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Every year about 700,000 vehicles get stolen in US. In fact, a car is stolen every 45 seconds.
We all love our cars and whether it is a roaring Lamborghini or a purring Prius, we are attached to it and wish that it never gets stolen.
I am very attached to my family car and take lots of precaution that I do not park my car in secluded places or double check that I always lock my car when I park it anywhere and always carry my car keys with me. However, I am still worried whether my car is safe. In order to get rid of these genuine worries, I decided to design my own low cost car tracking system.
In this instructable, I have explained the process of building one’s very own Global Car Tracking System -‘Athena’ – for a cost of just 100$. The steps for building this device is very simple and explained in a lucid manner. The skills required for you to build this is minimum (Basic knowledge about electronics and the Arduino IDE).
I have christened this device by the name ‘Athena’ because Athena is the Greek Goddess of navigation.
So what are we waiting for…..let’s get started…….
Step 1: Parts Needed:
[box color=”#985D00″ bg=”#FFF8CB” font=”verdana” fontsize=”14 ” radius=”20 ” border=”#985D12″ float=”right” head=”Major Components in Project” headbg=”#FFEB70″ headcolor=”#985D00″]
The following is a list of parts needed to build ‘Athena’ :-
- Arduino Uno
- Arduino GSM Shield (I have used a SIM900 GSM/GPRS Shield Module)
- GPS Module
- Adapter Plug for powering the Arduino
- 4pcs of LM7805 IC
- PCB
- Wires
- Male Header Pins
- Female Header Pins
- Project Enclosure[/box]
- Soldering Iron
- Solder
- Soldering Wax
- Drill
- Hacksaw
Step 2: The Circuit: Voltage Regulator Circuit
The Arduino and GSM shield operate at voltages between 5 volts and 12 volts. Although the car has a 12 volt battery and electrical system, the voltage can sometimes spike up and damage the Arduino if connected directly. Hence to be on the safer side, I have decided to use an LM7805 Voltage regulator to regulate the 12 volts input voltage to 5 volts. The LM7805 IC generates an output of 5 volts 0.5 amps. Since the GSM module can sometimes draw upto 2 Amperes of current, I have used 4 pcs of LM7805 IC to meet the requirement.
The Circuit :
- Cut the PCB using a hacksaw into a piece large enough to fit the 4pcs of LM7805 IC (Refer to Pic. 1).
- Arrange the LM7805 in a parallel connection on the PCB (Refer to Pic. 1) and bend the leads of the IC to connect them in parallel(Refer to Pic. 3)
- Solder Wires to the 12v Input of LM7805, Ground Input, 5v Output of LM7805 and Ground Output.
- Connect the Adapter plug to the 5v Output and Ground Output Wires. The final product should look like Pic. 5
Step 3: Preparing the Project Enclosure: Drilling Holes
In this step you will drill the holes to mount the Arduino and the GSM Antenna to the project enclosure.
- Drill four holes at the bottom of the project enclosure to secure the Arduino Uno in it.
- Drill a hole on the left wall of the enclosure big enough for the USB cable to connect to the Arduino.
- Drill a hole on the right wall for the GSM Module Antenna.
- Drill two holes on the right wall for the Power Input wires.
Step 4: Wiring the GPS Module
The GPS module must be connected in a detachable manner to the Arduino Uno. If wires are soldered to the module, then the module cannot be reused for some other application or project. Hence I have used header pins to create a detachable connection between the GPS module and the Arduino.
The following are the steps to create a detachable connection:-
- Cut four pieces of wire and solder the male header pins to one end of the wire. Wrap the soldered ends of the wire in insulation tape(Refer to Pic. 3).
- If female header pins are available, then solder the other ends of the wire to the female header pins. (Top tip: If female header pins are not available, then briefly heat the ends of the wire over a candle to partially melt and loosen up the insulation on the wire. Then force each of the wires into the Vcc, Gnd , Tx and Rx pins of the GPS Module. Refer to the Pic. 4)
- After connecting the wires to the Vcc, Gnd , Tx and Rx pins, the GPS module should look like Pic. 6
Read more: Athena: The Global Car Tracking System(3D Images)