Idea

**The Stranger:Me** · 8th November 2005, 19:36

Ok you are driving at night, barely exceeding the speed limit and BANG out of the blue you are flashed by one of those photographic toll booths.

But you don't worry because you have the CaN Photo Phucker (tm) fitted to your vehicle.

This small device has a small photo sensitive gizmo, which is sensitive to sudden large changes in light and triggers a blinding flash directed down at your number plate, thus causing the photo image to be overexposed in this region and thus useless to the toll booth.

So this is a work of fiction, but is it viable?
The small photo sensitive gizmos are available.
The circuitry I am sure, would react in time, far quicker than the shutter speed of the camera, but would you be able to generate the light in time?

Or am I just dreaming?

**N4CR** · 8th November 2005, 19:42

Hhhhmmmmm..... speed of light raises some interesting problems.

I'm guessing the reflection of the light traveling to the plate and back would take less time than a circuit to have a light reading above threshold (light sensitive diode) and then trigger a current flow for a flashbulb which has to heat up in a very short time ( less than the exposure of the camera). Doing the above would be very hard, but not impossible. An electrical engineer and a decent physicist would help.

**zeRax** · 8th November 2005, 19:42

oOOooOOoh, ill be watchin this

, ive got a number of ideas, alsorts of tax evasion area's

**dhunt** · 8th November 2005, 19:46

Originally Posted by CaN

Ok you are driving at night, barely exceeding the speed limit and BANG out of the blue you are flashed by one of those photographic toll booths.

But you don't worry because you have the CaN Photo Phucker (tm) fitted to your vehicle.

This small device has a small photo sensitive gizmo, which is sensitive to sudden large changes in light and triggers a blinding flash directed down at your number plate, thus causing the photo image to be overexposed in this region and thus useless to the toll booth.

So this is a work of fiction, but is it viable?
The small photo sensitive gizmos are available.
The circuitry I am sure, would react in time, far quicker than the shutter speed of the camera, but would you be able to generate the light in time?

Or am I just dreaming?

I'm sure I've seen these devices for sale somewhere on the net so I suppose it is possible. I think worked by detecting the infrared from the autofocus in the camera so worked even if there isn't a flash.

**zeRax** · 8th November 2005, 19:46

im guessing itll need alsorts of extra electrical gizmo's, and wonder what people behind u will think when you come out of shadow into sunlight again and ur number plate goes booya bright :E hehe

**dhunt** · 8th November 2005, 19:53

Have a look at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/479483.stm

I can't find the place that sells them but it definitely is possible.

**Jonty** · 8th November 2005, 19:58

you can just order plates with a bright reflective surface (highly illegal I would imagine). Not sure how they go with car lights but they certainly prevent a camera catching the numbers.

**Ixion** · 8th November 2005, 20:15

Originally Posted by tristank

Hhhhmmmmm..... speed of light raises some interesting problems.

I'm guessing the reflection of the light traveling to the plate and back would take less time than a circuit to have a light reading above threshold (light sensitive diode) and then trigger a current flow for a flashbulb which has to heat up in a very short time ( less than the exposure of the camera). Doing the above would be very hard, but not impossible. An electrical engineer and a decent physicist would help.

It may not be as hard as that. Once the flash goes off the camera shutter remins open for quite a length of time (because even with the flash, there's still not a lot of light) A substantial fraction of a second. So, as long as you flash your actinic glare before the shutter closes you might still be OK to photoflodd the film.

But is there not a theory that speed cameras don't get bikes (can't front on, no plate, but many claim they don't get rear on either). Has anyone ever actually had a ticket from a speed camera (not a cop-stop, but one in the mail)

**The Stranger:Me** · 8th November 2005, 20:17

Ok ok, this was my idea.
Mine I tell you. The bastards stole it.

**skelstar** · 8th November 2005, 20:21

Theres a problem with the long exposure theorey: if a bike is travelling away-towards a camera (away in this case) then if the shutter was open for long enough the image would become blurred.

You could have somehting like a Xenon flash tube that flashes out the back of your bike. The problem you will strike pretty quickly is the trigger for the phucker (or whatever it was called). It may trigger on anything that presents a difference in light ie car headlights behind you going over bumps in the road etc.

**N4CR** · 8th November 2005, 20:23

Originally Posted by Ixion

Has anyone ever actually had a ticket from a speed camera (not a cop-stop, but one in the mail)

I have gone though a few over the 14kmh tolerance for cameras (afaik) at night, while the orange flashy thing was in there (this is one of the busiest cameras in the north island) and it didn't go off. Infact, been through the Mt Wellington highway one twice at speed with no flash at night and also the one from Meadowbank to Remuera multiple times.

Tell ya what, tomorrow night I'll go cruising through 3 of them 20kmh over just to be a bastard and see what happens

edit: and yes I have seen them all flash cars infront of me before at night.

**The Stranger:Me** · 8th November 2005, 20:27

Originally Posted by Ixion

It may not be as hard as that. Once the flash goes off the camera shutter remins open for quite a length of time (because even with the flash, there's still not a lot of light) A substantial fraction of a second. So, as long as you flash your actinic glare before the shutter closes you might still be OK to photoflodd the film.

But is there not a theory that speed cameras don't get bikes (can't front on, no plate, but many claim they don't get rear on either). Has anyone ever actually had a ticket from a speed camera (not a cop-stop, but one in the mail)

Ok I haven't seen my 2 tickets flashed from the front whilst on my bike and that was about 3 months ago.
Not so much thinking of the bike, but unfortunately I have to drive a cage now and then.

They used to have snesors on the old Cadi's in the 50s and 60s which detected on coming headlights and dipped your lights. I am told they worked very well.

So I know the ability to detect is available, it is just the flash that would need to be sorted to react fast enough.

Having spent many many hours arc welding I was thinking an electric arc.

**The Stranger:Me** · 8th November 2005, 20:30

Could be angled and have a screen, and I am pretty sure (having seen a few) that the output of those flashes is significantly greater than most head lights. If so car headlights should not pose a problem.

**N4CR** · 8th November 2005, 20:35

Originally Posted by CaN

Could be angled and have a screen, and I am pretty sure (having seen a few) that the output of those flashes is significantly greater than most head lights. If so car headlights should not pose a problem.

I'm pretty sure that angle is constant, as long as you are straight and roughly in the middle the angle of the camera will be constant - notice how they set the trigger pads infront of each other on a two+ lane trap? Side closest to the camera (on your left) will be the closest towards the camera and progressively going outwards towards the front of your vehicle as it gets further away. 4 lanes is the maximum - Mt wellington Highway has 5 lanes and only the 1st four of them closest to the camera are triggered due to focal length I'm guessing.