I was fortunately able to locate and procure two working dog repelling devices. I have successfully tested efficacy on both. I disassembled one of them and incorporated it into the alpha design,
Below are photos of the existing subsystem I procured for dis-assembly.
Below are photos of the existing subsystem I procured for dis-assembly.
The next challenge was assembling or trying to locate a suitable body for the lantern. For the Alpha I would like to see if I can produce a prototype from more basic components. An early promising source for a lantern body was an empty bottle of mouthwash. Something that was close in general dimensions to the lantern,
Sourcing the components was the next challenge - the dog repeller was inexpensive and disassembled quite readily, To reduce weight, work within the limited available voltage ranges and to increase battery life an inexpensive LED light array with a protective dome was selected. A large rocker switch was selected for the lantern on/off but an auto-off micro switch mounted on the underside in a recess that would avoid inadvertent triggering was selected both items were a mere 99 cents apiece..
Prototype overview for evaluation.
Putting it all together the front template is in place ready to mount the LED array and protective dome.
Putting it all together the front template is in place ready to mount the LED array and protective dome.
Microswitch location on the underside.
Completed Alpha prototype ready for batteries and some testing
Field Test Observations:
The Skatter Lantern was tested by two neighbors who have dogs and my wife and I (we have no pets) went to the local dog park armed with the alpha unit, some treats and printed flyers.
We printed out the recommendations from the repeller to show field testers, you should not use within 1 foot of the dog's ears (unless it is actually attacking you). We printed out flyers when we tried this out in a dog park. Took a while to get a couple of pet owners willing to try but they were quite impressed that it worked at 20 feet.
After a while and a number of polite rejections we found two dog owners willing to let us try the lantern. All repeller tests proved successful, our neighbors said the device stopped their dogs (and a cat ran away) causing them to back off. The light array while simple to mount on the lantern was not directional at all. All testers mentioned the ugliness of the design but surprisingly the feel of the unit and button/switch operation was excellent. One unexpected comment was from a dog owner that was able to repel another dog that was snarling at her pet since aiming the ultrasonic sound transmitter seems to only cover a narrow zone and you can avoid hitting your own pet.
The "Would you buy it?" question:
In a finished form two of the testers would consider buying a finished one for under $30 - I believe I could easily source the materials for less than $10 in quantity.
The Skatter Lantern was tested by two neighbors who have dogs and my wife and I (we have no pets) went to the local dog park armed with the alpha unit, some treats and printed flyers.
We printed out the recommendations from the repeller to show field testers, you should not use within 1 foot of the dog's ears (unless it is actually attacking you). We printed out flyers when we tried this out in a dog park. Took a while to get a couple of pet owners willing to try but they were quite impressed that it worked at 20 feet.
After a while and a number of polite rejections we found two dog owners willing to let us try the lantern. All repeller tests proved successful, our neighbors said the device stopped their dogs (and a cat ran away) causing them to back off. The light array while simple to mount on the lantern was not directional at all. All testers mentioned the ugliness of the design but surprisingly the feel of the unit and button/switch operation was excellent. One unexpected comment was from a dog owner that was able to repel another dog that was snarling at her pet since aiming the ultrasonic sound transmitter seems to only cover a narrow zone and you can avoid hitting your own pet.
The "Would you buy it?" question:
In a finished form two of the testers would consider buying a finished one for under $30 - I believe I could easily source the materials for less than $10 in quantity.