So, I was messing around with this whole “Pet Libra” thing, trying to get a smart pet feeder working. It sounded cool, you know, automating feedings for my cat so I wouldn’t have to rush home every day.
Started Simple
I grabbed some cheap parts online – a basic servo motor, a little container for the food, and a microcontroller I had lying around. I thought, “How hard could it be?” Just attach the servo to the container, program the microcontroller to move the servo at certain times, and boom, automated feeding.
Wiring Mess
First off, the wiring was a pain. I’m not an electrician, so figuring out which wire went where took some trial and error. I probably fried a couple of components in the process, but hey, that’s part of learning, right?
- First Attempt: Wires were all over the place.
- Second Attempt: Managed to organize them a bit better, less sparking.
Coding Nightmare
Then came the coding. I used some basic timer functions to try to schedule the feedings. Let’s just say my code was as messy as my wiring. The servo would move at random times, or not at all. My cat was not impressed.
Calibration Chaos
Even when I got the timing sort of right, the amount of food dispensed was all over the place. Sometimes it was a mountain of kibble, other times it was just a few pieces. I spent hours tweaking the servo angle and duration, trying to get it consistent.
Redesign Time
After a few weeks of this, I realized my initial design was just too crude. I needed a better way to control the food portions. So, I added a little rotating dispenser, like those gumball machines. Much better for controlling the amount.
- Old Design: Just a tilting container – unpredictable.
- New Design: Rotating dispenser – much more precise.
More Coding
This meant rewriting a lot of the code to control the new dispenser. I also added a simple sensor to detect when the food bowl was empty, so it wouldn’t keep dispensing if my cat had already eaten.
Almost There
It took a lot more tinkering, but I finally got it working reliably. The feedings were consistent, the portions were right, and my cat seemed to appreciate the automated service. I even added a little button so I could manually dispense food if I wanted to give him a treat.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, it was way more work than I expected. But it was a fun project, and I learned a ton along the way. Would I recommend it? If you like getting your hands dirty and don’t mind a bit of frustration, then yeah, go for it. Just be prepared for a wild ride!
