Kicking off this blog by saying I have no idea how to build a Blind Spot detection kit for motorbikes, but I'm pretending I do while I work it out along the way. As I said in my last blog, I plan to post about each stage of the build so if you're interested at home (still pretending people read this) you can join in on the process. I'll also link all the parts that I buy online in case people are interested. I've started this whole process by buying a cheap aftermarket parking sensor kit off Amazon. Usually, rear parking sensors would only work when in reverse, but super cheap aftermarket ones have no way of telling what gear your car is in so theoretically could beep away when you're in traffic jams. In this case, the cheaper, the better. The sensors I went for are from COCAR and cost £15.99. For this price, you get four sensors, an LED distance display, a little CPU, and a positive and negative wire to attach it all to your car battery. Here's the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01BML51K4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
In order to make sure they work the instructions suggest wiring it up to a car battery before wiring it through the interior of your car, but I can't fit a car in the studio or afford a car battery, so I plan on testing them off the mains. The key thing to remember here is that the mains voltage is 230v and a car battery, as big as it looks, is only 12v. To make sure I don't electrocute myself or absolutely frazzle the parking sensors, I'll run everything through a mains to variable voltage transformer. For this, I've bought the EFISH power-supply adapter that takes anything from 100-240 volts down to anywhere from 3 - 12 volts.
Heres the link to it online: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0829R1GD7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I've already run the kit through a massive transformer in the University's 'Make Space' so I know that the sensors work. The sensors instructions say that they should be anywhere from 50-70cm off the ground and evenly spaced, so I've built a 'car bumper' out of MDF so I can wire them up and test them properly without drilling into the back of my car. I hope to wire them all up soon and see if I can get the sensors working correctly. That's all for today, Thanks!
Cover Photo Image:
Hoang, T. (2016) Black Cruiser Motorcycle Parked. Available at: https://unsplash.com/photos/e7cHiYzQdmM (Accessed:03/02/2020).
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