Lazy Susan - automatic hop dropper

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pocketmon

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I did it because it can be done.
I built two versions with cheap and fragile material which cannot be use in real application. They are built as the proof of concept. Someday, I will make a real one.

Components

1.Arduino Uno , $3.5~10
2.KY-040 rotary encoder $1.0~
3.I2C LCD 16×2 (I use a 20×4 LCD, but I design to use 16×2) $3.5~
4.Stepper motor 28BYJ-48 w/ ULN2003 driver board $2.5~$5
5.(Optional) a microswitch or photo interrupter $1~
6.Buzzer $1~
7. I built two versions as prototype to see how it will work. They are cheaply built. The material cost are under $4.
7a.v1:$.89 plastic plates from Walmart, and small cups from Daiso.
7b.v2:Some clip wood with elastic bandage as the transport band.

v1:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3FI-BXuH_0[/ame]

v2:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhqO-yYpklw[/ame]

V1 is not as simple as I have thought. In addition to supporting the plate with uneven load, a extra pipe or track is needed to keep steam from boiling kettle away. The open ended cups/pipes also make it difficult to use powder, like yeast nutrient.

V2 is more flexible because you can put as many hop holders as you want. The holders can be designed to be removable for cleaning. It will need a hook to hook on the boil kettle, though.

The biggest potential issue, except the construction of the dropper itself, should be the torque of the motor. 28BYJ-48 w/ ULN2003 is very cheap and powerful for its price. However, it might not be powerful enough. If that is the case, I would turn to a continuous servo instead.

The sketch and detail information is here:
http://vito.tw/lazysusan-auto-hop-dropper/
 
Version one is much like the HopBoss from BrewBoss. Version two is clever.

A couple observations, make the cups removable for cleaning, and plan on using some kind of chute so the mechanism is out of the humid boil air right above the kettle.

There are a lot of possibilities with this all the way up to a fully automated setup. Good luck and keep us informed!
 
I have a simple graph to demonstrate my idea. Since the distance of every cup is adjustable, the first cup will be placed at a distance from the boil kettle to avoid steam. The motor will be placed at the REAR shaft where is far away from the kettle.

ClaudiusB has provided good suggestions about the conveyor in
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=523658&page=2

Unfortunately, being a software engineer, I am not a handy person. It will take some time for me to make it. Surely I will update when I do.

lasysusanv2.png
 
A simpler idea to implement, would be to just use cheap rc servo motors.
Just fix a small container on an arm (maybe a couple of inches long) and attach it to the servo.
The servo can be hung off the kettle wall and keeps the additions away from the steam. Just add more servos if you need more additions.
 
alphaomega said:
A simpler idea to implement, would be to just use cheap rc servo motors.
Just fix a small container on an arm (maybe a couple of inches long) and attach it to the servo.
The servo can be hung off the kettle wall and keeps the additions away from the steam. Just add more servos if you need more additions.
Click to expand...

It's a shame that I don't have enough machinery knowledge to understand your idea.
KISS is what I trying to do. If your idea is simpler, maybe it's worth trying.
 
Maybe I explain like crap :)
Google "RC servo" if you don't already know what they are.
Just attach a cup or something similar to it, and have the servo dump the contents of the cup, over the kettle wall and into the wort.
Small RC servos are really cheap on ebay.
 
I did googled RC Servo. I did little research on Servo and Stepper motors when choosing components for my design. However, I still cannot understand your idea.

I draw a simple graph per my understanding of your idea. I can't figure out the the supporting of the arm, which can turn. Would you shed some light?

servo.png
 
See attached image of how I envision it.

Regarding the clever method of attaching the servo, it would depent on the setup you're using. Binder clips might work, or maybe you'd need make some kind of bracket.

IMG_20160103_175550.jpg
 
That is truly a trebuchet. I can't believe that I couldn't figure out, but I like the idea!
Aluminium U can be used to hook on the kettle wall. Some kind of thermal insulation should be used to protect the servo.
(First by google image)
http://www.bikar.com/aluminium-u-profiles.html

I googled to find a very cheap servo, SG90 9 g Micro Servo, with 17.5oz/in torque. Using a 4-inch arm, it still has adequate torque to hold 2oz hops with a 1oz wight plastic cup, which has ~30% margin. If Arduino Uno is used, the limit of the number of cups will be 6, the number of PWM output of Arduino Uno.
It's still a simple and effective idea.
 
While 6 probably will do just fine, you don't have to use PWM to control servos. The timing is pretty lax, so you can easily (perhaps even easier than trying to coax PWM into doing the job) use any digital output pin to control servos.
And the micro servos are really puny. It might better to find some cheap 'normal' size servos.
 
pocketmon said:
I did it because it can be done.
I built two versions with cheap and fragile material which cannot be use in real application. They are built as the proof of concept. Someday, I will make a real one.

Components

1.Arduino Uno , $3.5~10
2.KY-040 rotary encoder $1.0~
3.I2C LCD 16×2 (I use a 20×4 LCD, but I design to use 16×2) $3.5~
4.Stepper motor 28BYJ-48 w/ ULN2003 driver board $2.5~$5
5.(Optional) a microswitch or photo interrupter $1~
6.Buzzer $1~
7. I built two versions as prototype to see how it will work. They are cheaply built. The material cost are under $4.
7a.v1:$.89 plastic plates from Walmart, and small cups from Daiso.
7b.v2:Some clip wood with elastic bandage as the transport band.

v1:

[ame]

v2:

[ame]

V1 is not as simple as I have thought. In addition to supporting the plate with uneven load, a extra pipe or track is needed to keep steam from boiling kettle away. The open ended cups/pipes also make it difficult to use powder, like yeast nutrient.

V2 is more flexible because you can put as many hop holders as you want. The holders can be designed to be removable for cleaning. It will need a hook to hook on the boil kettle, though.

The biggest potential issue, except the construction of the dropper itself, should be the torque of the motor. 28BYJ-48 w/ ULN2003 is very cheap and powerful for its price. However, it might not be powerful enough. If that is the case, I would turn to a continuous servo instead.

The sketch and detail information is here:
http://vito.tw/lazysusan-auto-hop-dropper/
Click to expand...

I am trying to build an automated hop dropper like the Hop Boss, but finding plans or sketch to work from has been difficult. The link in this post is no longer working.
 

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