Back to Final Project

Research

Perler beads are cylindrical plastic beads (~5 mm) used for fused art. They are often sold in mixed-color packs, making manual sorting tedious. This project builds an automated color-sorting machine that reads bead color with a TCS34725 sensor and routes each bead into the correct bin using servo-actuated mechanics.

Motivation

The idea started in Week 1 after seeing how difficult it is to separate mixed bead colors by hand. I researched existing solutions and found industrial color sorters, but no small open-source device aimed at hobby Perler-bead users — especially one built around an ESP32-C3.

Early project sketch 1

System concept

  • Feeding — beads enter a funnel / turntable (Servo1 advances one bead at a time).
  • Sensing — TCS34725 RGB sensor reads color at a fixed station (I²C on GPIO6/GPIO7).
  • Sorting — Servo2 rotates a slide or chute to the correct bin angle (red / green / yellow / blue).
  • Control — XIAO ESP32-C3 runs detection logic; later extended with Wi-Fi web UI (machineRunning flag in Week 11).

Prior art & references

No open-source Perler-bead sorter using ESP32-C3 was found during literature review (Week 18).

Future applications

  • When combined with image recognition technology, once a player enters a pattern, the color-sorting machine can automatically identify the corresponding colors and calculate the number of beads required for each color, helping the player organize the necessary colors and quantities of beads. If the player wishes, the machine can automatically assemble the beads after recognizing the pattern, functioning as an automatic bead-assembly machine.
  • Educational robotics and smart Educational robotics projects for students to learn about color sorting and automation by using Lego bricks and sensorsmanufacturing demos

Related weekly assignments

Work on this final project is documented across these weeks:

  • Week 1 — project motivation and first sketches
  • Week 2 — CAD exploration (Fusion 360)
  • Week 3 — laser-cut chassis
  • Week 5 — 3D printing tests
  • Week 6 — custom PCB design (KiCad)
  • Week 9 — TCS34725 color sensor input
  • Week 11 — Wi-Fi web control & machineRunning firmware
  • Week 16 — system integration plan & sketches
  • Week 18 — applications & implications proposal
  • Week 19 — dissemination & project status