robotgeek_official

Wiring a standalone RFID reader with a relay hooked to the power switch of the computer might be a way to handle that more securely. That way you can store the RFID tag IDs in the firmware of the RFID reader, where it's much harder for anyone to access.

Wouldn't recommend it, it's not very secure!

The valve that lets air through is to clear the line of the mixed liquid.

Great idea!

Fusion 360

If you already have an arduino, the RobotGeek Pan and Tilt is half the price with the same servos: https://www.robotgeek.com/robotgeek-pantilt.aspxIf you don't care about the power of the servos, you could go with something more like the Mini Pan-Tilt Kit: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1967

You sure could!

That's an excellent idea! With something of that nature, I wouldn't need the precision and torque of the larger servo, I could downgrade to a 9G and be able to pull it off. It would probably cut down a bit on printed materials as well, depending on the hopper. Great idea, thank you!

This is SO AWESOME. We love Stompy! :D

One power supply connected to the DC Squid powering both of the pumps and the arduino will do.

Could you post a picture of your setup somewhere so we can see the wiring? It sounds like it's taking a floating value from a pin that isn't connected properly.

One controller could absolutely control multiple objects, so long as you have good line of sight with all of them. Just set different signal codes for each of them!

Thanks!

We'll put it in the projects queue!

Hey Andy! That is a wonderful suggestion. With a bit of maths and a few less sensors, the whole thing would run quite a bit more efficiently! We have all these robot parts laying around here that we're always itching to use, so it turns out we don't always land on the simplest solution to any given problem. Sure was fun though!

We hadn't thought of this, but that's an absolutely amazing idea! Maybe we'll throw this on one of our rovers and see how it turns out! :D

That'd be neat, but I wonder if the sun would damage the camera's sensor. We'll look into it!

DrummerD23 has a more efficient solution to the problem than I was going to suggest! It wouldn't take much code to move this to a set position in low light. I was going to suggest adding an RTC so you could keep track of the time and reset the position at dawn.

Amazing! These projects are pretty genius for having been dubbed stupid.

You certainly could do that. The small linear actuators max out at about 56g. Here's the datasheet for those http://www.trossenrobotics.com/shared/productdocs/... If you're looking for more powerful ones, there are quite a few that'll lift over 100 lbs http://www.trossenrobotics.com/store/Search.aspx?S...

It would need completely different coding and libraries to work with a radio transmitter, but it's absolutely possible.

Oh wow, that's fantastic! Love the patterns, and we're sure the cats will too! You certainly blew the commercial product which will not be named out of the water! Thank you for sharing!

That's awesome! There were so many ways to skin this cat, and I think an approach combining the best aspects of both of our projects would really make this system something special.We ended up switching to T8's, not because the other lights weren't working, but because they were making the plants grow tall instead of fruiting. This was likely because of the spotlighting and lower lumens. Thank you for your input!

Thank you! IR is fantastic for quickly and easily getting a wireless controller going, and we certainly enjoy it!

The remote pictured transmits NEC protocol. The code snippet is from testing with a Sony remote. We handle the repeat in our code with lastCommand, storing the last button press, and repeating the last command sent instead of the FFFFFFFF you would get, making remotes with NEC protocol act like the Sony remotes. We'd love to see your code if you decide to dig through those hard drives!

Thank you! Hope you have fun and your project goes well!

The sensors we're using are capacitive moisture sensors from DFRobot that do not have exposed metal like other sensors, meaning they are not subject to the same corrosion. We have experienced no corrosion or degradation in performance in the month we've had them exposed to the wet soil.http://www.dfrobot.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1385