Gumball Machine with Secret Knock
Part 1: The back story
Some projects are simply more fun than others. This gumball machine, designed by Steve
Hoefer, was such a project for me.
The back story. I began
this project almost 2 years ago. My son,
Louis, gave me a subscription to Make
magazine. My first issue had an article by Steve Hoefer with instructions for
the gumball machine. The heart (and
brain) of the machine is a small microprocessor called Arduino. Louis and I loved the idea of the machine. The machine is totally superfluous to our
lives and the dispensing mechanism, a secret knock, could not be cooler. Louis and I are both interested in computers
but neither of us had experience building circuits or even soldering. Taking this project on promised a sweet, new adventure.
Even very simple things can be daunting to a novice. Building the cabinet was a piece of cake for
me but the electronics was not. Although
keeping track of the resistors, potentiometers, switches, servos and LEDS was
not impossible, soldering is a skill with a real learning curve. I am old.
My hands are not steady, my eyes are worse, and the parts to be soldered
are tiny. After a few faint hearted
forays, the project languished. A baby
was born to Louis (a beautiful girl) and I went on to other projects.
A recent, fortuitous meeting with Audie Roberts, a
biochemist, resulted in a lab tour.
There I saw several electronic lab pieces that Audie had cobbled together
from “discarded” and over the counter components. And, this capable “maker” was willing
(actually eager) to help on the gumball project. At the end of two days we had the circuits
done and tested. From there it was a
matter of getting the electronics, the mechanics and the cabinetry to work
together. Nothing ever works the way one
hopes on the first try but with a couple of tweaks and a prayer, success. I need never be without gumballs again.
For more about building the cabinet click here.
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