There are still some modifications needed to be made to the rotating mechanism in subsystem 1. Minor adjustment are being to the motor, and star ball. The codes, however was added to our main control system, subsystem 4, and has integrated well. Subsystem 2 has also been integrated with subsystem 1 and 4, the unit is able to dispense both …

SS2 and SS4: We have successfully integrated Subsystem 2 (supplement dispensing) into Subsystem 4 (main controls). We decided to remove the the 4 solenoids from subsystem 2 and introduce 4 air pumps instead, for two reasons. First, it would be more expensive to manufacture the prototype including 4 solenoids, and it is also more complicated to program and control the …

This week we have continued to improve our respective subsystem by iteration, modification, and redesign to create a functional subsystem that will be ready to be integrated into one system. Subsystem 1: Solidworks design for attachments to the motor and the rotating star that dispenses food have been designed and are ready to be 3D printed. Subsystem 2: The circuit …

The housing has been redesigned, it has been made larger and with an additional tube for the food dispensing has been incorporated to provide the supplement cartridges with more space so that they can be placed above the food bowl. Ideally, we will have four supplement cartridges each being 30 mL, the food storage compartment is to hold 3lb to …

This week materials for the production of prototypes have arrived, each group member will initiate the production of their subsystems. Subsystem one, she has begun by modifying the manual food dispenser. The two main components are the food storage container and a motor. The food dispenser mechanism has begun testing and was found to dispenses ¼ cup with some error. …

We met with our mentor, Terry Wang, this week to discuss possibilities of the redesign of our supplement dispenser. Over the weekend, our tasks were to do some research in order to solve this problem. This Monday, Terry was able to brainstorm with us and we came to a design that is feasible. What we came up with was to …

It is currently week 8 and time is moving. Our team has less than 2 weeks to complete the end goal of our project, which is a working prototype of the mechanical pet feeder. There are two main components to the mechanical pet feeder that need to be up and running before our examination week 10. Those two components are …

At first, our initial design was to measure the food dispensed through weight. This calculation of mass would be our way of understanding how much grams of kibble was dispensed in order to know how much was in the bowl. Our Sponsors requested that we were to dispense the food through volume and not mass. This week our team met …

This past week 5 of Fall quarter, we began the process of sketching possible designs for the Mechanical Pet Feeder. Our assignment was to attack each need and design a way to satisfy that need. A technique to brainstorm collectively is using half sheets of paper in which the ideas were roughly sketched and discussed. We came together as a …

These past two weeks have been a journey so far. As the Documentation Manager of this year’s Pet Feeder Industry project, I shall bring you all along the ups and downs of our expedition to the end. The first week entailed of our team getting to know each other more and assigning certain responsibilities to better organize the roles of …