MA Feeder - Auto feeder

This Is the Marine Assistant Auto feeder, It can feed All sorts of dried fish food like Flakes or pellets. The food is dispenced using a threaded coil for precice controll.

It uses a custom designed PCB which is Compatible With home assistant using the ESP home plug-in. The case is completly 3d printed and is simple to print and assemble.

More information coming soon so check back in!!

Features:

- Open source 3d printed body, adjust and modify if you wish.

- Well tested hardware, High quality electronics for a long life and reliability.

- Takes many different sorts of dried foods.

- Fully automate your feeding schedule with full controll over the amount that is fed each time.

- Food outlet is compatible with 20mm PVC pipework.

The MA-feeder is delivered in kit form and will require some assembly on your part, this is not dificult and is well documented below....

Some More Images....

Build Guide...

The MA-Feeder has been designed to be easy to put together and use, The 3d printed parts require minimum assembly and there are only 3 components that require soldering.

PCB Assembly.

The PCB has 2 buttons that need soldering and one 4 pin screw terminal for the Stepper motor.

Push the buttons in from the front and they will hold themselves inplace, turn the board over and solder the pins.

The 4 port screw terminal is inserted from the front, secure with a little tape and then solder the pins on the back. make sure the terminal is parallel to the edge before soldering.

The PCB has Aux terminals that are not used for the feeder, no parts need to be soldered to these pins.

To finish the assembly you will need to insert a CR2032 coin cell, This is used for the Real time clock to keep the automations running in case of a loss of conection to Home assistant.

3d Printed parts Preperation

To Prep the 3d printed parts there are a couple of jobs that need doing:

1. Go over all the parts and remove any sharp edges, If you purchased though the Online store then the parts will have already been checked and you shouldn't have to do anything. If you printed your own be sure to remove all the support material and trim the edges where needed.

2. Insert the Threaded Inserts, The brass inserts need to be heated and pressed into the holes on the printed parts. There are 18 in total, see the images below for reference. To insert them use an old tip on your soldering iron, put the insert over the hole and apply heat until it start to "sink" into the hole. Use a pair of thin nosed pliers to push it into position if needed and be carefull not to apply too much heat.
If unsure there are many Youtube videos on how to do this, Search "3d print threaded inserts"

3. Glue some of the 3d printed parts, Use superglue to glue the following parts together.

- The Drawer faceplate to the drawer, The drawer faceplate has locating pegs on the back face and the drawer has the corresponding holes. Apply a little Glue and press the parts together. Check alignment on the bottom edge of the faceplate, this should be flush with the bottom of the drawer.

- The Coil housing to the stepper motor housing. These parts also are pressed together and align themselves, apply a little Superglue and press the parts together.

Putting it all together

You now have all the parts preped and just need to put it all together, after that the firmware will need to be loaded. heres what to do next:

1. Insert the Gear into the treaded coil and then insert the coil into the housing. You can then place the stepper motor onto the part and secure with screws from the front. use the 4 M3x12mm screws for this. before inserting ensure the flat section of the shaft is aligned with the little hole on the top of the 3d printed part.

Once the coil is in place and the motor is secured you can tighten the screw through the hole, this secures the coil to the motor. Insert the cable plug into the stepper motor now too.

2. Attach the Faceplate to the front of the Main body using the M3x5mm screws. Insert the coil and stepper motor assembly in through the other side and secure with 2 M3x8mm screws. Ensure the opening on the bottom is aligned

3. Screw on the Pre assembled PCB onto the back of the housing and connect the wires as shown in the pictures below. Once done insert the buttons into the PCB Cover and secure the cover with 4 M3x18mm screws.