Here’s a rec-room ready hack: an automatic drink dispenser.
[truebassB]’s dispenser operates around a 555 timer, adjusted by a potentiometer. Push a button and a cup pours in a few seconds, or hold the other button to dispense as much as you want.
The dispenser is made from MDF and particle board glued together, with some LEDs and paper prints to spruce it up. Just don’t forget a small spill sink for any miscalculated pours. You needn’t fret over the internals either, as the parts are easily acquired: a pair of momentary switches, a 12V micro air pump, a brass nozzle, food-safe pvc tube, a custom 555 timing circuit — otherwise readily available online — a toggle switch, a power supply plug plus adapter and a 12V battery.
[truebassB] is using a 1.5L cola bottle, so adapt your build as necessary, or scale it up to include a bar fridge and whatever beverages you want. Cutting holes in the bottle cap slightly smaller than the pvc tube and hot gluing them in place for creates an airtight seal. Once it’s all soldered together and installed, it will probably be time for a well-earned drink!
We’ve featured a few other simple yet ingenious beverage dispensers, and some that might make you question what you’re about to imbibe.
Hmm… this gives me an idea for an automated coffee/etc. dispenser:
Use a cheap (Neato) LIDAR to detect the cup — this not only tells you that the cup is adequately centered (refuse to fill if not) but also gives you the height of the cup’s walls, and the liquid level. (If it’s not reliable on liquid, maybe add an ultrasound sensor for this…) Lets you fill any size cup, mug, or glass to 1/2″ from the top, every time.
Recently I went to universal studios. They have an interesting beverage dispenser there. They put paper RFID tags on the bottom of the cups when you put the cup on the dispenser it reads the tag and fills the cup the correct amount. They also time your refills. If you buy a drink you get free refills for an hour.
I like this as a way to save time and a few $$$, while keeping the kitchen clean and automated, for actual hacking rather than a manually operated nerd medication drip machine.
When the ‘Drink’ button is pressed it makes an instant but highly detailed examination of the subject’s taste buds, a spectroscopic analysis of the subject’s metabolism, and then sends tiny experimental signals down the neural pathways to the taste centres of the subject’s brain to see what is likely to be well received.
However, no-one knows quite why it does this because it then invariably delivers a cupful of liquid that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.
Does it assist with zebra crossing problems and/or issues?
It’s nice to see people using 555s!
<sarcasm>555?!? An Arduino would have been much easier to use…</sarcasm>
If you have a carbonated beverage, surely over time the bottle will pressurise and push the beverage up the tube and out of the machine?
This is what actually happens,mostly if it has sat for a while there’s a static leak plus when you press the button to dispense drink,the fluid will not stop coming out for a few seconds after the pump stops.
The solution is first of all the sink that is collecting any leaks and spills,after that the bottle cap can be slightly unscrewed so any internal pressure will leak out before it’s pressurized enough to push the fluid out of the pipe,but not leaky enough as the pump times will be way off and wont fill the cup even at the maximum 555 working time.
The drink will lose the carbon dioxide overtime but not sooner than it becomes annoyingly warm for you to drink it.