Search for feeders in Topics

There is a feral cat that I have been feeding, but I am afraid it now depends on me for food. If I go on a vacation I want to be able to feed it dry kibbles, but there are raccoons and other critters that would eat food left out. I have looked at several DIY feeders but they are too complex for my taste. What I would like is something that, when it got a power input from a 24 hour timer, would send power down to some sort of solenoid that I could use to open a box of food. But I would need a series of these in sequence so that the next time the timer sent power it would complete a circuit to the next solenoid the next day and then do it again for up to seven times (so I could be gone for seven days). What sort of device would sequence power to different solenoids to open a series of boxes? Thanks in advance.

Many of my friends say that they use vasaline on there bird feeder perches to keep the squirrels off, but I don't know if it would work what do you guys think?

I require help in building a cannon to fire dead crickets and mealworms into the air about 25 to 30 feet so i may feed the purple martins in my area. they only feed on the wing and winter will surely kill the colonies in my area. any help will be appreciated.

I am planning on building some sorting rig.Right now I am quite keen to include a vibration feeder system.You know, like the stff used to transport grain, sweets or aling small parts that run up on the inside of a bowl to come out perfectly aligned.I serviced these systems in the past but never put too much concern into the actual workings.The theory is quite simple.One or two vibrators cause the transported media to move.This works like a sawtooth wave.Slowly up and into the right direction, quickly back to where it started.Adjusting the frequency to change the speed or adjusting the amplitudes to match the weights and other properties of the media is easy - in a properly designed system.I tried to find some easy to understand information on the relations between actuator direction and media direction in relation to the trasport systems shape and dimensions but only got extreme complex stuff.In my small scale tests using simple vibration speakers and a frequency generator I had to relise that it is quite hard to find a proper way of mounting the system.To soft and it is just rattling around, too hard and you need to crank the amp to max to get any action.Orientation and angle of these mounts also affect the direction and amplitude of the swing caused by the vibrations.Straight linear I can do, although still not perfect but anything like these feeder bowls only gives me nice vibrations but no movement.Are there any suitable hobby projects on the web or here?And decent info on the basic design criteria for those feeder systems that are not closely guarded company secrets?

I am currently building a pitching machine (I'm trying to do it for less than $150) and I'm having trouble designing an electronic feeder mechanism that will advance one ball at a time. I thought about cannibalizing a cheap R/C car for a transmitter, receiver, and servo but I'm not sure that will be strong enough to move the prongs when they are under a load. I only have $50 left to stay under budget (I already have all the support materials and the motor/wheel) and I have very little experience with electronic components. It seems to me that a R/C solenoid should do the trick with springs on the prongs to return them to the staring position but my brother tells me that $50 is an unreasonable budget. I really want to get this figured out on the cheap so I can show my brother (the electrical engineer) that it can be done!

Is it possible to feed doves in the backyard and to exclude pigeons from the feeder ?

I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for any sort of animal feeders and/or houses? I've seen such things as bat boxes at different places which provide a home for bats. Also most places seem to carry feeders for birds that are designed to keep squirrels out, but few carry feeders for the squirrels themselves. Why cant those little critters with the break-dancing tails get any love? Any other suggestions for animal houses and feeders would be cool too. Can't wait to see what yas come up with!

I want to create a box where the lid opens up based on ambient light. Basically the lid closes at night and is open during the day. It will be a wildlife feeder that deters (nocturnal) raccoons from eating all of the feed but allows daytime wildlife to feast heartily. Is arduino the correct setup. My basic design is to have a linear actuator opening the lid but was also considering a crank type system (similar to a steam engine drive wheel). I need to either be able to control how long the actuator extends when enough light is present and reverse the action when not enough light is present or turn a servo motor with a crank a certain distance. Id prefer to use the actuator since the lid will be about 10Lbs and will need to extend about 10”. Is this possible? if so, how hard would it be for a newbe be to program? Thanks in advance for the advice!!! Ive attached a crude drawing.

I want to create a feeder such as a tub with quarter inch mash on top and a motor in a timer that slides the mesh off at daylight and slides it closed at dusk. I want to attempt to train the local wildlife to show up during the day. a timer would work as well but I'm not sure how to set a motor to open and close the lid.

Hi you all, I like to ask you ,what do you think i can improve on my project ? https://www.instructables.com/id/The-all-in-one-box-aquarium-feeder/ its my first instructable ever, also is there anyone who tried making my idea ?

First Post Though I have been lurking for years! (Great stuff here BTW) Thought if anyone could help it would be the WunderMinds around here. We have a Kat Lady starter kit with 5 indoor cats. the problem lies in they are are all different ages and sizes, for example one is a bit..obese. . I've gone thru the published Instructables and didn't find quite what I had in mind. What I was thinking was an Arduino or Pi based system with RFID chips on the collars. If the entire flock comes...no feed but if theres just one it gets the appropiate ration for it's weight and size. I have yet to use an Arduino but am starting too use a Pi2 as a media center.  Any suggestions? thanks Mike in MO

Hi, I attempting to design a feeder that will raise and lower an access door to where the feed is at. The door will open at dawn and close at dusk. I am trying to design a setup similar to an automatic car antenna. When enough light hits the photocell, the motor engages, travels a distance or hits resistance and stops. When light is no longer strong enough, the motor engages in the opposite direction and after the same distance or it meets resistance, stops again. Is this possible to do without Arduino as I am trying to keep this cheap? If so, what do I need and how can this be accomplished? The photocell is not a requirement as I have seen astro timers that can adjust for the changing sunset and sunrise times. Please help. I've got at least 20 hours of research into this and am hitting dead ends searching forums. A circuit drawing would be an awesome addition!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks in advance

How do you make a humming bird feeder? What do you need to build it and where do you get it? How do you keep ants from getting in it?

I made a very simple pitching machine...actually a soft toss machine. It is a pvc pipe assembly that when set up, dad simply "loads" a ball in the downward angled pipe and it "drops" in front of the batter. My question is: the downward angled pipe can be long enough to hold a dozen balls - what can I use to create a mechanism that allows one ball to drop every 5 seconds automatically?

Would it be possible to build a solar battery charger (AA, AAA or both) using a solar panel designed to run a deer feeder?  If so, how would one accomplish this?

Hi all, So I am basically a noob in electronics and a 1st time arduino user for my project. I need to do an automatic fish feeder and this is what I have in mind: I'm gonna use an arduino UNO R3 to connect it to these following components: - a 16 x 2 LCD Display (connected to RTC chip) - a small DC motor - 2 pushbuttons So these are the main components and I need the arduino to be portable ( So has to be battery powered - Maybe a 9V batt) As such I have 2 questions: 1) Is it possible for ALL the components to run using power from arduino? 2) I need to add a battery life indicator as well.. how do I go abt doing it? Hope you guys could help me

Hello everyone i have quite the question for you you see i have a humming bird feeder and for the past 3-4 years we have enjoyed humming birds all summer long but ever since the yellow jackets have found the feeder the hummers are nowhere to be found we have tried searching for the nest but no luck if anyone has any ideas please post them also see the picture below to get an idea of the type of feeder i am using thank you, fidgety

This would be very similar to a baby monitor.  Is there a way to transmit the signal from outside to inside the house?

Squirrels keep raiding our bird feeders, even though the feeders are in "squirrel proof" cages.  I plan to fit tilt switches to the bird feeders, so that when a squirrel jumps on them the feeders sway and the water gun sprays them. I just can't figure out how to make the water sprayer.  I would like to make as much as possible from scratch, so just buying a water gun would defeat the object. Any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks

Sep 4, 2008 Sign-up for this newsletter: function openSubscribePopUp(src){ var emailValidate = /\w{1,}[@][\w\-]{1,}([.]([\w\-]{1,})){1,3}$/ if(emailValidate.test(src.value) == false){ alert("Please enter correct email"); return; } window.open("/newsletter/newslettersignup?email=" + src.value,"newslettersignup1","status=yes,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=420,height=250"); } Welcome back! The winners of the Horny Toad Invent-a-Sport Contest are posted! Try out some of these awesome new sports! Live near San Francisco or planning a trip? Stop by for one of our build nights and make something cool in our office! September 11: Mouse mouse; October 2: Intro to Chainmail. RSVP required.Upcoming... Get ready for the biggest and best Halloween contest ever! October will be here soon, so start working on an elaborate costume and creepy decorations! Anything posted since the close of last year's contest is eligible. You can also get a head start on our Faberge Egg Contest (almost here!), where you could win a sound system and have your egg displayed in New York City! HDTV Antenna on a Direct TV mount by arte.sano Build a digital pin-hole camera by richard2nd Screen print your pancakes by lamedust Make a Short Film for $80 by Hermes   Get out and play! Turn 3D Motions Into Sculpture by jftesser Basic Zippo tricks by killerjackalope Make a fossilized Dinosaur Egg by KaptinScarlet Make a pizza oven in your backyard by fritz.bogott Make a Tunnel Book by Doldrum Automatic Aquarium Feeder by paulrobinson Sign Chair by wholman World's Smallest Electronic Shocker! by Plasmana   10 More Instructables to help get ready for class Prescription Goggles for $12 by engineerable Re-use a Schoolbus for Cheap Housing by zim Chuck's No Weld Recumbent Bike by chuckdiesel Dot Matrix Business Card by tomward Now go make something awesome, and I'll see you next week! - Eric Sign-up for this newsletter: function openSubscribePopUp(src){ var emailValidate = /\w{1,}[@][\w\-]{1,}([.]([\w\-]{1,})){1,3}$/ if(emailValidate.test(src.value) == false){ alert("Please enter correct email"); return; } window.open("/newsletter/newslettersignup?email=" + src.value,"newslettersignup2","status=yes,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=420,height=250"); }

Sign-up for our newsletter here. Sept. 13, 2007 Welcome back! The iRobot Create Challenge has just finished up with over a dozen cool and we're still seeing some cool Launch It! Challenge entries come in on top of the usual cool projects. Check them out! Halloween LED Jellyfish Costume Using LED rope lights and a plastic washing basin to create a deep sea bioluminescent jellyfish thing.posted by deadinsect on Sep 11, 2007 How to Make a RFID Pet Food Feeder Make sure dogs aren't stealing food with an RFID alarm.posted by mlarsen on Sep 5, 2007 Creative Discontent: Squalk (Squirt Chalk) Non-destructive communication tool for mass public discourse. Erasable graffiti at its finest.posted by pdip_stiffi on Sep 9, 2007 How to Make Monkey Bread The ultimate finger-licking, finger-picking dessert of all time. Soft balls of dough, coated in a cinnamon sugar crust of sweet goodness.posted by trebuchet03 on Sep 9, 2007 Colossal Cannon: Building a Behemoth Piston-Valved Pneumatic Launcher Sometimes you think to yourself, "Hmm...I wonder just how far I can hurl stuff, maybe even into the next county." posted by DeusXMachina on Sep 9, 2007 Contest ends on Sunday! Answer our burning questions! Get a free shirt! See who won the $1,500 top prize! How to Make Fireworks Learn how to make your own aerial shell and wow the neighbors.posted by pudi.dk on Sep 7, 2007 eyeRobot - The Robotic White Cane How to hack an iRobot to guide blind and visually impaired users through cluttered and populated environments.posted by shrimpy on Sep 8, 2007 Piano-wire Slingshot A small but powerful slingshot made using 1mm gauge piano-wire and ordinary rubber bands.posted by chluaid on Sep 9, 2007 Gliding/Floating Laptop Dock A floating laptop dock that moves back and forth, eliminating the need to station the laptop on your lap. posted by Romado12187 on Sep 8, 2007 How To Build A Pit Oven (And Cook A Salmon) Learn to do a little backwoods cooking with a pit oven. posted by Mr. Nova on Sep 11, 2007 Now go build something awesome, and I'll see you next week! -Eric

My sister has a cat that has to eat special diet food. Problem is that she runs a shelter and has 6 other cats who would gobble up the food given the opertunity. Since feeding expensive diet kibble to all the others is not feesable and not healthy for the others, I thought maybe we could come up with an idea of an auto feeder that only goes off when the one cat comes near. Kinda like the pet doors that keep racoons and other animals out, and only let your pet come in with the special collar. And daily meals are not an option at this point with another finicky cat that goes on huger strikes in the shelter. Any ideas?

Hello everyone, I want to create feeder cart with seperate section, that will be hangin on rails.  Feeder cart will have four positions: First one (First load) will be bottom gates closed, middle gates open to the top. Second (Second load) will  be bottom gates closed, middle gates have to be locked in horizontal position. Third  position (First unload) bottom gates open, middle gates have stay locked. Fourth position (Second unload) bottom gates open and middle gates also open, that stuff drops out. I want ask you advice how to design bottom and middle gates open, closing and locking mechanical mechanism (without any electronical parts). This feeder cart will be operating by one man.  I have created middle gates mechanism, but maybe you have better solution.  I really appreciate for any ideas. Sorry for my english mistakes. English is not my native language. Link to my feeder cart design:  https://cad.onshape.com/documents/9bf2057d221de0e07143093b/w/42b5cff40a9a1fb3bed3cb14/e/cbc213062709ad380b4cb17b

Hi, I'm a new member, but I've been browsing the site for some time. I think it contains lots and lots of great instructables, but it is annoyingly difficult to find something specific. The problem is the logic behind the search engine - why are you settling for an "OR" instead of "AND"? Here's an example: I want to build a raised dog feeder and I want to find some inspiration on Instructables. But try searching for phrase "dog feeder" and half of the results are bird feeders: https://www.instructables.com/howto/dog+feeder/ I really don't care about bird feeders (at least not at the moment). There are also dog toys, dog beds, dog apparel... So I need to browse through hundreds of Instructables in order to find 2 or 3 that I might be interested in. If I wanted to find all dog-related content, wouldn't I just search for "dog"? Adding "wooden" doesn't help - results featuring Lego and plastic containers pop up... Adding multiple words in search usually means a person want to narrow their search results, instead of widening it... Thank for taking this under consideration.

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I want to build a cat feeder that's basically a plexiglas box with a sliding door that will close whenever our fat cat gets near it, and re-opens when he moves away. Normally it'll remain open so our other two cats can eat (they're skittish so it's better if it doesn't have to react to them, and instead can react to the fat cat). To drive the door I thought I could use an old CD ROM drive (kind of like https://www.instructables.com/id/RFID-pet-feeder/). I'd like the tag on the fat cat's collar to be waterproof(able) and not require batteries. The antenna can be as big/complicated as necessary, as long as I can get the desired range of 12-24" or so. Any suggestions for an RFID setup that'll work for this? Also, I should set up an electric eye around the opening so it doesn't activate (close) when a cat has its head in the opening. Something like we have on our garage door to prevent it closing on someone, but smaller would be ideal. Any suggestions? Thanks!

I would like to use a 5 gallon water jug as a bird feeder. It would be mounted on a 4x4 post. There would need to be a hole in the top approx 6 inches in diamer to allow for filling it with sunflower seeds. The top would be covered to keep moister and squirrels from getting into the filler opening and top. I assume the seed would pour out of the bottom (mouth) of the jug and controlled by a feeding tray of some sort. I would want it framed for sturdiness with either wood or PVC pipe.

Has anyone out there ever managed to make a rat proof/squirrel proof bird feeder or know of a commercial one that works please?I love birds but not rats!My wife will not let me shoot the rats with my Webley .22 air pistol!At the moment I'm nearly rat free by only putting round suet balls in the feeder; as soon as I put seed in the feeder they're back. I've managed to stop the rats coming down the wire (amazing agility) by having a domed lid half way down the wire that when they try and stand on the lid it just tips and they fall off.I've seen various gadgets to try to solve this problem but all of them failed in my garden.I've done the usual things like making sure I keep the area clean below the wire feeder.I've tried having a tray underneath to catch the bits when Tits have fed from the feeder and husks fall to the floor - the rats leap from the bushes onto to the tray making it tip all of its debris onto the floor. I've tried hanging it in the most remote place - 6 rats turn up doing a war dance underneath it waiting for droppings to fall down!Anyone got any suggestions pleaseDennis

I came across these stylish birdfeeders via Notcot. Abstract, architecturally minimalist, functional... ... copyable. These are welded and painted steel, and presented as "affordable" (although I think it's a bit cheeky to call a bird table "Cheepie" and then charge $125...) - if you need a new bird feeder, have a look at Joe Papendick's Etsy shop.  If nothing else, you'll get inspriation...

I have a bird feeder that has been taken over by Red-Winged Blackbirds.  How do I keep them separate from another feeder for the Mourning Doves, Dark-Eyed Juncos, and House Finches?  And also, what are Mourning Doves favorite food?

Hello forums, I was wondering if anybody knew of a program that could do the following via USB. I have pet chickens that need feeding multiple times a day. I wanted to make a USB device that I could plug into my computer, and when I push a button in the program, it activates the USB port which is connected to my feeder. I don't need any help with making the feeder, it's just being able to run it on demand. Thanks in advance.

Okay, so.. I have a number of hanging bird feeders... but I also have a number of squirrels.. The problem is that the squirrels climb down the branches to the birdfeeders and spill the seeds all over the ground.  I'm constantly filling these birdfeeders (to the delight of the squirrels!).  Thoughts on how to prevent the squirrel rampage?  About the only thing I can think off is perhaps hanging the bird feeders with heavy fishng line.  Thoughts?

I was going to use pvc pipe and a electric window winder motor to open and close a flap at the bottom of the pipe. Can anyone help on how to automatically trigger the motor to open and close the flap once or twice a day for about 10 seconds. (open 10 seconds, allows grain out and then closes to stop any more grain coming out again. Any assistance would be appreciated. I dont know much about electronics. Dan

Capacity - say 1 week?  Prefer something simple, not using electronics as I am no good with that.

I would like to create a pad in front of my cattle's feeder with a earth and concrete mix.  Does anyone have a recipe for this?  I know that they use this in homes with an earth floor. 

I need to make something that will feed my cats for one meal. I want to use one of those cylindrical CD cases that hold 50 or so CDs with a hole in the side to dispense kibble. I'll just be connecting the motor to a normal light timer. The only thing I don't know is how strong of a motor I would need to turn it with about 1/2 cup of cat food while it's on its side. I don't think a dinky clock motor would do it, any ideas where to scavenge something stronger? No, I don't really want to make the VCR feeder, too complex for what I need.

Okay, RSS is something rather new to me, and I would like to know a bit more about, so could anyone explain/define/preach about RSS feeds, feeders, etc. Like, full on RSS for Dummies.Don't link me to buy RSS for DummiesSmart asses

My mum asked me to find out for her what this plant is. Any ideas anyone? We presume it's from one of the seeds that's fallen out of the bird feeder. She let it grow so she could find out what it is. If it helps, she lives in the SE of England. Thanks.

I am in need of an Auto Catfeeder for my cat. She gorges on food until she gets sick and the auto feeders that you can buy dispense too much food at once. I need to make one that dispenses small amounts at several intervals per day. Someone help me. I could make it if someone could help me design it. Thanks. Amy

I have a dc 12v winch that I want automatically open a lid of a feeder at a specified time, remain open for a spercified time and then reverse the motor to close the lid for a specified time and the procedure will repeat itself  the next day. I have a timer that will work but I want the motor to reverse automatically.Any info appreciated. Thanks

I am making an automatic  fish feeder and to activate it ? I'm thinking about using a 24v 1100ohm relay that I have laying around. My question is: can I do it? If not can I just put a resistor on it? It's supposed to be activeted a bout 15 minutes every day.

Obviously I am new here if I posted in the wrong place please tell me where to post.    Is this a Farm implement, tool, heater. It is about 25" tall, with a 10" diameter. There is a closed bottom why it is raised off the ground i don't know. Rust area is from prior heat damage to the galvanized metal. It is too early to be a charcoal brick starter. I know it is not a chicken feeder. All answers will be appreciated.

While I was paying bills in the back my wife called me out front to see a portion of the Martha Stewart Show that she said I would be interested in. Make's Editor in Chief, Mark Frauenfelder demonstrated such things as the VCR cat feeder, cigar box guitar, and Vibro-bots on the show. Make's site currently has this on their front page @ Makezine.com

I would like to come up with an easy way to hold a lid on the top of a tin can that I am using as a squirrel feeder. The feed flows out of the bottom of the can, and the top of the can is protected by a removable lid. The lid must be easily removed, but when replaced, won't blow off or get knocked off by birds, squirrels, or other critters. The inside of the can cannot be obstructed because it will be full of sunflower seeds.

Any ideas for stuff to make with with an arduino and 5 servo motors? I'll give a patch to anyone  who can come up with something brilliant! Do not include( I've made these before): 1.  Robotic head 2.  Robotic arm 3.  Automatic pet feeder Anything else will be looked forward to!! There are 5 patches up for grabs!!

Hi every body  im really lost , i need some activities for  a little size camp 15 person , but i need to make some camping crafts as making  bird feeders contest///the fastest one and the moost beautiful win!!!!!! ///,or fastest campfire lighting, I need some crafts idea like those i cited below ,  So pls help me and give me some fun, mind blowing ideas