Deterring foxes, the arduino way

We’ve a real problem with foxes here in leafy South London – there’s a den in one of the gardens nearby. A neighbour feeds and medicates them to make them nice and healthy! Yes, I know they’ve got a right to live as much as anything else…blah, blah, blah, but in the case for my defence they

• crap everwhere
• dig up the lawn and vegetable patch
• chew through everything, including goal netting, toys and garden hoses

All in all I’ve have enough, especially with two young kids – the 2 year old is afraid to go out in the garden because of the foxes. I’ve already tried the deterrent powders, ultrasound devices and better fencing, but none of them work. After a bit of googling, it seems that the most effective (non-lethal) method is an infrared sensor attached to a water sprayer. They are widely available online as a complete package, but where’s the fun in that? 

So, I present, the FoxDuino ……well sort of. I’m awaiting a couple of parts but the basics are there and comprise

• A jeenode (arduino clone) – I’ve a few lying around
• A PIR sensor - on order £6.51
• A 12v DC Solenoid Valve – again a couple of these in the garage
• Hose pipes and sprayers – again, no shortage of these.

It’s quite simple really – Mr Fox triggers the PIR and the jeenode switches on the sprayers for 5 seconds in a nice sharp blast. Given the jeenode’s inbuilt wireless capabilities, I’ll get it to send out info on activation times etc.

More to follow when I’ve built the thing!