I am looking at building a buzzer/shock collar for cattle that could be used to contain cattle to an area around a marker. The marker would contain a RF antenna and a gps. The collar would have a buzzer, gps and shock generator a battery and small solar recharge
From reading I think I need to get about 8kv of shock on the animal if the collar is needed to shock.
I have the general thoughts worked out. I am struggling with the shocking circuitry. Does a person just buy a High voltage generator in that range. I see lots of choices on the internet. Or would a capacitor work better?
Thoughts
I don't know exactly but you need to limit the current (probably with a resistor) to keep it safe.
The amount of current depends on the voltage and the total resistance (Ohm's Law).
The resistance of the animal depends on moisture, how good the "contact" is, and thickness of the fur, etc. (A lot of uncontrollable variables, but a series resistor will limit the maximum current.)
An inductor can generate a high voltage from a battery. Inductors "resist changes in current". If you have current through a coil and then you suddenly disconnect it, the magnetic field collapses and the coil becomes a generator (momentarily, until the magnetic field is gone).
If you have a high (or infinite) resistance you get a very high voltage for a short period of time while it "tries" to push the same current through a high resistance load.
That's how a spark plug coil works from a 12V car battery, but a spark plug coil may have a secondary coil or an additional tap to act as a boost-transformer. It's also how a cattle prod or a shock-prank toy works.
...This doesn't matter for a shock device but, the voltage is also reversed... Conventional current flows from negative to positive inside a battery or generator so when the inductor becomes a generator with current flowing the same direction, the voltage is reversed,
Speaking for cattle everywhere I'd prefer not to be shock "motivated". And if it is necessary, that any such equipment be designed, built and tested by ppl who know what they are doing.
I'm not sure you don't know what you are doing, only about 99.44 percent certain.
a7
Have you ever worked with cattle? Attaching the collection of stuff to cattle and keeping it functioning will be a problem. I don't see a use for your product. Cattle are typically on open range where they graze over multiple acres, or in a feed lot where they are already constrained.
Pulse duration should be considered as well.
I don't know about the TO's technical ability, but I can definitely speak of bovine intelligence. Even if the TO is smart enough to build the thing, I don't know if a cow is smart enough for it to work.
Take an existing cattle prod and just use the Arduino to enable.
Does the marker transmit GPS data to the collar in the form of boundaries past which the cattle shouldn’t travel? If so, does the collar have to calculate when the cow is inside a containment area?
Yes. The marker will calculate a radius from the gps. The gps is connected to a correction server so it has cm level accuracy. The idea is that it starts to beep as it gets close, then shock when it is at and then if it’s past the saftey zone do nothing.
In the event of a stampede(something chased them) we don’t want to shock them any longer. It isn’t the permanent outside fence it’s more of a grazing boundary.
LoRa with antenna that communicates back to my central server at my homestead.
That’s a lot of cattle prods…..
Cows are extremely trainable.
Agreed. Needs a saftey built into it.
Only for my entire life.
You ever see what barb wire does to wildlife that is stuck in it. Or better yet wildfires that run to the fence line and cattle cannot got past them.
This application has a ton of potential to stop loss of life and improve habitat deterioration from potential overgrazing.
A electric fencer basically contains a coil. Old timers use to make them out of old truck coils.
I don’t need to “shock” them more create an uncomfortable situation. Most of them will quickly learn that the beeping isn’t fun and they should turn around. The rest will become my steak!
I am wondering if this device would get me on my way. The electric shock at this point seems to be my holdup.
