Wayne,
Randall is right, it is too much like work to mess with RF. The biggest
problem you will have with hooking a telephone strobe to the intercom is
that the strobe uses the 90 volt AC from the phone line to power the
strobe light. There is no power cord on it to plug into the wall.
You can also find flashing lights that are intended to connect to radios
and intercoms for deaf people, but once you get into that area the
prices go through the roof.
The easiest way to do this might be to buy a vibrating pager system for
about $50 and hook the pager to your collar where it would be out of the
way and the vibration would be noticed. (My cell phone vibrates on my
belt and I never feel it vibrate when I am running my table saw or
anything else that vibrates).
Hmmm, Find a strobe light that runs off 120V that you can plug into an
X-10 module in the shop and install an X-10 switch or console in the
house to control it. That might be the easiest and cheapest way for you.
I just took a quick look at Ebay under "Strobe Light" and there is a 70W
light there with a buy it now of $29. I didn't look for shipping costs.
Good luck.
Peace,
Pat
cornerexit wrote:
>
> I have a detached shop building next to our house. I have phone,
> internet etc in the shop. The phone sits on the desk which is over by
> the entry door - generally away from where the work takes place in the
> shop. I also have a 110v powered wireless FM intercom set-up to
> communicate with my wife in the house. The intercom sits on the desk
> next to the phone.
>
> I am missing too many phone calls, and most importatantly when my wife
> calls using the intercom to tell me dinner is ready etc. I often have
> equipment running, am wearing hearing protection etc and just can't
> hear the intercom/phone. When this happens my wife has to walk out to
> the shop (of course it is usually dark, raining and windy when this
> happens) to tell me dinner is ready. However, just walking in the door
> usually does not get my attention as often my back is to the door as
> most of my fab equipment is along the far wall. So now she is left
> standing there trying to get my attention (she knows better than to
> walk up behind me when I'm using a piece of equipment). Sometimes she
> has to stand there for a loooong time, and as you can imagine this
> doesn't go over to well. If the above situation happens too many more
> times I just won't get dinner anymore, and that will make Wayne an
> unhappy camper.
>
> I'm going to put one of these strobes on the far wall, which should
> help for incoming phone calls.
> http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102608
> But that of course does not help with the intercom situation.
>
> So, is there a way to wire it up so that when the shop intercom
> receives a transmit from the house intercom the strobe will go off?
>
> The intercom is a slightly older model of this one:
>
>http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?parentPage=search&cp=&productId=2036287&kw=fm+wireless+intercom&tab=techSpecs
>
>
>
> If I understand the above specs correctly, the intercom transmits and
> receives on 200kHz/270kHz/230kHz . Anyway to pick up that transmission
> and trigger a light? What about picking up the receive signal from
> inside the intercom box somewhere and wiring it to a light?
>
> Thanks
> Wayne
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