How to get started on creating a safe that will open and close upon entering a passcode into it?

Question

I want to work on a project dealing with some hardware things but I have no knowledge in this area and I would really appreciate some help with getting started.

I am programming in Node.js so I have had a look at NodeBots and Arduino; however, I am not sure if this is the right place to even start.

The main thing I want to be able to do is:

• create a safe where it will open when I enter the correct passcode into an iPad or some touch screen
• be able to set the passcode

When working on such a project, do I need the hardware first? (If so, what are some things I should get?) Secondly, where can I start coding and what are good languages for this? (I am unsure as to which aspect of this project I should focus on first)

Answer 1

I made one with a keypad (not connected to other devices, but it's similar). And, according to my experience, the mechanical part is the worst: designing and building the safe (I used plexiglass) was the worst thing.

As for your questions, I think that yes, you should start with the hardware design. Or at least choose

1. how are ou closing/opening the door? I used a stepper motor, but there are tons of choices - door locks, servomotors, dc motors.....
2. how are you detecting if it is open or closed?
3. what will be the interface? You spoke about iPad, so I suppose you want some bluetooth apple-enabled devices.

Then you will be able to start coding. But the code will be really simple once you got what the hardware will look like (in the end, it's just "wait for the correct passcode, then open the safe, then close it again").