Year 2 EEE Project - Autonomous Animal Feeder

 Week 4 - FINAL LAB DAY!! We finished the project off by connecting the smaller prototype to the circuit in order to check that they work correctly. Naomi changed the time interval of the project during this as well. Finally we finished off the blog (evidently) and got the poster printed. When designing this poster, we chose a colour scheme related to ranches—brown soil and green pastures—hoping to create a vibrant atmosphere that allows viewers to intuitively feel the warmth of nature and the vitality of life. Additionally, Elys provided the background story, which tells a vivid tale of a sick pony in need of care, adding an emotional depth to the project. On the technical side, Naomi offered insights into the coding logic and software workflow, helping to clarify the project’s structure, while Yiran was responsible for hardware support to ensure its smooth implementation. Yuhan contributed by envisioning the project’s future development, encouraging us to think beyond the present...

 Due to waiting on parts this week, we decided it was a good time to begin to assemble our prototypes.  Using scrap MDF boards, Elys made a half scale prototype. With sides being X in length and front, back and bottom panels being 2X length. Using a circular saw, Elys cut grooves into the front and back panels, these grooves were close together in order to be able to create 1 large groove where the lid can be on a track and move back and forth correctly. In the model, the lid is simply a piece of MDF to demonstrate the groves and track, however ideally it would be a concertina lid. The concertina lid would shrink in size when open, being conscious about space and then grow in length again when closing. Unfortunately, the motor wasn't able to move the MDF panel and due to parts not arriving in time, we decided to use this prototype as a stationary model.  Instead, we designed and built a smaller prototype, with the Arduino power and the motor in mind. To reduce the load an...

 This week we will begin assembling the circuit, as well as testing the code.   Yiran and Yuhan connected the circuit, based on the schematic that had been produced the week before. Once this had been set up Naomi tested the code with the circuit and debugging any issues that arose. Due to a lack of components in week 1, the code was written blindly so took a little while to check it worked correctly and efficiently. The circuit worked brilliantly and produced exactly what we wanted, meaning that we had completed the first half of the project.  As a team we finally  discussed whether to add a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth module. This would allow us to develop an app in order to control the Arduino remotely, with the user being able to adapt the time intervals without touching the code. Ordering a Seeit ESP32-DEV-30P bluetooth module, which allows for a wifi and a bluetooth connection. Following this plan, Naomi began on a graphical user interphase, as seen on the right. T...

    The first lab session for our project, we begun by delegating jobs within the team;  Naomi - Code  Yuhan & Yiran - Circuit & circuit design  Yiran - Poster Elys - Physical Design, blog and report.      The code will be written within the Arduino Cloud and in a variant of C++.                                                             On a basic level, the code is written so that the LED lights up when the lid moves, and when stationary the LED will be off, providing visual feedback on feeding activity, however there is a delay between the LED turning on/off and any motor movement.         Code Workflow 1. Initialisation at Startup Sets the LED pin as an output.  Attaches the servo motor to pin 12. 2. Main Loop (loop) The...

Pre-Lab Preparation To start our project we need to work out how we are going to create our project, this requires a design of the prototype as well as the circuit, code and what components we will need. Starting with the components; 'Arduino Uno Rev 4 WIFI' - we decided on this specific Arduino as it has built in timers, this means that our time intervals will be precise and reliable. It can also be connected to Wifi and be controlled remotely by an app if we wanted to be able to remotely adapt the timings of the motor.  Parallax Inc 4 Motor - rotates the lid to allow the animal to access the food, this motor has built in thermal protector that will break the circuit if the motor overheats, a brilliant safety precaution around animals. Kingsbright 5V Red LEDs - we wanted to incorporate an LED into our circuit so that the user can see when the motor is in motion.  RS Pro Buzzer - this component is a bit of trial and error. We wanted to include something that would alert the an...

Welcome to 2P47!      This blog will show the steps of creating the 'Autonomous Animal Trickle Feeder', starting with the inspiration behind it and following as the project develops, with a final finished project in 5 weeks time! We hope this project blog shows our project progressing weekly until our lab inspection!      This project is inspired by a pony with EMS, a condition similar to type 2 diabetes in humans. It affects her ability to regulate insulin, leading to complications like laminitis.  Horses need constant access to food, but overfeeding must be avoided. Long gaps can cause ulcers, creating a ‘catch-22’—feed must be restricted yet frequent. Managing this throughout the day can be challenging with a busy schedule.   Our idea to help solve this issue is to design a automatic trickle feeder that can be filled in the morning/evening with forage and opens/closes at specific intervals throughout the day, allowing animals to be prevent...