Anti-theft system for musical instrument

Question

satellite navigation

Of course, you may be amused by the title, but this problem is absolutely real, and requires a solution (which I am trying to find, referring to you). I study at the Moscow State Conservatory. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Twice Order of Lenin). And around me, very unpleasant stories about the theft of tools are increasingly appearing. Different instruments cost, of course, in different ways: let's say, if we are talking about clarinets, then for a pair of brand new B and A clarinets you will have to pay about 5 thousand euros (any professional clarinetist needs to have just a couple of instruments). If we are talking about instruments with a large amount of wood used, the price of an instrument can be 20-30 thousand euros (oboe, bassoon), not to mention the old violins of the masters guarneri, stradivari - here the issue price is several million. These are real numbers.

In connection with this, I came up with the idea to make, let's say, an anti-theft system for my tool. The first thing that came to mind was a gps beacon, and a system that can (if necessary) track the signal from this beacon. The problem is that the dimensions of the beacon should be very small, since there are few places on the instrument where you can attach the beacon, and the issue of elegance is also very relevant here, since our work is connected with constant appearances on the stage.

Initially, I thought to put the beacon in the tool case, but I'm afraid that this solution is too inefficient, since the robber can get rid of the case in the next 10-15 minutes after the theft, but it is necessary to track the tool directly.

Tell me how small beacons exist today? And how applicable is this system to the problem I described above? Perhaps there are other ways to solve it? I and my colleagues will be very grateful to you for any useful information on this issue. Thank you.

Answer 1

Well, or another option - a bluetooth sensor in the device, control software - in a TV or smartphone. When the signal is lost, it starts to squeal and so on. — in every possible way reminding creative people of the meanness of human nature and the imperfection of the
world I'm not sure what's with the range - the villain can go far enough.

Answer 2

GPS is good for vehicles that are outside all the time, and musical instruments are indoors most of the time, where reception conditions are lousy. Is it possible to catch the thief right away while he is walking down the street ...
Maybe it makes sense to design a mechanical lock that cannot be removed without damaging the tool.

Answer 3

Modification of the instrument is, in my opinion, highly undesirable. This can, and most likely will affect its consumer qualities.
I think that if you do an anti-theft system, then for a cover. Durable, lockable case with a lock that can be attached to anything massive.
Unfortunately, conventional cases have rather flimsy cases and locks, so the task, in my opinion, comes down to creating a fairly durable lightweight case with a mechanism for attaching to something.
And the tool itself, in order to avoid theft, during a forced absence, keep it locked and fastened to something in a case.

Answer 4

It is possible (if the tool allows) to paste a GPS tracker inside.

Answer 5

Another from the field of crazy ideas: a circuit that, when you try to play an instrument, turns on a siren or plays a message in the spirit of “Achtung-akhtung! This violin is stolen, keep the villain! You can make it quite small in size and hide it somewhere inside. The alarm is turned off by the owner remotely.

Answer 6

And what about the "store" system? Well, an RFID tag on the tool and frames on the exits. It is clear that without the cooperation of the leadership it will not work, but with the announced amounts, there is not so much trouble.
True, there will be a problem with disabling if you often need to “legally” take out the tool - on the other hand, then you can simply turn off the frame.

Answer 7

Maybe I'm not aware of current technologies, but as far as I know, you can find something using gps - not otherwise (correct me if I'm wrong). As far as I know, this technology has an error of the order of two tens of meters, but this narrows the search area significantly. As for power, is such a circuit possible: A small chip is built into the tool, or a microcircuit that is powered by a small battery, but this circuit does not constantly send a gps signal (energy saving?), but only when accessed through something (to mind only a phone call comes, but this, as far as I understand, adds a module to the gsm design, which is rather cumbersome in the end).
Tell me today what micro gps modules exist, and whether they really need to change the battery 2 times a week, because if there is an option in which the battery will be replaced at least once a month, this is already more realistic. The battery option is also possible, but it turns out that the robber can simply remove the battery and throw it away.
In searches on ebay, I found the minimum size ~ 3x4cm. with hull. — could it be even less?

Answer 8

And where are you going to stick the beacon so that it is difficult to find and even more difficult to remove and throw away? Nothing is more reliable than a good safe, screwed to the wall, comes to mind.

Answer 9

With bluetooth there will be problems, definitely. The situation - the instrument was left in the audience, went to the restroom, right there you are squealing. Well, that kind of problem. Moreover, if the tool is really stolen, there will be nothing but an alarm. For me, the moment of geolocation of the stolen instrument is fundamentally important.
Apparently you have to look in the direction of embedding gps beacons in the case. Although this is not a very reliable option, it is better than nothing.
ps A very important question is the issue of the size of the gps / 3g chip (if it is built into the iphone, does it really mean to achieve small sizes? Or am I wrong?
pps I'm still considering other options besides GPS. Blutooth unfortunately does not fit ...

Answer 10

I propose an RFID tag with a distance of, say, 10 meters. One in your pocket, one on the instrument. Plus a traffic alarm. We have - if you are nearby, the marks see each other, the motion alarm is disabled. If you went to the toilet, the marks do not see each other, when the tool moves, the alarm turns on. Profit.

Answer 11

1. Keep track of your tools (if it is dear to you, do not lose sight of it and be afraid of thieves. It is enough to have a comfortable case and the habit of not letting it out of your hands / out of sight)
2. GPS GSM tracker / beacon (easily located in Yandex), placed INSIDE the tool (it is not visible inside, and the case can be quickly thrown away). To be honest, I don’t know if, for example, a violin is understood and how much the beacon will affect the sound, but this is the only effective way. The main difficulty is that you have to get it to charge.
3. Anti-theft tags (sometimes - Luggage protection kit / Pager of forgotten things). The key fob in your pocket will start to squeal if the beacon (located in the tool again, although here you can already place it in a case if you don’t throw the tool without a case) moves away to a distance of about 10 meters. Naturally, the sound can be turned off.

Answer 12

Are you guys seriously considering putting a microchip in a Stradivarius violin ? Yes, even place inside. I, as a musician, have absolutely no idea how this can be done without consequences for the sound.