



UPDATE: I've added some other videos to show the device details...









Improvements as of 6/22/09



Connection between PC and feeder is now wireless using Xbee modules. Now the cat feeder is free to be anywehere around the house. Just needs a power connection.



A web interface has been created which allows the control of the device via a web site. A web cam with live video feed has also been setup to monitor the feeder and the cats.

I have spent the last several weeks building a device to automatically dispense dry food to our two adorable cats. The cats need to be ona diet due to weight issues. So a certain amount of food must be given to them throughout the day.i learned about the Arduino board soon before starting this project. So this little hobby has given me the perfect opportunity to learn more about this amazing device and its ever-expanding capabilities.The cat feeder is basically a cylindrical container that has an opening on its side. The cylinder rests on its side and is supported by wooden dowles and rollerblade ballbearings which allow it to rotate with ease.The rotation is provided by a wheel attached to a small motor. the signal and power is provided by an Arduino Duemilanove.When the cylinder spins, the opening allows food to fall off when the opening faces down. A funnel system then drives the food to a Y type PVD junction which distributes the food evenly to two bowls. Since the food is dispensed to both bowls at the same time, the cats eat toegether and therefore minimizes the chances that one cat its share and then try to eat from the other's.When the cylinder needs to be refilled, my wife or I can just pick up the cylinder, open one side, and fill it up. Then we replace the cylinder and make sure the plastic cover is properly set and positioned. This is important because otherwise the food will start falling off.When the motor runs, it makes the cylinder rotate a certain amount of times. However, since the cylinder may provide varying resistance due to its weight (due to the amount of food in it) then a laser-driven sensor is also put in place to make sure the cylinder is repositioned in the right place to prevent premature spillage.The plastic cover that closes the lid of the cylinder has a piece of wood that acts as a signal blocker. This piece of wood basically blocks a laser bean from illuminating a light-dependent resistor (LDR). When the piece of wood is positioned correctly, it will block the laser. If the LDR detects the laser, this is a notification to the Arduino controller that it needs to readjust the cylinder. It will continue doing this until the LDR no longer receive light from the laser. I must provide great thanks to the author if this blog for his use of laser and LDRsHere are some videos detailing the various elements that make up the feeder...

Challenges

By far, my biggest challenge was something called "de-coupling" The idea that a motor, or any device that generates electromagnetic force, can disrrupt the circuit and cause devices to go nutty. i found this web site , as well as the Arduino.cc forums, very useful while trying to figure out how to use capacitors to resolve this issue.

Ongoing Development



Improve the way the container rotates. I don't really like the way i have to fill it at this time.



Implement a better timer solution in the Arduino. I'm looking at the MSTimer2 libraries, will see if this have better results. While my current solution works fine, i am sure there are better ways to solve this issue.

Constructive and helpful comments and suggestions are always welcomed!