On Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:28:00 -0400 Doug <dmcgarr...@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. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20130410061730.4687498e@fx4100
