Guard the coax relay then, with some motion detectors :-) and some
scary screaming alarm sounds.
On 6/5/07, David H. Lynch Jr. <dhlii@...> wrote:
>
> It looks like coax spdt's with BNC connectors are on eBay for $10.
>
> which meets my definition of affordable.
>
> I am not looking for a 2x6 or anything similar matrix.
> Nor do I need anything that can handle transmitting power.
> Aparently there are rusian surplus units for about $100 that
> will switch 2.5Kw. I just want to kill the cable.
>
> I am looking to automate what I already do manually - go down to the
> basement and
> pull the connector off the main distribution hub.
> Controlling individual TV's is just a bonus - though at $10 ea. I can
> probably manage.
>
> Sexy controls, 1wire key fobs, credit card swipes, TV allowances, are
> all future possibilities.
> And once something basic works, I would be happy to collaborate over
> something fancier.
> Some of what you are doing sounds interesting, but I am a really big fan
> of KISS.
> I am slightly less concerned about what they watch, than that they have
> some life outside of TV.
>
>
> Do not get me wrong - I have two wonderful children.
>
> But they will lie, cheat, cheat, steal, probably kill to get TV time and
> computer game time.
> But they will not do any of the things they are supposed to.
> My son arranges play dates so that he can go to his friends to play
> video games or watch TV.
>
> Now it is not like we will not let them watch at all, but we need to be
> in control.
> Not just of what, but when. Rules like after chores - they have 30
> minutes of work each day that somehow
> never ever gets completed. After Homework, or after dark are all
> pointless when they can just sneak into
> another room.
>
> My son can not get up in time for school. But he can manage to get up a
> 5am if there is an unguarded
> TV in the house.
>
> Unfortunately they are both smart too. So I do not know what I am going
> to do once they figure out how to bypass
> a coax relay.
>
> My wife and I watch maybe 5 hours of TV a week. And that is more 5 hours
> of peace and quiet together.
> We could just as easily read.
>
> When I was a kid I built tree houses and forts rafts.
> We live on 2 acres in the woods abutting what is in essence a small
> wildlife refuge.
>
> My kids want TV all the time, more than oxygen.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Evan Graham wrote:
> > Hello David,
> >
> > I am finishing up some code to accomplish what you describe. I started
> > out thinking that I would interrupt the coax but could not find a
> > switch. Instead of making one, I ended up going down a different path:
> >
> > * A circuit I built (a hacked kit) to detect current at each TV so I can
> > tell when it is on.
> >
> > * A USB-IRT to issue on/off commands based on timers that keep track of
> > viewers time watching TV.
> >
> > * Various means for users to request to watch TV (x10 IR buttons, IR
> > commands sent to the USB-IRT, etc)
> >
> > I can provide more details including my code if you wish. The code is
> > kind of specific to my house but it might be a good starting point. Also
> > I am not much of a programmer so you may find the approach kind of
> > unconventional.
> >
> > Evan
> >
>
> --
> Dave Lynch DLA Systems
> Software Development: Embedded Linux
> 717.627.3770 dhlii@... http://www.dlasys.net
> fax: 1.253.369.9244 Cell: 1.717.587.7774
> Over 25 years' experience in platforms, languages, and technologies too numerous to list.
>
> "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction."
> Albert Einstein
>
>
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