Arduino Powered Pet Feeder - Team 10A

This project uses basic Arduino parts and code to create something that can make our daily routines easier while also making our pets healthier. According to the Pet Obesity Prevention Association, 59% of household pets are overfed, and overweight. Much like us, this can lead to health concerns over time, and who wants that for their beloved pets? Fortunately, there are simple solutions, such as our automatic pet feeder. By selecting specific feeding times, one could give their pet a more routine feeding schedule. There are even options to adjust portion sizes for your pet's specific needs.

For this project, the bulk of the supplies will come from Sparkfun's inventor's kit. This starter kit contains everything from the Arduino board itself, to the wires, and all the various interactive elements we will need. On top of the inventor kit, there is one more standalone item that must be purchased. SparkFun's Real-Time Clock module (RTC), is crucial to this project. The RTC maintains the real time, even without external power, due to its small battery. This allows the unit to be on standby throughout the day, until it is time to dispense.

Here is a specific parts list to get started:

1. 1x Arduino Uno board
2. 2x small breadboards
3. 2x buttons
4. 1x Hobby Gearmotor (DG01D)
5. 1x Motor Driver (TB6612FNG)
6. 1x 16pin LCD
7. 1x RTC (DS1307)
8. 30x jumper wires (M/M)
9. 12x jumper wires (F/F)

To create the housing, use whatever material that will safely house the electronics, and is somewhat sturdy. We decided on cardboard. Lastly, we 3d printed the dispensing mechanism, so you'll need to have one available.

Wiring