Olin Lathrop wrote:
> Bob Blick wrote:
>> I have a cat door that has run on the same set of 4 D cells for 6
>> years, driving a PIC and a motor.
> 
> I have a cat door between to the attic that has lasted 15 years with no
> batteries since it's cat-powered (letting the cats get into the attic at
> will cuts down the rodent problem there, although sometimes they bring their
> toys to the living room to play with, then leave them there when they
> break).  Is yours to the outside and you're worried about gnomes or small
> elves getting in so the cat has to punch in a passcode or something?

I don't know about Bob, but that's my situation.  Squirrels, other 
neighborhood cats, mice, voles, maybe a skinny raccoon...  All of those 
but the raccoons have made it into our house in the past, so I don't 
really want to make it easier.

My current [over]-design has RFID via a tag on the collar, IR beam 
detection to avoid closing the door on the cat, and voice synthesis 
(meow meow? meow mow.) to alert the cat to changing states.  :)  It's 
all working except sticking it to the door...
-- 
Timothy J. Weber
http://timothyweber.org
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