Want to dispense food straight into your mouth using Arduino? You're in the right place! This tutorial will give you the materials and information for assembling your TinyDispener and for uploading code to it.

Materials 

• 10 x Pieces custom cut acrylic
• 1 x EMAX ES II 9251 2.5g micro servo package
• TinyZero or TinyDuino + USB TinyShield
• Servo TinyShield
• Wireling Adapter TinyShield
• TOF (Time-of-Flight) Distance Sensor Wireling
• Small Button Wireling
• 1 x 3.7V Li-ion battery
• 1 x 100mm Wireling Cable
• 1 x 50mm Wireling Cable
• 4 x M1.4 x 0.3 x 4.3mm Machine Screws
• 1 x M1.6 x 8 Machine Screw
• 1 x M1.6 x 5 Machine Screw
• 1 x 6-32 1.0", 0.250" diameter round nylon spacer
• 2 x 6-32 0.375" Nylon screws
• Micro USB Cable (not pictured)

Software: 

• Arduino IDE
• TinyDispenser Sketch + additional libraries
• Bonus: Github page for the dispenser if you want more information or the 2D + 3D files.

Extras: 

• Assembly Manual
• Some small candies or crackers!
• Neither the TinyScreen+ or the TinyDuino + USB TinyShield will fit into the case of the dispenser. A TinyDuino can be used if the USB shield is not put into the case.

Step 1: Assembly 

Have a look at the assembly manual here for instructions on how to assemble the dispenser and on how to calibrate the position of the servo. There are a decent amount of steps so they have been compacted into a manual to keep this page tiny! 

Step 2: Software (Setup)

If you haven't used our TinyZero before, refer to the TinyZero Setup Tutorial for instructions on how to start uploading code to your processor board.

Step 3: The Code! 

The end of the manual will show you how to calibrate the position of the servo, you will need the TinyDispener sketch and libraries from the "Software" section at the top of this page. Download that zip file, extract it, open the TinyDispenser.ino file using the Arduino IDE, select the correct port and hit upload! Once the code is uploaded and the servo position is calibrated, move your hand close to the front TOF sensor to open and close the door, or press the side momentary button to dispense a lot of food fast!

Contact Us

As always, if you have any questions or feedback, feel free to email us at info@tinycircuits.com.

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Thanks for making with us!