Internet-Enabled Cat Feeder ...powered by Cisco

A homemade Internet-Enabled Cat Feeder.... powered by a Cisco switch. Bringing a whole new meaning to the term 'CatOS'! ;-) Visit www.newtonnet.co.uk/catfeeder for further info, photos and in-depth design details. Overview of design/operation: User Interface - A web frontend (sitting on a Linux server running Apache) provides full feeding control from anywhere in the world, along with live video streaming and access to all previous automatically-recorded events (i.e. any motion detected such as food delivery, the cats eating/drinking etc). A 'lite' version of the interface optimised for mobile/PDA access is also available. Network Interface/Control - A script on the server automatically logs in to a Cisco switch in the kitchen and delivers commands to open/close particular switchports. The switch has been modified such that its port status LEDs also drive the relays on an external motor control board. Power to the board and motor also comes from the switch. Food Delivery - This is based upon a cereal dispenser driven by a low-revs/high-torque motor. A rubber 'flapper' mechanism delivers consistently-sized portions of food through a metal splitter into two separate bowls. When stationary, the flapper seals the delivery tube in order to maintain food freshness. The tube can be easily extended to accommodate more food. Operation - The feeder can be controlled interactively via the web interface(s), fully autonomously using cron scheduling, or manually at the lowest level using CLI directly on the switch. Out-of-band access, in case the Internet connection fails, is also available via a dial-up modem however it if got to this stage then it's arguably time to call the neighbours in... there's only so much you should be reliant on technology for! Visit www.newtonnet.co.uk/catfeeder for further info, photos and in-depth design details.

• #pets_animals
• #automatic
• #cat_feeder
• #pet_feeder
• #cisco
• #home_automation
• #domotics
• #too_much_time_on_his_hands