HALLOWEEN CANDY DISPENSER

I have not updated for a while. So the last project I worked on a Halloween Candy dispenser that can sit at the bottom of our drive way and regulate the amount of candy it gives out.

Everything starts with an idea:

"We live on a hill.... Would sure hate for all that potential energy of the candies sitting in my house to go to waste.... Maybe a better version of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dIgq55GeBI"

End Product:

It took me 7 days and here is what it looks like.

Halloween Night Video 1 with a Pirate

Halloween Night Video 2

Halloween Night Video 3

The Process:

At first, I had to create the C program to read the bend sensor with an ADC(analog to digital converter)chip (MCP3208) on a Raspberry Pi. 

Then I made my program to control the servos while reading input from the bend sensor

I mounted everything as a test

Wire up a Easy-button to trigger the process

Testing it with anti-jam v1 logic without Easy Button by myself.

Kid testing it with anti-jam v1 logic. This is when I realized I needed an anti jam logic
(before the second feeding servo was in place)

Added a second feeding servo, fine tuned some control logic
mounted it to the back of the golf cart for easy transportation/setup.

Lesson learned:

1. Assume it will be 90 degrees and hot. Raspberry Pi with a taped enclosure is bad... I zip locked some ice and placed it next to the CPU... Need a massive fan next time.
2. Best troll for Halloween is the be direct with people. Everyone thought pressing the button would shock/scare/mess with them... All I did was give them candy.
3. Need more lights.
4. The sign and the promise of better candy actually increased the number of kid (mostly under 10) to walk up the hill.
5. Nerds are popular candy here.