We'll start by looking at the mechanical aspects of our distributor. It operates mainly through the rotation of a worm screw, which is driven by a motor. This is why the first step is to print all the parts of the dispenser in PLA. Personally, I printed the whole thing with 20% fill. I'd also advise you to print with tree-shaped supports, to make it easier for you when you have to remove the supports, particularly around the worm screw.

WARNING : Print the 'PipeConnector' only if you want to distribute to 2 cats/dogs. Print twice the 'Bracket'.

STL files are available in the Files tab

For the creation of the wooden structure, which is supposed to enclose the system, I think you'll probably have to adapt it according to your own constraints. For example, if you want the system to be lower for the bowls and so on.

However, I'll leave you with a sketch of my wooden structure from which you can draw inspiration.

Once you have the mechanical part of your system and the wooden structure, you can assemble the whole thing. To do this, place your bottle in the dedicated space, along with your 3D printed parts, as shown in the photo and in the sketch.

You can then mark out the markings and screw your parts onto the wooden board one by one. Avoid leaving too much play in the screw, as it could slip and no longer be in contact with the motor gear ('SmallestGear').

Then stick the worm gear to its start and the guide to the base using an adhesive such as ultraglue.

There are also 2 parts that need to be screwed to the load cell: ‘LoadCellBase’ and ‘TopPlate’. And then you can place the scales under one of the bowls.

To carry out this project, we'll need Visual Studio Code. For those of you who don't already have it, you can download and install it here.

In the extensions tab install PlatformIO and configure it for your ESP32-WROOM.

The first thing to do is to calibrate your scales. To do this, you need to install the ‘HX711_ADC’ library and run the ‘Calibration’ example.

To be on the safe side, I advise you to create a new gmail address. Then, to make access to your account more secure, we're going to create an application that will generate a 16-character code for you to copy into the program.

Don't forget to replace certain variables with your own information and to install the missing libraries.

The program is available in the Files tab

Use your adress IP to control it. After many trials, Oslo and Misty can assure you that it works well and that they are delighted with it.

I hope you enjoy it! Don't hesitate to leave comments! And I just wanted to add a clarification, because you probably noticed on the photos, that there was a lot of tape, because my cats love to jump on it. That's why I'm probably going to put some extra protection on it to hide the mechanical and electronic parts.