Now that the Arduino code and the Android app are online I am approaching a point where I am comfortable submitting Fochica to the Hackaday Prize 2017. The project is far from being complete, in fact it is just in its initial stages. The existing code has to be tested at a larger scale and I hope that many hackers find this project interesting and will build Fochica for their kids. To facilitate that I will write and post guidelines for selecting the parts and building the design.

Going forward I am planning to focus on a few things. First I am going to complete the design of the “discharge protection” circuit. This circuit is responsible for turning off Fochica when the car battery voltage is low. I have the design on paper and I am going to build it on a breadboard next. It is just two MOSFETs with some extra components.

After that, I am planning to design and implement another type of sensor for sensing whether a seat is empty or occupied. This one will be based on IR continuity and potentially a reflector.

A major stage for me would be to implement the Fochica circuit on a proto-shield and to get rid of the breadboard. Not only will this save space but it will make the whole device more robust to vibrations.

Send me your comments if you have ideas for improvements and please follow and like if you just want to show your support for this important project.