I'm new to using Arduino so please excuse my amateur approach.
I'm working on a new crazy golf course where I'm looking to trigger a sound when the golf ball goes through a particular area of the course.
I have an uno and some PIR motion sensors and am looking into buying this sound board/player which will run into some active powered speakers.
My issue is that i'm worried a PIR sensor won't pick up the golf ball as it doesn't emit radiation, and all the examples of motion triggered sound I've looked into have been for motion from something that does emit radiation.
Any idea's or help towards a way I can make this work will be super appreciated
A PIR will not be triggered by golf balls, unless they're going so fast they burn into flames, but then they're probably moving too fast for the thing to detect the balls. A PIR detects motion of warm objects, such as mammals (such as the neighbour's cat and the neighbour herself) and the hot engine of cars. Not golf balls.
The hard, really hard thing will be to detect a golf ball flying by. At least, I guess you're looking for flying golf balls, as you only gave the vague description "goes through a particular area". That part has to be much better defined before we can even start considering sensors.
There are camera sensors that will do this, I do not know of anything else that will do the job. This response is to help you get started in solving your problem, not solve it for you.
Good Luck & Have Fun!
Gil
Even rolling bogroll insides down a tea-tray triggers my PIR. And it's not the lifting of my finger off the roll to release it down the slope that triggers it: a) I'm well outside the zone and b) I can watch it trigger ás it gets close.
12Stepper:
Even rolling bogroll insides down a tea-tray triggers my PIR. And it's not the lifting of my finger off the roll to release it down the slope that triggers it: a) I'm well outside the zone and b) I can watch it trigger ás it gets close.
I have not the foggiest idea what "bogroll insides" are, but I will hazard a guess that the PIR unit is less than a meter away.
I suspect - only suspect mind you because it has been a while since he appeared - that the OP is thinking on a larger scale.
If indeed he is referring to "putt-putt" - "mini Golf" - then a (IR) break beam would be the way to go since the ball does not leave the ground.
A PIR won't be reliable enough for this. Some experiments will show success but only if there is a sufficient temperature differential between the object and the environment.
An IR proximity sensor may be better because it emits its own IR beam and measures the reflection.
There is a simple way to find out, create a simple test stand, maybe put your PIR on the floor and roll your golf balls past it.
Are you talking about the game Putt-Putt ? 18 holes of golf in a an area of a small parking lot ?
Those usually have small walls to keep the ball in a confined area. perfect for detection as long as the ball is rolling.
Do consider that foot traffic would also set off the sensor.
But, the more you apply real world tests the better off your knowledge will be.
