[Matt Meerian] introduced us to his kludge of cardboard, tape, mirrors, and electronics in the form of a clever non lethal robin trap. Whenever a pesky robin would enter the box, a sensor is triggered, the solenoid drops a lid, and the bird is contained (and we assume taken far away after that).
Of course the plan backfired; we wont spoil what happened, but you can click the link above to find out.
Related: Arduino Mouse Trap
awesome. wonder if it would actually work…
best LOL i’ve had in a while.
“A rubber snake was placed on the railing in the hopes of scaring away the robin. He pooped on the rubber snake.”
Heh, I like the writeup. But… when he removes the trap, watch the robin come back :)
Robin trap? How does the unit distinguish between a Robin and other types of birds?
So, in the end he built an elaborate “scarecrow”.
Too funny!
yuppicide,
The trap has a special feature. It comes with a hairless ape. The ape is programmed to occasionally check the contents of the box. If it is determined that the box does not contain the offending robin but rather some other bird, the ape releases it and resets the trap until the robin is captured. I suggest that all contraptions come with a hairless ape. They’re versatile devices.
other possible deterrents:
cat or fake cat statue.
motion activated spray can (make the robin safety orange
mouse trap with worm
pellet gun
i’d personally go for the last one.
all he need is couple shots from anything available even hand trow will do, instead he waist time on BS for BS reasons
@therian
This is Hackaday, where we come up with over-the-top and not-always-useful ways of solving problems. I’d say this submission is worthy of “hack” status.
Robins are protected Species in the United States, trapping robins is illegal in the United States.
We need to build a hairless ape box now!
Robins: Edible — were hunted for meat.
Robins: “Disease” (probably not “good eats”)
The American Robin is a known reservoir (carrier) for West Nile Virus. … the American Robin is suspected to be a key host and holds a larger responsibility for the transmission of the virus to humans. … the American Robin survives the virus longer, hence spreading it to more mosquitoes which then transmit the virus to humans and other species.
Robins: Latin name: Turdus migratorius — for the first part alone, it deserves removal from the protected species list.
Robins: An idea whose time has come.
I vote multi-pump bb pistol. Easily concealable, low noise, accurate. Oh, and a shovel or a black plastic bag for disposal.
At what point did the roadrunner dash in, eat the seeds, and dash out again before the trap closed?
Sometimes the comments are better than the hack.
I love you guys!
hahaha! great! :D
I wonder if the robin was reported as squawking “BEEP BEEP” right before it left.
Incidentally, joh is right; relocating robins, even from your own property, is illegal in the US. They’re not “endangered species” protected – they’re protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Yes, seriously.
I’d argue though, that this hack doesn’t infringe on any laws, considering it’s mere presence keeps the robins away, lol
Think Frank Burns Mouse trap.
Am I wrong or is the resistor (R3) on the gate of the MOSFET (U3*) unnecessary? BJTs need series resistors on the base to limit base current, but I don’t believe MOSFETs do, since the gate is extremely high-impedance and operates on voltage, not current.
* Why U3 and not T1?
yah I hate it when robins…… eat worms….and then sing about it… May want to wax the cardboard… put electronics knowledge to better use… etc.
Joe: we may also want to evacuate the earths atmosphere as to imobilize airborne pathogens…
ColinB: Resistor limits gate current. If you’re driving a big capacitive load like a MOSFET’s gate, you can blow out your driver (and cause ringing, among other things).
However, that FET is a strange one. Datasheet here: http://www.st.com/stonline/products/literature/ds/1104.pdf – maybe that’s why he used the U prefix?
SSS applicable here? Shot, Shovel, Shut up.
The American Robin is an iconic bird. Pretty cool invention but they aren’t pesky, they eat bugs in the grass and don’t use bird feeders. I like robins more than you.