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 Arduino programming project, design and program automatic cat feeder

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TSMerc.Enary
post Jan 20 2018, 11:53 AM, updated 5y ago

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Dear community,

I am looking for an Arduino programmer who can help me in redproducing/upgrading an automatic electric cat feeder. This machine is rather sophisticated in what it can do and how it works but unfortunately the company which produced it does not exist anymore so support is actually not existing and once the thing breaks it will be difficult to get a replacement since there is virtually no alternative on the market.

This is the link to the original machine: Catsomat

So what can it do right now and where would I see areas of improvement.

1. It has a rotating dish with 7 places for food. Times can be set so that the dish rotates and give a new portion of food to the cat. Any time can be set, also on several days.
2. It COOLS the food. Yes, that’s right. There is a thermoelectric cooler in there which cools the inside of the machine to a temperature down to 8degC. Here, in Malaysia it does not get that low due to the warm outside temperature but it still cools the wet food inside and keeps it eatable throughout a day. So of course there is a thermometer inside that measures the temperature.
3. There is a light barrier which detects if the cat is leaning into the dish. This is to prevent the cat head of paws getting stuck in the dish while rotating.
4. It has a spare battery so that it will not lose its programming in case of a power cut. It will still rotate but will not cool when running on the battery
5. It has a little speaker and microphone to record a sound or message. This is played when the dish rotates so the cat knows that there is food coming. It really work…my cat will walk to the machine (if he is not already there) when he hears to message.
6. IF necessary there is also a heating element in there. So the food in the next part of the dish can be heated up before it rotates to be eaten. This might make sense when the food gets cooled down to 8 degC since this is too cold to be eaten directly but I am not using it. It should be included but is not the most important.
Things it cannot do at the moment and that should be improved.

1. Whenever the machine is opened the dish rotates back to compartment number 1. It is not possible to “fast forward” to the next ones, for example to give some food earlier or if there was a reason to open the machine in the mid of a feeding cycle. So free control of the dish would be great.
2. At the moment everything is controlled on a small blue/white display and it seems that this is degrading. So the display needs to be replaced but ideally it would be great to be able to control this thing from a PC or app. When the company still existed they were talking about including a web cam and internet (or at least intranet) support. Of course this would have to be super save in terms of internet security.
3. There was also the plan to include a microchip reader to identify the cat that is in front of the machine (in case you have got more than one) but I don’t think that this is a priority.
I think this is it.
I am not necessarily thinking about rebuilding the whole thing since the hardware (case, dish, insulation) is there already. I am mainly worried about the controls and electronic parts going bust at some point. So ideally everything would either be fitted into the machine or maybe the control parts could be placed outside whereas things like the rotating motor and dish and sensors just stay where they are.

So…is there anybody out there who would like to help me with this.

If so, drop me a message and lets have a chat about it.

Cheers,

Merc

CKKwan
post Jan 20 2018, 12:06 PM

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This is not a difficult job. But I think you should buy a new one. It will cost less than hiring someone to code specially for you.

This post has been edited by CKKwan: Jan 20 2018, 12:06 PM
TSMerc.Enary
post Jan 20 2018, 12:25 PM

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Hi CKKwan,

first off all thanks for the reply and good to hear that it is NOT difficult.

Actually I thought so since it is rather straight forward stuff and sensors.

However...the problem is that this is NOT available anymore new, only used on ebay. Sooner or later it will break.
There is, believe it or not, NO alternative on the market that has the cooling functionality. So it really is the only one out there that has this kind of functionality.

Also...it was (when it was still available) not one of the cheapest devices to buy. I don´t know what kind of rate and price we are talking about here in terms of programming but this is something to discuss in detail.

I am happy for any serious quote or suggestion. From there we have to see if it is feasible or not.

Cheers,

Merc


QUOTE(CKKwan @ Jan 20 2018, 12:06 PM)
This is not a difficult job. But I think you should buy a new one. It will cost less than hiring someone to code specially for you.
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This post has been edited by Merc.Enary: Jan 20 2018, 12:31 PM
CKKwan
post Jan 20 2018, 02:23 PM

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QUOTE(Merc.Enary @ Jan 20 2018, 12:25 PM)
Hi CKKwan,

first off all thanks for the reply and good to hear that it is NOT difficult.

Actually I thought so since it is rather straight forward stuff and sensors.

However...the problem is that this is NOT available anymore new, only used on ebay. Sooner or later it will break.
There is, believe it or not, NO alternative on the market that has the cooling functionality. So it really is the only one out there that has this kind of functionality.

Also...it was (when it was still available) not one of the cheapest devices to buy. I don´t know what kind of rate and price we are talking about here in terms of programming but this is something to discuss in detail.

I am happy for any serious quote or suggestion. From there we have to see if it is feasible or not.

Cheers,

Merc
*
Merc,

I have just checked, and that is true. None of the automatic feeder in the market has this cooling features. Their price is as low as RM150 (around RMB220). Maybe that is why those with refigrators are out of business.

Those with factory automation skills will be able to do it in less than 2 weeks. But in order to get lower price, I think you better find student who is doing part time.

Leolabs
post Jan 31 2018, 02:05 PM

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QUOTE(Merc.Enary @ Jan 20 2018, 12:25 PM)
Hi CKKwan,

first off all thanks for the reply and good to hear that it is NOT difficult.

Actually I thought so since it is rather straight forward stuff and sensors.

However...the problem is that this is NOT available anymore new, only used on ebay. Sooner or later it will break.
There is, believe it or not, NO alternative on the market that has the cooling functionality. So it really is the only one out there that has this kind of functionality.

Also...it was (when it was still available) not one of the cheapest devices to buy. I don´t know what kind of rate and price we are talking about here in terms of programming but this is something to discuss in detail.

I am happy for any serious quote or suggestion. From there we have to see if it is feasible or not.

Cheers,

Merc
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Your location?

Besides Arduino,u actually can consider some entry level PLC to get it done too
TSMerc.Enary
post Aug 10 2018, 11:07 PM

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I am in the Bangsar area.
Actually I will get a broken cat feeder soon which could serve as a development object.
In the meantime I got myself an Arduino and played around with some of the tutorials. Actually I got the feeling that this is quite doable but that does not necessarily mean I can do it myself.
The programming of the button controlled menue seems a bit sophisticated.

Still looking for people who would be interested to get this going.

Cheers.

M.

QUOTE(Leolabs @ Jan 31 2018, 02:05 PM)
Your location?

Besides Arduino,u actually can consider some entry level PLC to get it done too
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TSMerc.Enary
post Aug 11 2018, 12:10 PM

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So I have opened it up and taken some pictures to show what it looks like and what kind of components are inside.

What one can see on the different attachements:

LID OPEN:
- this shows the temperature sensor and the place of the battery

LIGHT BARRIER:
- tow little holes on each side of the opening for the food. There is a light barrier and once it is interrupted the dish stops rotating

ROTATING DISH:
- this is the view of the rotating dish from below. One can see how the different compartments (1-7) have black markings. Number 7 has has 3 black lines. So I assume with the help of the photo sensor the machine detects those lines. Once a line is detected the rotation stops. Once 3 lines are detected it knows that the next line is compartment 1. Compartment 1 is always the starting position at this moment.

OPTICAL SENSOR:
- a close up of what I believe is the optical sensor

COMPONENTS_W:
- a view of the inside, showing the rechargable battery pack, the speaker, the main controller board. The component to the bottom is the backside of the control buttons and the blue/white display

I had thought that the machine uses a stepper motor but in fact it is just a motor with 2 connectors so it won't be a stepper. I guess precise poistioning is not necessarily required since the black lines control when rotation stops.


Cheers,

Merc

This post has been edited by Merc.Enary: Aug 11 2018, 12:27 PM


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TSMerc.Enary
post Aug 11 2018, 12:13 PM

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This post has been edited by Merc.Enary: Aug 11 2018, 12:26 PM
TSMerc.Enary
post Jun 25 2019, 08:22 PM

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Hey guys,
I want to bring the topic up again.
I have now got one defect Catsomat here and since I don't really trust the build quality of those machines a lot I want to bring the topic up again.

So I am still looking for somewhone who can help me to fix the broken machine, but with an Arduino approach or alternatively with any other great idea.

The funtionality I need is much more basic than what the original one was able to (when it worked).

1. it needs a timer to know when to rotate the dish with the food
2. it needs to measure temperature and turn on or off the pletier element if the temperature is not met
3. it needs to rotate the dish, at a given time, to the next one. This is based on an IR sensor which detects a black groove on the base of the rotating dish.
When setting up the machine or opening the lid it always goes back to compartment number 1.
Number 7 has 3 black grooves (see picture in previous post) rather than one so the machine knows when it has reached the correct one.

4. the rotation of the dish should stop when the light barrier is triggered - to avoid getting stuck in the thing.

All additional functionality is nice to have but not important.

Who is capable and interest to take on this project?

Thanks,

Merc

This post has been edited by Merc.Enary: Jun 25 2019, 08:23 PM
d4rkholeang3l
post Jun 26 2019, 11:12 AM

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Hi Merc,

This is an interesting proposal and I specifically log in to comment on your thread. FYI, I come from an industrial background with experience in stuffs like Arduinos.

From my experience, while some of the functionality can be replicated on an Arduino, the most challenging part of this effort is reverse engineering the protocols/signals used to read/control those sensors.

For example, it is easy to make an Arduino timer, but how do you know what signals to send to the motor driver to rotate the dish? Likewise, how do we know where to read the temperature probe, what format is the data encoded, etc?

That being said, replacing the microcontroller (with Arduino in this sense) is not an easy task, as it is equivalent to switching out a person's brain with another brain. While it is not impossible to accomplish, you will probably fork out an insane amount of money for someone to reverse engineer this product. Perhaps, at the end of the day, you will go on the path of reinventing this product instead of "repairing" it.

That said, if you insist on continuing this repair process, the next steps you should do are:

(1) Get a clean picture of the circuit board that clearly shows the labels.
(2) Identify parts number for key components like drivers, controllers, sensors used in this product.
(3) Get documentations like datasheets and programming spec for parts identified in Step (2).
(4) Get a service manual or application note from the cat feeder's manufacturer/Internet.

I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor! Hope you can get this thing repaired!
TSMerc.Enary
post Jun 28 2019, 08:03 AM

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Hi d4rkholeang3l,
Thanks for your reply which makes a lot of sense. I agree that keeping some parts as they are and just exchanging others sounds like a difficult task. But that was not what I was looking for. All I want to keep using is the hardware in terms of the case, the dish, cooling element and possibly the motor.
Everything else, I think, should just be replaced by the Arduino and sensors that work with it.
So from that perspective I don't think that the code itself is going to be very challenging for someone who knows what he is doing.
A timer
Reading temperature
Controlling a motor
Looking for black lines
Using a light barrier

Most of those things I have done when going through standard arduino tutorials.

Yet that does not mean that I, with no arduino experience, can easily combine them.

And that is what I am looking for.

Maybe even a display or bluetooth/WiFi connectivity can be added to control the thing but in the first instance I want to just be able to keep the machine running.

What do you think about that?

Thanks and regards,

Merc

QUOTE(d4rkholeang3l @ Jun 26 2019, 11:12 AM)
Hi Merc,

This is an interesting proposal and I specifically log in to comment on your thread. FYI, I come from an industrial background with experience in stuffs like Arduinos.

From my experience, while some of the functionality can be replicated on an Arduino, the most challenging part of this effort is reverse engineering the protocols/signals used to read/control those sensors.

For example, it is easy to make an Arduino timer, but how do you know what signals to send to the motor driver to rotate the dish? Likewise, how do we know where to read the temperature probe, what format is the data encoded, etc?

That being said, replacing the microcontroller (with Arduino in this sense) is not an easy task, as it is equivalent to switching out a person's brain with another brain. While it is not impossible to accomplish, you will probably fork out an insane amount of money for someone to reverse engineer this product. Perhaps, at the end of the day, you will go on the path of reinventing this product instead of "repairing" it.

That said, if you insist on continuing this repair process, the next steps you should do are:

(1) Get a clean picture of the circuit board that clearly shows the labels.
(2) Identify parts number for key components like drivers, controllers, sensors used in this product.
(3) Get documentations like datasheets and programming spec for parts identified in Step (2).
(4) Get a service manual or application note from the cat feeder's manufacturer/Internet.

I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor! Hope you can get this thing repaired!
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turnmoil
post Jun 28 2019, 10:31 AM

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QUOTE(Merc.Enary @ Jun 28 2019, 08:03 AM)
Hi d4rkholeang3l,
Thanks for your reply which makes a lot of sense. I agree that keeping some parts as they are and just exchanging others sounds like a difficult task. But that was not what I was looking for. All I want to keep using is the hardware in terms of the case, the dish, cooling element and possibly the motor.
Everything else, I think, should just be replaced by the Arduino and sensors that work with it.
So from that perspective I don't think that the code itself is going to be very challenging for someone who knows what he is doing.
A timer
Reading temperature
Controlling a motor
Looking for black lines
Using a light barrier

Most of those things I have done when going through standard arduino tutorials.

Yet that does not mean that I, with no arduino experience, can easily combine them.

And that is what I am looking for.

Maybe even a display or bluetooth/WiFi connectivity can be added to control the thing but in the first instance I want to just be able to keep the machine running.

What do you think about that?

Thanks and regards,

Merc
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yes , that would be suffice to make the device operable
so what is your concern?

TSMerc.Enary
post Jun 28 2019, 06:55 PM

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My concern is that I am not capable of programming this myself at this moment. I am new to this whole subject. Building the individual projects of the starter kit is not the problem but combining all this into code that does what it should is another step.

Hence I am looking for someone who is a) able to do it in much less time and b) would like to make it work.
xboxrockers
post Jun 28 2019, 08:24 PM

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QUOTE(Merc.Enary @ Jun 28 2019, 06:55 PM)
My concern is that I am not capable of programming this myself at this moment. I am new to this whole subject. Building the individual projects of the starter kit is not the problem but combining all this into code that does what it should is another step.

Hence I am looking for someone who is a) able to do it in much less time and b) would like to make it work.
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How much budget will you spare for someone expert in this?
TSMerc.Enary
post Jun 29 2019, 01:03 PM

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If anybody thinks that he CAN do this and would like to do it, please send me a PM and let me know what you think how long it is going to take and what your cost estimate is.

We will take it from there.


TSMerc.Enary
post Jul 2 2019, 09:59 PM

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Nobody?
rootbeer
post Jul 14 2019, 07:44 PM

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QUOTE(Merc.Enary @ Jul 2 2019, 09:59 PM)
Nobody?
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the arduino code and everything can be done, except for the cooling 8C, it will fail.

the current technology cooling can only be done by either using compressor (way too big for your project - overkill ) but it is the most stable of cooling source
the next possible is using those thermo cooler.TEC
https://my-live-02.slatic.net/original/579b...6bbc8e070a6.jpg

this is mostly use by most cos it is cheap and easy to build. the only disadvantage on this is that it is easily get spoil
lifespan average 3 month if you run for 24 hour .
so if you intend to use this for personal use and occasion use , then it is fine.
if you intend to create this as a product and sell. it is a no no.you will get alot of faulty return item due to their cooling system and warranty will cause you to lose money


TSMerc.Enary
post Jul 14 2019, 09:01 PM

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Well in the original one there is a thermo cooler and this seems to work quite well. The thermocooler is not the part that stopped working so far and this machine is actually running 24/7. There are some active fans (old PC CPU style) which cool it constantly.

What seems to be more sensitive is the IR diode/detector and something in the "brain" since it does not really do anymore what it should.

Hence my idea to remove all the thinking power from the inside to an outside box and just connect this with the actual machine. It does not really have to look great, it mainly has to work.

Also I have got no intention to sell this. This is just to keep my machine running and to keep my cat happy and healthy.
rootbeer
post Jul 14 2019, 09:16 PM

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QUOTE(Merc.Enary @ Jul 14 2019, 09:01 PM)
Well in the original one there is a thermo cooler and this seems to work quite well. The thermocooler is not the part that stopped working so far and this machine is actually running 24/7. There are some active fans (old PC CPU style) which cool it constantly.

What seems to be more sensitive is the IR diode/detector and something in the "brain" since it does not really do anymore what it should.

Hence my idea to remove all the thinking power from the inside to an outside box and just connect this with the actual machine. It does not really have to look great, it mainly has to work.

Also I have got no intention to sell this. This is just to keep my machine running and to keep my cat happy and healthy.
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if thats the case , it can be done, but if ask some people to come and diagnose the real problem usually everyone busy. but maybe you can tell more like whats the issue on the feeder.
if it doesnt turn? or it does turn but there is not option timer for you to set? maybe some will suggest what to do.

can change IR diode and see if it help? is this the remote control ir reader. or it does something else inside themachine
TSMerc.Enary
post Jul 14 2019, 09:32 PM

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I have put a picture of the diode in some of the threads further up (post 13). I think it is a custom made thing, what do you think?

The problem is that the display is playing up sometimes...showing funny characters and not what it should show.
The dish should normally rotate to the 1st bowl and stop...but since some time it either does not start rotating at all or it does not stop anymore, or it stops rather randomly. That is why I think that the IR module might send wrong readings.



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