAMERA TO WORK ON ALL THREE SYSTEMS OR YOU WILL MAKE ONE CAMERA FOR ALL XBOX360/PS3/WII U SYSTEMS MY FOSTERKIDS LOVE YOUR SHOW AND ONE MORE THING I GOT ALL THREE SYSTEMS CAN YOU PUTIT TOGETHER LIKE YOURS AND MAKE A CAMERA FOR IT
May 14th, 2013 at 5:29 pm
why in the world would you want it to leave the car running. in the USA, you would end up with tons of teens having their cars stolen for obvious reasons. i do like the idea of a non-starter like and interlock device.
May 20th, 2013 at 4:38 am
Is it iPhone compatible
Cheers,
Aaron