Has anyone created a radar speed sign using e.g. an ESP and a radar?
I want to set one up on the gravel road outside our house, but ready made ones seem fairly pricey. Accuracy is not too important and there would only be one car coming at a time. I want to remind drivers (mostly delivery trucks and stray cars) that we have children here and they shouldn’t drive more than 10-15 km/h.
It could be as simple as a painted speed limit sign and a bright flashing light - but I need a way to detect an incoming vehicle’s speed.
Maybe a radar could be replaced with sensors on a measured distance, like an ESP sensor, that triggers first and transmit a ping to another ESP, that wait for its sensor to be triggered and then calculate the time between does two values and use that to calculate the speed used to travel the already known distance.
Sensors like that can be weight triggered, lightbeam, magnetic, noise triggered or lots of other kinds.
Just a little warning.
Keep in mind there could be regulations regarding placing things close to roads that could distract drivers.
And/or there could be rules regarding setting up signs that pretend to be the real “thing” close to roads.
Where I live you are not even allowed to set up a sticker (regardless of size) that looks like a speed sign.
You could loose your gear and/or get a ticket and/or worse depending on the laws in your country.
I would check that first.
I live down a narrow gravel road in a rural area with only one neighbor further down the road. Any sane driver, wouldn’t drive more than 20 km/h here because of lack of visibility for what may come from the sides.
I want the few problematic vehicles to slow down (mostly random courier trucks), before they risk running down my kids, who may just run out from the house as they are 1 and 3. I am not worried about legal repercussions, but thanks!
The RFBeam K-LD7 is a reasonably’ish priced radar sensor that provides speed data via UART requests for TDAT data.
I have one working in MicroPython and it seems to be reliable. Getting the C++ code to make it work in ESPHome is the next challenge as I have no C++ experience.
Thank you! That seems exactly like what I need. I’ll have a closer look at the simplest way to implement this. I can live with e.g. MicroPython and MQTT to HA.
Here is the python driver that interprets the target data for you. Be sure to spend time with the tuning parameters for speed/distance/etc. They really do make a difference.
I tested on a Pi Zero W ok and with a little massaging works just as well in MicroPython on an ESP32.
I created a system that used a radar module, a RGB led panel, directional speaker, and 3 cameras to grab people speeding and not stopping at a stop sign in my neighborhood.
I then extended it to record EZPass, tags, and plate, and other markings and convert them to text.
At the time I also automatically posted the video to twitter with information. If the system could find data online about the USDOT or other markings it would also take action filing a complaint. If I could map data to public officials, people at the local university, etc… it would automatically send complaints.
I will warn you that it turned out to be much more of a sociology experiment than a technical one - the tech was easy - I used the OPS243 Radar Doppler Sensor on a Rasp Pi in a plastic project box mounted up on a tree. On an early Sunday morning I measured all the distances and revisited my trig classes to help tune it all.
I have to tell you, it caused me to realized what a s**tty places I lived and I moved. I am not joking, as I saw people’s reactions I realized that the town I lived in played a lot of lip service to safety and community but was full of some very nasty people. It was very eye opening. I sold my house and moved.
Meanwhile I did the entire project because I child and letter carrier were struck by a speeding driver in front of my house.
So be warned! People do not like to be called out on their antisocial behavior and when you do, you should expect their antisocial conduct to be pointed at you and that, at least in my experience, local officials will do nothing about it and instead blame you for causing a problem.
Is there any part of that code that you’d be willing to share? We have a speedway in our neighborhood and I’d like to at least study the data, as well as learn python.
Rather than a speed limit sign, which most people take as a suggestion, I have an idea cheaper than RADAR.
Mount a camera housing. A big one- you want it to be obvious.
Mount it about 4 ft from the road level. License plate level. (You see where I’m going).
Put in the housing an ESP module that will trigger a strobe when a vehicle approaches. How you sense the presence of the vehicle is up to you.
You also need a professional sign warning that speed enforcement cameras are in use.
I guarantee that it will put the fear of God in delivery drivers when they see the flash. If their boss, the owner of the truck, gets a speeding citation in the mail, the driver’s job is on the line. Of course there’s no camera or citation, but the driver doesn’t know that.
It would be very obvious here, that it is a fake. Police would never set up an automatic camera on what is essentially a long gravel driveway for a bunch of houses in the countryside.
Change the sign. “This photo of you and your speed goes to your employer”.
If this is a private drive, put up removable bollards just a bit wider than the width of the delivery trucks. They will slow to clear those but ordinary cars won’t be so challenged.
