Smith Angelo

T Hunte wrote:sounds like you've tried everything you can currently think of

Thats probably part of the problem, some one else might be able to say one thing and its dealt with, while others struggle more

Abraham Palma wrote:If I may, I'd like to suggest that you 'meditate' first on what you really want to do.

Of course you may, thats exactly why I posted here, broaden the spectrum, re-evaluate, next try!

Any thing that lowers negative stress and avoids aggressions is worth gold wrapped in platinum

Cheers guys!

Heather Sharpe wrote:You say that nothing you've told him has helped. Have you tried asking him why he is doing these things though? Knowing his motivation might lead to more effective solutions. Plus, maybe connecting and showing curiosity might itself help. If he thinks he's helping you or just wanting to feel purposeful, maybe you could guide him to things that actually help you. Of course, if he believes his way of doing things is the only "right" one, that might be harder and sprinklers might be the answer. Or you mention that your area is fenced. Is there a gate that you could lock so he can't access it?

His reason was to fight bugs, although I explained him why not to use pesticides multiple times, but he also applies fertilizer without a real need for it, probably because its been hard wired in his head by marketing & believe me, Ive tried the guidance approach, but he tends to look at me like I live in some sort of fairly tale wonder land (even if Im just defending the wasps role in nature)

The problem with the sprinklers is that they could end up causing more damage, since its already a very humid climate and all the plants around the entrance like it dry (or they rot away), while I cant lock it up either, otherwise id lock up the chickens too (which are technically his babies)

Dave Pennington wrote:I would replace their chemicals when they aren't looking. Rinse out the containers REALLY well and refill them with water, add some food color if necessary.

Unfortunately its not that easy, most of the stuff he uses is in solid form (powder, granulated etc)

As for the electric fence, that wont do much... hes the kind that burn entire body parts with boiling oil and put it off like nothing happened (it would probably be more effective against me than him)

Casie Becker wrote:Does he have areas that are his responsibility or is this one gardening area you both use?

yes, hes got his are and Ive got a separate one, behind a fence and some sheets

I do love all sorts of inputs from any one, even a 3yo can give you tips worth gold, but it is indeed harder to manage when those inputs are randomly applied without considering any facts (like he was trying to kill bugs that didnt exist in the first place)

Maybe I gotta put up a motion sensor, with camera and speaker, hooked up to my phone, so I can "shoo" him (which I would have rather expected doing for the cat)

Cheers for your inputs! in case you have further ideas, Ill stay all ears

Hi guys!
dont get me wrong, Im not fighting mutant bugs, but rather one I cant just feed to the chicken, being of the human kind, hes "immune" to the usual remedies.

The last newsletter got me thinking about trying to post here, since theres way more experience spread across you guys.

Issue being, no matter what I tell the guy, he thinks to know better or usually just forgets (age), typically straight up killing parts of plants, but just recently over 80% of... EVERYTHING! still thinking he did the right thing (no matter how I try to explain basic physics or biology)

Also thought of putting up signs, but he doesnt see/read very well, thus I was hoping you have some ideas, so I dont just pack&leave, being family and after all the time&money he invested in getting the water well going again (hes not a bad guy after all)

Cheers!

sorry, wasnt intending to be unsupportive, but rather throw in some potential issues to bare in mind and maybe broaden the spectrum of potential solutions for the actual problem/s

take timing for example, many tend to be so used to clocks/watches being as exact as possible, that they try reflecting that on their solution, integrating complex components to increase precision by maybe 20% at 80% additional cost, while a 555 or sensors like thermoelastics might do the trick too (ie automatic window openers actuated by wax)

and i agree on using relays ofc, cant do much with the typical 100mA of an IC, but they can also degrade over time, not to mention the audible "feature", but luckily thats also not the only way of switching larger loads

ps: in essence, there rarely is one "pill" for all problems

Jay Angler wrote:The problem I find with many of the electronic versions is that 1) they don't last and 2) the local dinosaur who seems to have a weird magnetic resonance...

that depends on how their designed/built/etc, ive got automatic switches going that i built decades ago and their all still going at zero maintenance

you def. want to stay away of complex microcontrollers, if you want it to last; analog logic often also does the trick, while way more robust and even if some thing fails, you dont need a computer to fix it

the other thing is keeping it dry, even a simple swing wont last if it can corode and you can often manage shorts by mere spacing, taking into account potential contaminants like moisture, dust, insects etc

and your magnetic problems are probably caused by insufficient shielding, lack of filtering or large ground loops, which can act like antennas, picking up stray signals and doing unexpected things

Rob, im sorry, but... theres several things that probably wont make your idea happen:
- most importantly, the contact resistance; if you want to chain several modules to run high power devices - like a heater - your risking a thermal runaway (in other words, fire!)
- if your using a microcontroller for temperature control, you either need it VERY precise or have a huge/complex system going, otherwise your overcomplicating it, which usually winds up too expensive to buy for sensible people
- as its been mentioned, theres already countless cheap solutions out there
- also, when a product - such as your idea - is designed, a ~60% margin is rule of thumb, to account for all the overhead; hence, if you cant make it for 30-40% of what would be affordable, you might as well can it