6.12 Setting It Up

First, identify an appropriate spot to place the pressure plate. Most parcel delivery companies drop off packages at a resident’s front door, just off to the left or right side so as not to block the entrance. To help guide to placement of the packages, you can leave a note or sign for the courier to specifically drop boxes on the designated rectangular pressure plate we built for the project.

Better yet, use or build a container with a lid and place the sensor-embedded plate on the bottom of the container. You can purchase inexpensive, sturdy, water-resistant containers that also act as large seats when the top lid is down. With a little extra work, you can place the Arduino and XBee radio in a hard-shelled, waterproof enclosure and carefully mount the assembly to the inside of the container.

Tuck it far enough to the side so that it does not obstruct any packages that might forcibly land on the assembly and possibly damage the electronics. Post a note asking delivery personnel to place packages in the container. Depending on how frequently you receive parcels, this new behavior may be adopted quickly by those who manage the routes in your area.

Due to the proximity of the detector to the front entrance of the home, an outdoor power outlet should be easy to locate and use. If the placement of your assembled detector happens to be in direct sunlight for most of the day, you can even try powering the electronics via a solar cell battery like the one recommended for the Tweeting Bird Feeder project.

With everything set up and powered, test out the detector for yourself. Try boxes of various shapes, sizes, and weights to see how the configuration reacts to each. You may need to reposition the force sensitive resistor to achieve a consistent trigger. Adding a second and even a third force sensitive resistor will also greatly improve detection, especially for smaller packages that may not hit the center sensor plate.

Your Package Delivery Detector is now complete and ready to process deliveries. Place orders with your favorite online retailers to see how much more convenient and reassuring it is to know that an anticipated package is awaiting your retrieval when you get home.