Do the horns just trap laser or are they both for Laser and Radar?

 

taylor01,

This V1 is a 2-year old model from my Civic. The one in my S2000 has a bulb type device next the horn in the front that I hink captures and detects laser light.

 

The bulb like device must be the laser sensor, it should resemble an LED diode.

 

Yes, it looks like one mother LED

 

Rick: thanks for posting the pics. It's about what I expected to see, but just wanted to make sure everything was easily acceptable. I intended to leave the horns on the same board (due to the timing issues), but move the IR detectors since those do NOT have timing issues...in fact, they'll do better higher up in the cockpit, or even outside the car. I won't get this done before my D.C. trip (coming?), but it'll be a high priority (I hate constantly taking the detector out of the car to prevent someone stealing it).


Indecision: Electrical signals don't travel any faster from one wire type to the next (I'm disregarding minor variations due to quantum effects, nothing we need to worry about), and gold-plating ANY audio wire is a waste of money if you're trying to do it for signal speed. The only reason you should gold plate audio wires is to prevent corrosion, and then it only needs to be done at the connection points.

The horns should not be moved with respect to each other to prevent the PHASE difference of the radar signal between each horn from being altered. It's this phase difference that allows the V1 to determine the direction a signal is coming from (front, back, side). Side note for all that have asked me...if there was a second set of horns pointing to the sides, THEN the V1 could determine from WHICH side the signal was coming from, not just "to the sides". If the detector sees the same phase on both front and back horns, the signal is to the side.

 

MacGyver,

I assume the IR dectectors are for the laser signals, right?

 

Yep....you can replace these with other IR LEDs (maybe even ones from Radio Shack!), but I would have to run some experiments to determine their sensitivity to the frequency range we're interested in (~900 nm). I would suggest placing them about mid-way up one of the roll bars for rear-facing detection, and mid-way up one of the A-pillars for front-facing detection.

If you'd really like to offer a partial kit to people, I would suggest a mask similar to what I mentioned above for the rear-view mirror. It would replace the "what band type is hitting me" question with "Oh, it's Ka-band, I had better slow down". I'm also going to replace the display LEDs themselves with super-bright LEDs since daytime driving with the top down makes visibility difficult.

Also, you may want to test the "visibility" of radar with the V1 hidden in the secret compartment without the need for a separate plastic "window". I have a feeling that you'll find no decrease in "visibility" without the "window". Home and business alarms are great sources of consistent X-band signals (as well as K, quite often). Construction signs, especially those large 6' x 8' orange "billboards" on wheels that flash updated info, are good sources for K- and Ka-band signals. LIDAR is a bit more difficult, but quite a few gas stations are using high-intensity Halogen lamps for nighttime pumping, and these are good sources of IR in the required range.

 

Have you tried readings with the top up too? If so, does it have any affect on the readings?

 

MacGyver,

We have no plans to offer a kit or any product in connection with this. We just wanted to see if it would work and help move along a relatively inexpensive solution people could do themselves.

Your ideas and insights are very helpful since you have the technical expertise many of us lack. Keep the ideas coming!

Tigger,

Having the top up should make no difference for radar, since it will not interfere with the front or rear signals. I twould affect laser from the rear, but I don't think laser is used that way,

 

I am so going to take my radar apart when it gets here - I'm going to have a good time removing the dust from my soldering equipments

I also see the LED display unit can be separated as well, perhap using a computer serial cable this can be re-routed without buying the extra conceal display unit.