Quick project for a customer – challenge: detect people at different places in a tunnel and trigger a lighting console to do something (unspecified).
I have decided that PIR is too indiscriminate, especially if there are loads of people in there, so I have gone for some “retro reflective beam break sensors” Which are essentially a beam of light from a device that hits a mirror and comes back to the sensor on the device.
I have hooked this up to one of my EXHIBIT boards, that has plenty of in and out, and programmed it to send DMX channel 1 to full for sensor 1, 2 for 2 etc. There are 4 sensors in total. This means it can be used as a DMX Remote for the MA console the customer has, and trigger a macro or a cuestack to do whatever they want. I have added a timeout, so you don’t get a mass of triggers if a couple of sets of legs walk through the beam.
The sensors didn’t come with any brackets and as they are a bit of a fiddle to focus on the reflectors I made four of these.
