Help me get started with this simple project

Projects General Guidance
1

Hi, I'm looking for guidance in getting started with my arduino project. I have soldering/electronics experience from working on amplifiers but this is really my first venture into ICs. I have a project I'd like to build but after a little googling I still don't feel like I know what I need to get started. I was hoping this group would help!

Here's what I want to do:
I run a warehouse space that we use as a shared practice space. We like to keep it flexible so we just have a calendar on the wall that you sign out time slots on, old school style. The problem is that sometimes people don't use their time slot, or sometimes you think a slot is free and so did someone else and they beat you to it, but you end up heading down and then being bummed out. I want to put in a light/sound sensor that will give a fair heuristic if someone is in the room based on two heuristics

  1. is the light on
  2. is there music above N dBs being played.
    and then update a simple web page that lets one know if the space is occupied.

Could anyone help point me towards the major components I'll need to accomplish this? Which arduino board will suit me best? Obviously I need the network module, a light sensor, and some kind of microphone but other than that I'm not even sure where to start. Help appreciated! Thank you very much!

2

If it's a large room I guess it'll need lights on when it's occupied - in that case, it should be simple enough to power an Arduino off the lighting circuit so it can maintain an 'in use' indication in some form - if you're presenting this via a web site then there are plenty of ways to store and publish that information.

3

hello, please?

4

Could anyone help point me towards the major components I'll need to accomplish this?

Arduino with built in Ethernet or an Ethernet shield.
http://store.arduino.cc/eu/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11&products_id=197
http://store.arduino.cc/eu/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_5&products_id=199

Light sensor - but better a PIR sensor
http://arduino.cc/playground/Code/PIRsense

Sound sensor, microphone and amplifier
http://www.bizoner.com/analog-sound-sensor-board-microphone-100xopamp-for-arduino-p-302.html?zenid=50kdv28773948ocbf8gsdi87a0

5

thank you! that little microphone assembly looks nice.
I'm not sure about the PIR though, I'm thinking that this will be sufficient. Arduino Playground - LEDSensor "is the light on" is a pretty reliable heuristic for determining if the room is occupied, and when coupled with sound I think it'll be reliable.

6

If you can't get ethernet at your warehouse then you can also use a GSM shield with prepaid phone sim cards so arduino can send you short message when someone comes in and pushes a hello button on arduino or it senses the room is occupied (after delaying and averaging readout for sure), and then another message when the room becomes empty or the occupant presses a bye-bye button on the arduino.