Just need a few suggestions

[Tyler Coffey]

So today I had a thought regarding a device. Not sure how to put it into words so I'll try to explain the best way I can.
Someone who you haven't seen in a long time hands you a token, small, slightly larger than a coin but not quite a medallion. He says keep this with you at all times, one day you will be needed. And when the time comes the token will begin to flash then it will begin to beep. When this happens come and find me the frequency of the beeps will help you locate me. When the token is activated I will be able to track your progress via the token. After 35 years the token begins to flash...

Now any thoughts? Transmitter and reciever but kind of in reverse? And how do you find a speaker small enough to make the beeps? And if that wasn't enough a 35 year battery life?!?!?
How about GPS tracking. OK it's out there now maybe this will keep someone else up at night!! But any positive thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks.
The lifeless nerd

 

[Rayregula]

Is this something that exists now or do you want to build one?

 

[Rayregula]

how do you find a speaker small enough to make the beeps?

Piezo elements can be very small.

 

[BobK]

This would be quite a challnge. Based on the size of state of the art devices today, maybe inpossible. A 35 year power source is not something you see every day. It might exist, but I have never seen such a thing.

It would have to use cellular phone technology and gps, but will it even be compatible in 35 years?

Bob

 

[Tyler Coffey]

Is this something that exists now or do you want to build one?

Well neither but it would make one hell of a project.
I was really just trying to get some suggestions from the community on how such a device might work. More of a think outside the box kind of brain teaser.

 

[Tyler Coffey]

It would have to use cellular phone technology and gps, but will it even be compatible in 35 years?

Bob

That's a great point with the exponential growth of technology what are the chances of it even being compatible with anything in the future.

 

[Tyler Coffey]

Also would it be possible to say, program in a deep sleep function that would only run a few functions until the signal was recieved? To conserve the battery life.

 

[donkey]

Also would it be possible to say, program in a deep sleep function that would only run a few functions until the signal was recieved? To conserve the battery life.

a battery at best has about 10years life. that's if no charge/discharge. there are new techs like the 400years battery that is in the works but they are highly expensive and not yet available.
having said that I don't think you HAVE to use cell towers or GPS. if you made a triangulation device of sorts.
it uses 3 towers to find the device, 2 towers could give range from each other and possibly direction, the last tower is the home point so as the signal gets stronger it would beep faster.

 

[Tyler Coffey]

a battery at best has about 10years life. that's if no charge/discharge. there are new techs like the 400years battery that is in the works but they are highly expensive and not yet available.
having said that I don't think you HAVE to use cell towers or GPS. if you made a triangulation device of sorts.
it uses 3 towers to find the device, 2 towers could give range from each other and possibly direction, the last tower is the home point so as the signal gets stronger it would beep faster.

Great point. I'm not sure but aren't the long life batteries, for now like the size of a 12 volt car battery.
The towers would have to be separated by a long distance and have to be fairly large right?
And I'm not knocking the suggestion but isn't that the same way cell phone towers work?
Thanks for your input.

 

[donkey]

Great point. I'm not sure but aren't the long life batteries, for now like the size of a 12 volt car battery.
The towers would have to be separated by a long distance and have to be fairly large right?
And I'm not knocking the suggestion but isn't that the same way cell phone towers work?
Thanks for your input.

well the batteries aren't that big.. but they do offer little power..... so yeah

secondly cell phone towers have this option to triangulate. but the reason cell phone towers are so big is they handle multiple connections and go over a large area. a couple of HAM radios could theoretically do the same thing. and they aren't that big.

now the reason I chose this is because you can choose a signal that is very unique on a bandwidth that is very unique. using something like a Tesla tower intertwined could also send power to the device wirelessly but that would be a big setup.
Having said that I would really love if governments started looking at this, a radio that gets power from the transmission during major events..... I know people would abuse it if they can but still nice thing to have

 

[Tyler Coffey]

well the batteries aren't that big.. but they do offer little power..... so yeah

secondly cell phone towers have this option to triangulate. but the reason cell phone towers are so big is they handle multiple connections and go over a large area. a couple of HAM radios could theoretically do the same thing. and they aren't that big.

now the reason I chose this is because you can choose a signal that is very unique on a bandwidth that is very unique. using something like a Tesla tower intertwined could also send power to the device wirelessly but that would be a big setup.
Having said that I would really love if governments started looking at this, a radio that gets power from the transmission during major events..... I know people would abuse it if they can but still nice thing to have

Oh yes indefinitely, You have already mentioned Tesla and "wireless power transmission." I don't understand how he seemed to be the father of modern technology and somehow people still believe that Edison invented the light bulb by his self. Yet because of those power abusing people you mentioned earlier.
Nikola Tesla, who tried to help mankind was left to die alone without a penny.
But the machine keeps running day in and day out.
To this day we still don't know everything that he discovered or developed.

Well I would say that it would have to be something unique to avoid interference. Interesting choice though that would actually be a pretty viable source of power to light an LED and a piezo right? And you would only have to have one Tesla tower right and then two antennas to triangulate from. I'm pretty sure that would solve the 35 year battery life problem. If instead of looking at the token as a transmitter. Transmitting it's information to the reciever. The reciever would be sending power and transmitting a signal that could be mirrored by the token and send back its information embedded in the signal?

 

[davenn]

And you would only have to have one Tesla tower right and then two antennas to triangulate from. I'm pretty sure that would solve the 35 year battery life problem.

I don't see how ???

Transmitting it's information to the reciever. The reciever would be sending power and transmitting a signal that could be mirrored by the token and send back its information embedded in the signal?

that really doesn't make sense .... receivers, receive, not transmit

useful power transmission over anything more than a few cm (inches) does not practically work as the transmitted power level falls off very fast
GOOGLE inverse square law

 

[Tyler Coffey]

Yeh sorry for the confusion your taking my words a little too literally. Really just spit balling here but thanks for the input.

 

[Herschel Peeler]

So today I had a thought regarding a device. Not sure how to put it into words so I'll try to explain the best way I can.
Someone who you haven't seen in a long time hands you a token, small, slightly larger than a coin but not quite a medallion. He says keep this with you at all times, one day you will be needed. And when the time comes the token will begin to flash then it will begin to beep. When this happens come and find me the frequency of the beeps will help you locate me. When the token is activated I will be able to track your progress via the token. After 35 years the token begins to flash...

Now any thoughts? Transmitter and reciever but kind of in reverse? And how do you find a speaker small enough to make the beeps? And if that wasn't enough a 35 year battery life?!?!?
How about GPS tracking. OK it's out there now maybe this will keep someone else up at night!! But any positive thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks.
The lifeless nerd

35 year old GPS system?
Yes, 35 year old battery is a question.
Lights, speaker ... no big problem. Vibrator might be better than speaker.
Small receiver, no problem.

Sounds like the basis for a good story.