Fish Feeder Using Arduino Nano, Servo Motor and Waste Materials

It is a simple project by using a single servo motor and few basic materials.

It helps to feed the fish timely.

Step 1: Materials for the Project

1. Perfume or Deodorant cap (Any plastic bottle also work)
2. Refill of gel pen or pen it self (Any long cylindrical plastic )
3. SG90 9g Mini Micro Digital Servo Motor. (link)
4. Arduino Nano V3.0 compatible Mini USB Development board ATmega328P & CH340 (link)
5. Screw driver set (link)
6. Drill machine (Good if you have , without it also it is fine).
7. Adhesive (feviquick adhesive : get it from any general store)
8. Long 2 inch Screw.

Step 2: Fitting Servo to the Cap

1. Create a hole with 4mm drill bit in the plastic cap.
   
   • If you don't have a driller , then first create a small hole using star screw set bit.
   • Then change the screw bits size and increase the hole till you get desired size.
   • Make sure the servo gear head can go into the cap.

Step 3: Use the Refill for Rolling

1. Use the gel pen refill.
2. Put it inside the hole and find the other point in the cap and mark it.
3. In my case my gel pen tip side after inverting to other side, it loosely fit to the refill.
4. So I made a small whole which fit properly for tip head in the cap.

Step 4: Attach the Refill With the Servo Gear

1. Using adhesive attach it to the refill.
2. Attach the long screw to the servo motor and bring it up-to it touch the cap.
3. Mark the point and create a small whole there.
4. It will help to screw the motor and make it fix there.

Step 5: Food Falling Mechanics

1. Create a hole in the refill.
2. Make the hole as per the fish food size. (in my case it is for 2 pills)
3. Now put it and mark the point in the cap and make a whole.
4. Make sure the whole you made in the refill should be properly center with the hole.

Step 6: Coding the Arduino

1. Follow this link if you are new to Arduino (link)
2. Go to the File → Example → Servo → Sweep.
3. Now test your machine.
4. Make sure with a 180 degree rotation both the holes (cap and refill) should meet once.
5. Check if food pill are getting out from the hole or not, else make change in hole size and check till food pill start falling.

Step 7: Creating Timer and Feeding the Fish Timely.

1. Check how many food pill are coming out of it with every 180 degree rotation.
2. And how many food pill you required.
3. You can increase it by making more holes or else making more rotation.
4. Attached file contains the delay logic.
5. By changing the "delayInHr" , you can increase or decrease the the time delay in hrs.
6. By changing the "rotation" , you can increase or decrease the the rotation of the servo.

Comments

[DIY Hacks and How Tos]

Good design. Maybe if I had one of these, I would be able to actually let my son have a fish.

[Lalit Das]

Thanks Jason Poel Smith.