SK MINDEN HEIGHT

STEM INNOVATION CHALLENGE

“BETA SMART MAILBOX”

AINA MARISSA
RABIATUL SYAKIRAH
ZIYA QAISARA
ISABELLA

5 BETA 2024/25

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our teachers , friends and also our parents.
We have taken a huge efforts in producing this project for the Stem Innovation Challenge.
Nevertheless, it would not have been possible without the guidance, supports and helps
from everyone especially our lovely parents. Last but not least, many thanks to those who
participated directly or indirectly that helped us with their credentials.

PRODUCT INTRODUCTON

As technology continues to evolve rapidly, people tend to do things easier. People has
become busier with everyday affairs due to their own obligations. As a result of this, people
tend to be forgetful and need to be reminded. One common problem that we are facing at
present is the tendency to forget on checking our mailbox. Due to this negligence, important
mails, bills and documents will be missed. This normally happened when the residents don’t
have a proper solution or an advanced technology to solve this problem. Correspondingly,
we are here to present to you our newly invented project called BETA SMART MAILBOX. We
positively believed that our innovations can at least ease some of our burdens especially on
the targeted areas such as apartments, condominiums, shopping malls or even at a
residential area.

METHODOLOGY

At the first phase, we congregated ourselves at a rendezvous to discuss about our project.
After we had shortlisted few options, we agreed to come out with the idea of making a
`Smart Mailbox’. Our project uses Arduino mega as the main components plus some others
component that are listed out in Appendices. Project costing and Programming Flow also
have been included in the Appendices as well. Subsequently, we have ensured that all four
elements of the S.T.E.M are met accordingly. This project is also a cost-effective project and
environmentally friendly. Lastly, we shared our ideas on the creativity, improvisations and
innovations of the project in order to meet the requirements stated.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Mail Detection:
The ultrasonic sensor is positioned inside the mailbox to detect when new mail arrives.

User Acknowledgement:
An RFID tag is used to reset the notification. When you scan your RFID tag (attached to your
keychain or wallet), the system knows the mail has been collected and resets.

Alert System:

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An LED light (or buzzer) outside the mailbox turns on to indicate that mail is waiting for
collection. When you scan your RFID tag, it clears the alert.

HOW IT WORKS

1. Mail Detection:
The ultrasonic sensor continuously checks the distance to the bottom of the mailbox.
When mail is inserted, the distance decreases, triggering the system.

2. Activation:
When new mail is detected, the LED turns on, indicating mail is present.

3. Acknowledgement with RFID:

After collecting the mail, you scan your RFID tag to reset the system. This turns off
the LED and sets the system back to “waiting for mail” mode.

BENEFITS

 You’ll know exactly when mail arrives without needing to check manually.
 The RFID-based reset provides a unique and easy way to reset the alert.
 This project is small, doesn’t require a lot of power, and can be battery-operated if
needed.

MATERIALS USED

1. Arduino Uno
2. RFID RC522 module
3. Ultrasonic Sensor (HC-SR04)
4. LED
5. 220-ohm resistor
6. RFID tag
7. Breadboard
8. Jumper wires
9. Power supply or battery pack
10. Mailbox

LED Connection:
Component Pin on Arduino Function
LED 1 Anode Digital Pin 3 LED 1 Control
GND (through 220Ω
LED 1 Cathode Ground
resistor)
LED 2 Anode Digital Pin 4 LED 2 Control

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 GND (through 220Ω
LED 2 Cathode Ground
resistor)
Ultrasonic Sensor (HC-SR04) Connections:
Component Pin on Arduino Function
Ultrasonic Trig Digital Pin 7 Trigger
Ultrasonic
Digital Pin 6 Echo
Echo
Ultrasonic VCC 5V Power
Ultrasonic
GND Ground
GND

RFID Reader (MFRC522) Connections:

Component Pin on Arduino Function
RFID SDA Digital Pin 10 Select/Slave (SS)
RFID RST Digital Pin 9 Reset
Master Out Slave In (SPI
RFID MOSI Digital Pin 11
MOSI)
Master In Slave Out (SPI
RFID MISO Digital Pin 12
MISO)
RFID SCK Digital Pin 13 Serial Clock (SPI SCK)
RFID VCC 5V Power
RFID GND GND Ground

220 Ohm Resistor RFID Tag Breadboard

Jumper Wire Power Supply Mailbox

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Code:
#include <SPI.h>
#include <MFRC522.h>
#include <NewPing.h>

#define SS_PIN 10
#define RST_PIN 9
#define TRIG_PIN 7
#define ECHO_PIN 6
#define LED_PIN1 3
#define LED_PIN2 4

MFRC522 mfrc522(SS_PIN, RST_PIN); // RFID

NewPing sonar(TRIG_PIN, ECHO_PIN, 50); // Ultrasonic sensor setup (50 cm max range)

bool mailPresent = false;

void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
SPI.begin();
mfrc522.PCD_Init();
mfrc522.PCD_SetAntennaGain(mfrc522.RxGain_max);
pinMode(LED_PIN1, OUTPUT);
pinMode(LED_PIN2, OUTPUT);
Serial.println("Smart Mailbox Notifier Ready");
}

void loop() {
// Check for new mail using ultrasonic sensor
int distance = sonar.ping_cm();
if (distance > 0 && distance < 10) { // Adjust for mailbox depth
mailPresent = true;
digitalWrite(LED_PIN1, HIGH);
digitalWrite(LED_PIN2, HIGH); // Turn on LED to indicate mail arrival
Serial.println("New mail detected!");
}

// Check for RFID scan to reset mail notification

if (mailPresent && mfrc522.PICC_IsNewCardPresent() && mfrc522.PICC_ReadCardSerial()) {
String content = "";
for (byte i = 0; i < mfrc522.uid.size; i++) {
content.concat(String(mfrc522.uid.uidByte[i] < 0x10 ? "0" : ""));
content.concat(String(mfrc522.uid.uidByte[i], HEX));
}
content.toUpperCase();

if (content == "8C216F17") { // Replace with actual RFID UID

mailPresent = false;
digitalWrite(LED_PIN1, LOW);
digitalWrite(LED_PIN2, LOW); // Turn off LED to reset system
Serial.println("Mail collected, system reset.");
}
delay(1000); // Prevent multiple scans
}

delay(500); // Main loop delay

}