A Machine for Cats

Mar 29, 2016 at 4:27 AM
In my body, in my head
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not to be confused with a machine for pigs

i've been trying to get this together for a long time now but finally all the stars have aligned, and I've produced my very own Automatic Cat Feeding Device. Basically what this does, is dispense small amounts of cat food at measured intervals to ensure the healthiest feeding cycle for domestic felines. Pics to follow:
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https://vine.co/v/iDXddOXUiYA

The design is really simple. The basis is the 3D-printed "water wheel" for kibbles, which I was able to draw up in Autodesk Fusion. This is then screwed to a continuous rotation servo that is controlled by the Adafruit Huzzah ESP8266 module. The Huzzah is obviously overkill for a project like this, but I had like a hundred of them lying around from work so I figured it'd be fun to have a wireless enabled cat food dispenser.

Anyway, the wheel sits beneath an empty 2L soda bottle that acts as the reservoir for cat food. In a future design I'd consider using a bigger container, but this works well for now as I reckon I can fit at least a week's worth of food into it. The bottle also has a soft vinyl flap keeping the food from spilling out too soon.
The rest is simply a wooden box that houses the mechanisms (out of reach of curious paws) and a window cut into the front panel, made from the wall of another plastic bottle and adhered with hot glue. If someone really wants I can go into detail about the box but yknow.. its' a box whatever.

so that's my project. felt like sharing because it was fun and kind of cool to make. Props to my grandpa for help with the woodworking, I'm not actually very good at that stuff. I know I could've bought something just like this online for like a hundred bucks, but mine's made of garbage and that makes it special.
 
Mar 29, 2016 at 12:51 PM
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*removes "not" in "not to be confused with a machine for pigs"*
So, what machine do you intend to put the cats in next? A cuddling machine? A stroking machine?
A something else machine??
 
Mar 29, 2016 at 1:07 PM
In my body, in my head
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"Life begins and ends with Nu."
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perhaps someday I will be able to automate all aspects of cat ownership.
The perfect hands-free pet!
 
Mar 29, 2016 at 6:30 PM
The Preacher
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You can't automate affection, you monster.

am i convincing yet
 
Mar 29, 2016 at 6:55 PM
In my body, in my head
Forum Moderator
"Life begins and ends with Nu."
Join Date: Aug 28, 2009
Location: The Purple Zone
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I'll automate you
 
Mar 29, 2016 at 8:35 PM
THE suus
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we're constructing the future
the feline future
 
Mar 30, 2016 at 4:37 AM
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I would actually love to have this, to feed both me and my cats.
 
Mar 30, 2016 at 7:28 PM
Lurking in the Shadows
"No! Don't OPEN that DOOR!"
Join Date: Mar 8, 2016
Location: the shadows. It says so right there!
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be careful what power you give to the cats

soon enough they'll be reverse-engineering your designs and taking over the world

i mean, not that i have a problem with that. i accept our new cat overlords.
 
Mar 31, 2016 at 4:00 AM
tem go to colleg and make u prouds!!!
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so when will it be for sale
 
Mar 31, 2016 at 9:42 AM
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Mar 31, 2016 at 11:40 AM
Amaya
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Splendid work! I don’t actually have anything interesting to say about your project, but it was fun to read about! :mahin:
 
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