Pet Treat Dispenser (Q45087)

(click on the thumbnail for the full-length photo) This is an internet-controlled pet treat dispenser. The model pictured has dual chutes and canholders so it will dispense two treats simultaneously, since we have two cats. That's not a necessary component, you can use a single shaft and canholder. The idea here is to put a webcam where it can view the dispenser, possibly something to make a noise to attract the cats, and then give them a treat. In our case, the 'webcam' and noise will be provided by a Rovio. The electronics are arduino-based and can be attached directly to a PC via USB or controlled more remotely with a bluetooth dongle. There is a (very) simple Perl CGI that will activate the pet feeder over the internet. For the record, the plastic used in my photos is: Blue and Green PLA from: http://diamondage.co.nz/pla.html Natural PLA from: http://www.makergear.com/products/filament Printed on my Thing-O-Matic. WIP WHY: * Not completely tested, but it WILL be complete by the end of the day, with more photos and demo videos!! * The joiners I was experimenting with in the STLs below are not really good, especially the part with 4 is basically impossible to get together, although it may work a little nicer in more flexible ABS; these prints of mine are all PLA. * My initial tests show the treats I'm using are tend to jam up in the canister instead of falling into the hopper. My initial plan to fix this is to chop up the treats into smaller bits by hand and load them in the canisters. If that does not work, I may have to resort to printing the entire mechanism somewhat larger, and/or designing some kind of agitator for the canisters. * Documentation below obviously WIP. * Software to be (written and then) provided! QUICK UPDATE: Testing various treats, sizes, shaking the cans, and stuff... we're stuck with the problem that the treats bind up in the can instead of falling into the holes. The next step in solving the problem will be to add some kind of better agitation to the treats that are still in the can. This will require redesigning some of the parts, unfortunately, which I'm doing now. UPDATE (2011-04-18): I've got a new design for the gears, gearbox, and canholders that might help alleviate the jamming problem. I'll post them after a test. - supplemental: I posted the parts, although they are untested and still printing here. UPDATE (2011-04-20): New parts tested and they work MUCH better. I think it could still be improved somewhat, and there's a bit too much room in some places, but I can probably run with this design as-is.