Alarm Safe

Safes are an invaluable part of home security, yet they have changed little over the last half century, even as homes- and thieves- have gotten smarter. Many people with home security systems also have safes, yet there is no communication between the two: a safe may be broken into during a party, for example, and the homeowner would remain unaware as the thief makes off with their valuables.

This project, created as part of a product realization class at Pitt, integrates a safe into a home security system. It allows the user to set the security system to home/away/panic from the safe itself and it tracks the number of incorrect password attempts.

My contributions to the project consisted of multiple iterations of a 3D printed front panel redesign to allow incorporation of our electronics into the safe, as well as the addition of a limit switch to the door. The limit switch, in tandem with the code written to control the locking mechanism, enables our users to know when the safe is closed AND locked. This avoids the failure mode of the system thinking the safe is secure when the lock is engaged but the safe door is open.

This project was developed with funds from an LLC and as a result of the NDA signed, some details have been intentionally left out.