This is a fat pet feeder.
It's a fully 3D printed automatic arduino
pet feeder I made and you can make it too.
It has a slick design, it fits well in any
home.
For the owner It's easy to use, to clean the
bowl, to put more food inside, to set the
schedule and portion size.
And for the pet it's not intimidating in any
way.
Why would you ever need one?
well, it keeps the pet diet healthy by scheduling
the exact amount of food per day
it keeps the food fresh in the closed container
– it's important for my cat at least
you can be sure that your cat/small dog or
other carbon-based form of wife is fed when
you're not at home
Also it's a pretty cool DIY project for kids,
adults, schools or robotic cources.
It has a battery compartment, 3 programmable
buttons, a precise portion wheel, tight lid.
It's modular, easy to print and build.
This is the guide on how you can build one
yourself
You can get the STLs and the Fusion 360 files
at the link in the description.
The design is parametric so you can change
the size of the feeder or the bowl in the
parameters menu.
What off-the-shelf parts do we need?
A continuous rotation servo – it's a motor
with a gearbox and a driver in one package
of standard dimensions.
I used SpringRC SM-S4303R but you can use
any similar.
Any arduino, I use a nano clone.
But if you feel confident, you can definitely
use wi-fi enabled boards, add embedded cameras,
integrate it with smart home services, there
are a lot of options here.
We need 3 standard size microswitches, these
are optional for changing the schedule, the
portion size, and to dispense food immediatelly
A breadboard or a prototype PCB if you want
it soldered, some wires to connect everything
together.
A plastic female DC connector.
4 M4 screws with countersunk heads.
I use 10mm in length but any would fit.
5V 3A power supply.
A right-angled version is better.
Maybe some day I'll make a side-socket version
of the feeder.
Stainless steel bowl is optional but it can
help to avoid cat acne.
It's also dishwasher-safe.
There are several versions in the package
but you can make your own by changing these
parameters.
For a battery version you need 3 D size batteries.
According to my calculations it can work on
a one set for at least a year.
A standalone AtMega328p microcontroller or
you can break your arduino to make it less
power hungry.
I used the same arduino.
A 5A boost converter for a motor like LM2587
An IRL540N mosfet.
I insist on the L version because it has a
lower gate threshold voltage.
We need it to turn off the boost converter
when it's not in use.
DS3231 real time clock module with hardware
alarms
Capacitors help with the stable voltage.
I use two – one mF and 10mF.
Battery contacts.
I use a steel wire for this purpose.
Maybe I'll change the model later to fit the
most commonly used ones.
All the links to the parts are in the description
As for the 3D printing
Fat Pet Feeder consists of 8 printed parts.
It's easy to print if you use decent quality
PLA filament – 45 degree overhangs and good
30mm bridges are a must.
$20 ESUN PLA is good enough in my case.
You will need about .7kg of filament.
2 color prints look cool and you can use pruшa
color print to change your color on certain
layer.
It is not print-in-place, parts are printed
separately.
I used 3 perimeters with 20% infill, 6 bottom
and 8 top solid layers, default speed.
I print parts in this order to be sure that
everything fits together and is printed well
before it's too late:
First one is the hopper, it's the hardest
one
Then the Portion wheel
Wheel compartment
Electronics compartment
Bowl
Shell – for which I recommend adding a brim.
Even PLA could warp otherwise.
Also set the seam position to rear if you
want a clean front side.
the next is the Lid
and an optional Battery cover
Use this circuit for the wall-powered version
And this for the battery-powered one
The arduino code link is also in the description.
Remove the levers if your buttons have any,
we don't need them.
After you connected all the electronic parts
put them into your electronics compartment
The motor goes into this slot and the buttons
into these slots
This hole is for a DC connector
Put the motor adapter into the wheel
Then you put the hopper, the wheel 
and the wheel compartment into the shell
And close it with an electronics part.
Use 4 screws to fixate everything in place
Now you can attach the bowl part, close the
battery compartment and the lid.
And this is how it works
By the way, you don't have to teach your cat
to push the button, there's code for scheduled
feeding.
If you need any kind of support, don't hesitate
to contact me in the comments – I'll try
to answer every single one so you don't have
to struggle much with printing, wiring or
coding the feeder.
I want to give away 10 digital models of this
pet feeder – 5 in the comments with hashtag
#fatpetfeeder and 5 to my patrons on patreon.
Join my patreon to get all the recent models
I release or maybe you'd like other perks
you can get.
I'm planning to make other videos regarding
battery version, customizations you can make
and the process of making this design in Fusion
360.
I'm going to show all the failed prints, different
versions and timelapses.
Like or dislike this video.
If you want to see more of this device, subscribe
to the channel, leave your suggestions in
the comments.
Your mom will be proud.
