Final Project Documentation

Automated Perler Bead Color Sorting Machine

This is where I will start defining my final project idea and start to get used to the documentation process.

"Automated Color-Sorting Machine for Perler Beads"

Project summary

Mixed Perler beads are fed through a funnel onto a servo-driven turntable. A TCS34725 RGB sensor reads each bead; a second servo rotates a chute to sort red, green, yellow, and blue into separate bins. An ESP32 XIAO C3 runs detection firmware and optional Wi-Fi web control (machineRunning).

Presentation media

Final presentation files in the website root directory:

Final project summary slide

System integration

Mechanical (3D-printed funnel/disc + laser-cut frame) + electronics (custom KiCad PCB, XIAO ESP32-C3, TCS34725, dual servos) + firmware (color classification → servo angles → feed cycle). Documented in Electronics and Week 16.

Documentation sections

Use the pages below to document research, design, fabrication, electronics, and the bill of materials for this project.

Research

Background, motivation, and prior art for bead sorting.

2D & 3D Design & Fabrication

CAD models, renders, and mechanical layout.3D printing, laser cutting, and assembly steps.

Electronics

Board, sensors, actuators, firmware, and wiring.System integration.

Materials

Bill of materials, costs, and purchase links.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT LicenseMIT License.

    You are free to:

  • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material Under the following terms:
  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made
  • NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes
  • ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license
Creative Commons license Creative Commons license details

    Acknowledgments

  • Fab Academy - Neil, all the instructors, and fellow students
  • Instructors - My local instructor (Matthew) and global instructor (Lambert) at FAB Academy 2026 for tutorials and feedback
  • Fellow students at FAB Chaihuo - Tim, Meia, Alison, Sunny, Jerry, Maggie, Jenny, Guannan, Dolphin, John, Henry, Ruili
  • Chaihuo Makerspace — thanks to all the Chaihuo members & managers: Chris, Yumi, Jovan, Dumpling, Dean, Aaron, Xiaotong, Bianca, Ethan, Namas

  • Instructors - My local instructor (Matthew) and global instructor (Lambert) at FAB Academy 2026 for tutorials and feedback
  • Fellow students at FAB Chaihuo - Guannan,Jenny, Emily,Tim, Meia, Alison, Sunny, Jerry, Dolphin, John, Henry, Ruili.

    • Related weekly assignments

    Final-project work is spread across Week 1 (sketches), Week 3 (laser), Week 5 (3D print), Week 6 (PCB), Week 9 (sensor), Week 11 (Wi-Fi / code), Week 16 (integration), Week 18 (proposal), and Week 19 (dissemination).

    License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial. Source code and design files hosted in this GitLab repository (no external file hosting).