Has anyone built the Arduino collision avoidance system from KH 178?

[G+_Dan Maxwell]

Has anyone built the Arduino collision avoidance system from KH 178? If so , did you add a timer to shut off your LEDs after so many seconds of no change with the range returned from the sensor to save power?

Also, how did you power yours in place in the garage?

Bonus squirrel question: Has anyone used an ultrasonic sensor with Arduino to control retractable landing skids on a multirotor?

[G+_Rich Plakas]

Following just because you mentioned "retractable landing skids"!

[G+_Tyler Pearson]

This just reminded me i still havent finished mine since i recieved that last of the parts i needed. I plan on using a 2amp usb charger to power it. I have a pair of speaker cable jacketed for inwall use that i soldered a usb to one end to plug in and the other end i will solder to a protoboard since i will be using a Arduino Nano instead of an UNO so i can just plug it in and take it out if i need to make changes. I believe 2 amps will be enough if my multimeter was correct during testing but I may need to buy a powersupply to provide 3-5 amps at 5v.

I have yet to code anything to turn it off. I have looked at using the garagedoor opener to trigger the arduino but the wires i tested dont seem to read properly. They jump all over the place. I also noticed for some reason it reads more consistant on the AC setting vs the DC setting on my multimeter. I may need to invest in a better multimeter or somethis is goofy with my wall mounted garage door opener.

As for a sleep timer from the little research i did you would need an interupt of some sort. That may be a good place to start looking.

[G+_Dan Maxwell]

Tyler Pearson Now that e you mention the garage door opener, I wonder if you could use a photo resistor to deactivate the LEDs when the the lights on the opener shut off.