Hello there,
I’d like to put together a mechanism for providing my dog with treats (e.g. a filled Kong) or a squeaky toy at staggered intervals when she is home alone to keep her occupied. My initial thought was to build a set of wooden boxes (minimum 2, maximum 4) with hatch doors that open downwards. The doors would pop open at set times or every x minutes giving her access to the treat or toy.
I’m a complete newbie to Arduino but I’m keen to learn. I’m a web developer by trade so the coding part of the project shouldn’t pose a problem.
What I’d like from this post is some pointers regarding what I need to read up on and what kit I’m likely to need. I’ve searched the forums for similar posts or projects but I’ve not been able to find anything that fits my requirements yet.
What Board
I’m assuming I would need 4 (max) servo motors to open each hatch door. Would I need a specific board that could support this many motors?
Timings
Would it be possible to choose what time each hatch door opens? or would it have to be every x minutes after the program starts? Will the timing requirement effect which board I get?
Future Enhancements
A neat idea I had to work around possible timing issues was to be able to trigger a door opening with a sms message or email. Is this even possible? Could buying a particular board allow this as possible future upgrade?
Any pointers or links to existing similar projects you could provide would be greatly appreciated. If I haven’t explained myself enough or you have any further questions just let me know and I reply with as much detail as I can.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post
Pete