Re: text from serial port + IP camera + Debian for loss prevention?
On Wed, 10 Apr 2013 06:17:30 +0200
sp113438 <sp113438@telfort.nl> wrote:
> On Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:28:00 -0400
> Doug <dmcgarrett@optonline.net> wrote:
>
> > On 04/09/2013 07:55 PM, Nick Lidakis wrote:
> > > Forgive me if I'm not using the proper terminology or not
> > > explaining this properly. This aspect of running a small business
> > > is foreign to me.
> > >
> > > My wife and I run a small independent coffee shop and I'm the geek
> > > in charge. I've got m0n0wall running great with the customer wifi
> > > on DMZ and all our machines on a private LAN. We've got a recycled
> > > Pentium 4 running Debian stable for our Music Player Daemon
> > > server. Motherboard is a Tyan with real serial ports.
> > >
> > > We have a mid-line Casio cash register setup that has 2 serial
> > > ports. 1 is dedicated to the credit card machine. The other can be
> > > connected to a serial pole display. I understand that this second
> > > serial port outputs formatted text of all buttons pressed and
> > > transactions processed.
> > >
> > > This is also useful for overlaying this text with a CCTV camera
> > > connected to a DVR. Though, this setup limits how you can search
> > > for mistakes or theft, having to sift through hours of video.
> > >
> > > I'd like to do the following with Debian: Use the text from the
> > > serial port in conjunction with an IP network camera connected to
> > > our server. I'd like to be able to search the text for particular
> > > triggers, e.g., look at video whenever someone hits the NS (no
> > > sale) key to open the drawer.
> > >
> > > I think I can connect the Casio to one of the serial ports on the
> > > server and capture data through tty(?).
> > >
> > > The text would not necessarily need to be overlayed but must sync
> > > with the video. The Casio has a pretty accurate clock, running on
> > > 60Hz; the IP camera can sync via NTP on our m0n0wall router.
> > >
> > > I've Googled a few commercial solutions but they are very
> > > expensive and are proprietary. One is this:
> > > http://www.geovision.com.tw/english/Prod_GVDataV3E.asp
> > >
> > > I'm thinking something like this must have been done with Linux
> > > for other fields, e.g., scientific sensors outputting text on a
> > > live stream.
> > >
> > > Any ideas or suggestions?
> > >
> > You mention going thru hours of videos. Perhaps the "no-sale key"
> > trigger is not so hot, unless you set up the system to record a few
> > minutes before that key press. Also, you can take a tip from the
> > pros, and run the video at about 8 frames per second, which is still
> > sufficient to identify persons and record their actions, but reduces
> > the total amount of recorded video. Finally, it would be a good
> > idea, if possible, to keep real-time copies of the video off site,
> > in case miscreants steal your computer or otherwise trash or burn
> > the premises. This should be possible using a short-range radio
> > link to some other nearby site. (I think you need something better
> > than a nanny-cam.) Probably a radio-linked network is the ideal
> > solution here. There are RF solutions that will work over a range
> > of a couple hundred feet to several miles, the latter requiring
> > outdoor directional antennas with a clear line-of-sight path.
> >
> > You name yourself as the local geek, but if you're not sure you're
> > up to it, it would probably be worth your while to hire a programmer
> > to handle some of these ideas. Make sure the programmer can
> > handle Linux, if you want to use a Linux system--which I think is
> > a good idea, since it is _relatively_ immune to hacking.
> >
> > --doug
> >
>
> I know there is a program that records audio. It records several
> seconds/minutes to memory and writes the interval to disk when a
> button is hit.
> I forgot it's name :-(
> You need something similar, but for video.
>
>
Timemachine is the program:
Timemachine writes the last 10 seconds of audio _before_ the button
press and everything from now on up to the next button press into a
WAV-file.
The idea is that you doodle away with whatever is kicking around in your
studio and when you heard an interesting noise, you'd press record and
capture it, without having to try and recreate it.
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