11. Applications and implications

Assignments for week 10 :

  • This week assignment is simply answering questions related to my final project and propose a final project that integrates the range of units covered.

The goal for this week is to clarify and give more information about my final project simply by answering questions that will help you to understand my final project, what it can do, what components you need to make it, and more and more questions.

individual assignment :

lets start this assignment by answering one question at a time :

What will it do?

  • I will start by the name “LASER CAT”, Laser cat is an automatic cat food dispenser that will help cat owners who spends most of their times away from their cats, and that will be done by the “LASER CAT” This machine will serve the cat three portions a day and can last for 2 days, each portion will have 60 Grams of dry cat food, and when the food is being served the machine will make a sound, that sound will be the owners voice in order to call the cat or alert it that food is being served also after 20 to 25 minutes a laser will be turned on and starts to move in random directions to entertain the cat.

  • This machine will have a weight sensor connected with the plate that the food will be served in and whenever the foods weight is less than 60 grams the dispenser will automatically serve the food.

The Final project plan :

Designing Week 2 in this week i did the first point in the process and its to design a food dispenser and a case for the final project time needed : 4 days Here is the result
Laser cutting Week 3 in this week i have cut the case design time needed : 1 day Here is the result
3D printing Week 5 in this week i have 3D printed the food dispenser and measured the food portions time needed : 3 days Here is the result
Electronics design “Input” Week 9 in this week i have designed a board for my microphone time needed : 3 days Here is the result
Electronics design “Output” Week 11 In this week i have designed a board for my speaker time needed : 4 days Here is the result

The final project process:

  1. the food holder will be designed using fusion 360 and 3D printed using ultimaker3.

  2. the case will be designed on fusion 360 and it will be cut by laser cut and CNC.

  3. the food will be served as portions and to do that i will design a food dispense mechanism using fusion 360 and it will be printed using Ultimaker3 and it will be connected to a step motor.
  4. the cat food dispenser will be connected to a mobile application which i will build to alert the owner of the cat if the food is empty.
  5. the laser will be connected to a servo motor which will turn on after 20 minutes from serving the food to the cat.
  6. the speaker will be connected to the microprocessor and the voice of the owner will be recorded and saved using SD card and will be uploaded to the speaker.
  7. the weight sensor will be connected to the plate and the microprocessor so when its empty the step motor that is connected to the food dispense machine responds and serve the food.
  8. a small keychain will be connected to the case and i will design it using Fusion 360 and create it on the moulding and casting week.
  9. all the electronics will be designed using EAGLE software and cut by monoFab SRM-20.

Who’s done what beforehand?

What will you design?

  • The case for the final project and thats already done you can Check it on week 4 .

  • The food dispenser and that already done you can Check it on week 6 .

  • All the electronics for my project will be designed by me, the board that controls the stepper motor and the weight sensor, the board that controls the servo motor which is connected to the laser and the board that controls the speaker .

What materials and components will be used?

Input Output Power supply Materials link for each component
1 x Weight sensor 1 x Stepper motor 1 x 12VDC 74mA for the stepper motor Plywood for the weight sensor
1 x HX711 1 x speaker “greeting card” 1 x 9V for the servo motor Acrylic for the stepper motor
Microphone 1 x Servo motor 1 x 5V for the board PLA for the 12V Power supply
SD card reader 2 x Laser -------- --------- for the greeting card

Where will come from?

  • Most of these parts and components are available in every lab, just few components and materials will be bought from an electronics shop .

How much will they cost?

  • 12 Volts Supply = 20 $

  • ball bearing = 0.25 $ per piece

  • stepper motor = 15 $

  • Ultrasonic = 1 $

  • Servo motor = 2 $

  • speaker = 8 $

  • acrylic sheets = 18 $

  • Total spending: 64 $

What parts and systems will be made?

The major parts will be done by me such as :

  1. The microcontroller that will connect the weight sensor to the stepper motor and the speaker.

  2. The microcontroller that will connect the laser to the servo motor.

  3. The food dispenser, the food holder, are designed by me and 3D printed.

  4. The case for the final project is designed by me and cut using the laser cutter.

What processes will be used?

  • CNC for cutting the Plywood .

  • Laser cutter and vinyl cutter for the acrylic and the stickers .

  • Ultimaker3 for 3D printing .

  • Monofab SRM-20 for milling the Boards .

  • Networking and communication .

  • Embedded Programming .

  • Interface and Application Programming .

  • Input and Output Devices .

What questions need to be answered?

  • Will i be able to finish by time ?

  • Will my project be helpful for cat owners as i planned ?

How will it be evaluated?

  • First, correct interaction between the electronics, mechanical and coding systems of the project .

  • Second, the durability of the project and being strong enough to last and work intensively for hundreds of hours .

  • Third, to be fully functional and to work with no errors also to come as a beautiful design .