How about running a cattle type electric fence around the perimeter of
vunerable areas and even wiring up metal door handles. I have been told
by by local farming supplier that early designs were made of a car coil
and a set of points. A pendulum was pulled by a simple electromagnet
when the points were closed which then swung, opened the points,
released the electromagnet and "fired" the coil, the cycle then repeats.
I have been thinking along the lines of using a coil and an electronic
turn signal unit, via a relay, instead of points.
A neighbour, many years ago, had people using their garden as a short
cut between one area and another. The "proper" way round meant a walk of
about 1 mile so they had a lot of problems stopping people. Barbed wire
on a high fence did nothing but the answer was simple - grease. Not the
nice beige stuff we put in vehicle bearings but the horrible, dirty,
thick, black, metal contaminated stuff that was used in a steel rolling
mill. It was spread about 1 inch thich on the tops of fences and didn't
melt even under the hottest sun (we are taking about England so not too
hot!) The stuff was so foul that if you got it on you then you were left
with fine metal splinters in you if you tried to rub it off, it took a
wash in petrol or another solvent to remove, still stained your hands
and stank terrible for days. It was funny after years of seeing people
casually climbing over the neighbours fence to see the look on their
faces when they had found out what was on their hands. Another idea for
security is how about an external sprinkler system that sprays green
vegetable dye at the first sign of a door or window being forced. All
the police would have to do then is look for anyone so coloured if they
continued to try and gain entry. CS gas is illegal in the UK but what
about in the States ? How about a system that fills the shop with the
gas if unorthorised entry is made. What you can buy in the UK (but is
frowned upon by the authorities even though legal) is a simple holder
for BLANK shotgun cartridges that is attached to a trip wire. The idea
is that a thief breaks in, trips over the wire, sets off the cartridge
and the police can then do a DNA match from the result of him SH**ING
himself. These devices are popular with bikers as theft of motorcyles is
growing here in the UK. Insurance is dear so a lot of people only have
what we call third party risk ie. no pay out for theft or damage to your
own vehicle. What the authorities frown upon is the fact that some
people have found that LIVE shotgun cartridges work better at detering
repeat offenders than blanks ! (Remember we have a NO gun culture over
here other than shotguns and sporting .22's)
Seasons greetings,
Paul Humphries,
Stoke-on-Trent,
Staffordshire,
UK
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