Arduino enthusiast and cat owner Nicolas Mop has created an well-built automated cat food dispenser based around an Arduino system. Using a real-time clock the feeder can be programmed to dispense fixed amounts of dry cat food over required intervals, and has a neat user-interface via an LCD and the serial monitor. The physical hardware is also quite interesting - Nicolas used an "Archimedes screw" to move the cat food from the hopper and across to holes which then allow it to fall into the bowls, for example:
It might be a good idea to use a larger bowl if your cat is picky about where it eats from. However it's a great project, and you can find all the details on the project page. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.
If you've heard about this "Arduino thing" - but not sure how to start - then the best way to learn is with our Experimenter's Kit for Arduino:
The package includes a wide variety of parts, sensors and modules including: a servo motor, lights, buttons, switches, sound, sensors, breadboard, wires and more. Furthermore a Freetronics Eleven Arduino-compatible board is included to make this an extensive hobby experimenter, inventor and starter kit. However we don't leave you alone to figure it all out, included is a great project and instruction booklet, plus access to a supporting web page and software examples. In other words - this is everything you need to get started for a fun range of electronics and Arduino related projects!
So to get started or for more information and to order, check out the product page.
