hi guys! i am new in electronics and computer programming.i work in an office where there are so many files in hard copy. i would like to develop a c++ program(or any other good language) that would be used in the locked cabinet to:

1.ask one to enter his id number before he opens the cabinet
2.allow him open the cabinet if he has a valid company id
(the ids are strored in the program and each worker has his/hers in the program corresponding to his name)
3.indicates time when the file is taken and name(not id) of the person who has it on an indicator for any other person who wants the file to see
4.indicates time when the file is returned.

i do not know which appropriate electronic gadget will store all this information in the cabinet and how i will fix it to the manual cabinet, just locked with a padlock.i want to avoid unauthorised people in the company from taking files at specific cabinets and to know who has a file at a specific time.

kindly help me please, thank you.
walton

 

You should learn about microcontrollers. This system should be fairly simple to build around one. Also check out atmel 89c5121 - its a microcontroller with a smart card interface. People could use their smart card as a key to the cabinet.

Brent

 

You could learn about barcodes and print some up on credit card sized pieces of paper, then laminate them. Give everyone one of those cards to identify themselves. Then you can interface a cheap barcode reading unit to a microcontroller, and that will provide the identification.

About identifying the files... What kind of labels do you have on them? Names of people? Some kind of letter and number identification? (I.E. B7)

And about the time of removed and replaced files, that should also be able to be done through the microcontroller. But again, we need some kind of identification system for the files. Hope this helps. :wink:

Rain

__________________
When life gives you lemons... make a battery.

 

You could use both these ideas. Stick a barcode on each file and use the smart cards to identify people. However, I don't know if a microcontroller could handle both a barcode scanner and smart card reader.

Good luck anyway, hope I was a help.

 

Thank you all for your help.About the identification of the files, We have names of our customers as names of the files e.g Webe Company, ZK Company.....We also have file references such as fm:ffu/dg/456,
fm:ffu/dg/412,etc but I think the names will do.

If you have any helpful websites also, I will appreciate.Thanks a lot guys

 

Another to look at is iButtons from Dallas Semi. They each have serial numbers, that can be used for id's for each person.

 

kindly tell me more about Buttons from Dallas Semi or where I can get more info on them, I have absolutely no idea about them.
Thanks for help.

 

They have a stainless case. about 3/4" dia and about 1/4" thick.
They have a laser etched serial number in them. This number is used to acess there internal functions or to identify each one.

More Info:
http://www.maxim-ic.com/1-Wire.cfm
http://www.ibutton.com/

Look under iButton Solutions, there is discriptions on making a acess systems.

These are easly interfaced with a PC or microcontroller.

Kent

 

Thanks to all and to Kent. That info together with the websites will really help me achieve my aim.I do not want everything ready made, i prefer improvisation coz I may use this as my final year projct in campus if it can be OK and to the standards.

Regards

Walton

 

I have worked with these iButtons some, let us know if you have any more questions on them.

Good luck
Kent