Making a Motorized Washing Machine for Children With Arduino

Hello everyone !

For Christmas I made 2 small wooden washing machines to offer 2 children, one for our daughter Colyne and one for her friend Noah. The "Magic Wash" are made of wood (MDF) and really work (without water of course).

It is powered by a 12V battery and is controlled by an Arduino Nano.

The video:

https://youtu.be/nIPeU1Od5qg

Characteristics :

Scale: 1/2
Dimensions: width 30 cms, height 40 cms
Weight: 6 kg
Digital display of remaining time and other info
Drum rotation in 10-second increments (max. 60 seconds)
Progressive acceleration and reversal of direction of rotation every 10 seconds
Immediate stop of the motor when opening the door (display PO)
Displaying the child's first name at startup
Automatic standby after 5 minutes
End of Wash Beeps
Rechargeable battery powered 12V
Controlled by microcontroller (Arduino Nano)

Purchasing:

Gearmotor 12V 300rpm: 7,86 €
Rotating Bearing 3 inches: 3,11 €
H-bridge motor Module L298N: 2,88 €
Battery + charger 12V 1800mA: 8,54 €
Ikea bowl 602.892.39: 2,99 €
Arduino Nano: 3,10 €
Hinge 60mm: 2,30 €
Push button: 1,90 €
2 boards Medium MDF 6 mm 80x40 cm: 6,80 €
Chrome vinyl: 3,53 €

TOTAL: 43,01 €

Already in stock

2 x 7-segment displays
2 x 74HC595
2 x 16 pin DIP support
14 resistors 470 ohms
printed circuit board
Sensor + magnet ILS
buzzer

Other (recovery or consumables):

Metal can (drum)
4 bottles of water bottles
Screws
Glue
Painting
Wood chopsticks

Tools :

Circular saw
Table saw
Jigsaw
Drill
Screwdriver
Compact crosscut saw
Router
Glue gun
Hand tools (hammer, files, saw, screwdriver, cutter, pliers, chisels ...)

Production time: approx. 30H

Step 1: The Drum

The drum is made from a recovered can of product.

It is cut with a cutting disc and covered with vinyl sticker imitation chrome.

The edges are protected with electric cable sheath.

And to be sure to fix the bearing in the center, I printed a drilling template.

Step 2: The Door With Porthole

The door is cut with a router in 3 steps:

First circle to embed the porthole
Second circle for external cutting
Third circle for internal cutting

The contours are then rounded with a suitable cutter

For glass, I used a serving bowl purchased from Ikea :
VARDAGEN, $2.99, Article Number: 602.892.3
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/6028923...

Step 3: The Carcass

The carcass of the machine is made of 6 mm MDF.

The front face is cut and the elements are assembled together with glued and screwed rods.

The machine then receives 2 coats of white paint.

Step 4: Opening Sensor

To detect the opening of the door I glued an alarm sensor (reed switch) behind the facade, and a magnet on the door.

Step 5: Assembly

The feet are made with 4 water bottle caps.

The hublot is glued with windshield glue.

A simple hinge allows the door to open.

And I recovered the red window of the display in an old alarm clock.

Step 6: Motor

For the rotation I used a geared motor of 12V and 300 rpm with a roller of rubber recovered in a old printer.

I created a height adjustable bracket to adjust the pressure on the drum.

Step 7: Electronic

For the display part I followed this article of madebyjoe: https://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-powered-7-...

To control the engine I used an all-purpose H-bridge: a L298n.

Then there are very few components because everything is ensured by an Arduino Nano (the code is available for download).

Note: I removed the power LED from the Arduino and the L298 to conserve battery power.

Step 8: Circuit Board

For the printed circuit board it is classic:

Creating a transparent typon
UV insulation
Pass into a developer ban
Engraving in iron perchloride
Drilling
Welding of composters.

For power I used a rechargeable battery of 12V and 1800 mAh with switch.

Step 9: Drum Mounting

The drum is attached by a turntable bearing.

By putting cloth in the drum, I realized that it was sliding instead of being trained. So I added 3 wooden triangles covered with chrome to train the clothes. Looks like Toblerone! lol