335iguy / diy-multisensor-cat-feeder

DIY Multi-Sensor Cat Feeder - Using ESPHome, Home Assistant, and Node Red

DIY Multi-Sensor Cat Feeder - Using ESPHome, Home Assistant, and Node Red - README WORK IN PROGRESS!

This catfeeder features quite a lot of tech! Besides its main funtion of a feeder itself, it also has:
An ultrasonic sensor to tell us when the feeder is low^.
A DHT11^^ to tell us temperature and humidity.
An HC-SR505^^^ for motion detection.
And ESPHome to tie it into your Home Automation system!

Footnotes:

• (^)The feeder sends an HTML5 Notify alert to my phone, for HTML5 Notifications, see https://www.home-assistant.io/components/html5/
  
• (^^)A DHT11 sensor isn't as accurate as the DHT22, however, the DHT11 is cheaper. I purchased 5 of them at once to sweeten the deal.
  
• (^^^)The HC-SR505 I got also in bulk as I thought they'd work pretty well. They do work well for this application, but they cannot be close to your ESP8266 device, else it will throw false positives. I have mine about 8 inches from my ESP8266 device and the flase positives are nought.

Thanks for checking this out! Here is what my prototype cat feeder looks like:

Here's what you need for hardware:

• 1x NodeMCU v3 ESP8266 (I use an Amica NodeMCU, but any NodeMCU or WeMos D1/ D1 Mini will work)
  
• 1x Servo Motor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076CNKQX4/
• 1x DHT11 Temperature and Relative Humidity Sensor Module https://ebay.us/O6WnL4 ^
• 1x HC-SR501 PIR IR Passive Infrared Motion Detector Sensor Module / Arduino HCSR501 https://ebay.us/zmt1I4 ^
• 1x Ultrasonic Module HC-SR04 Distance Transducer Sensor For Arduino Robot https://ebay.us/ei9Pcy ^
• 1x LM2596S DC-DC 3A Buck Adjustable Step-down Power Supply Converter Module https://ebay.us/D48M8h ^
• 1x 3PCS Micro Lockless Momentary On/Off Push Button 12V 5A Switch Tact Assortment https://ebay.us/NRSOpU ^
• 1x 3X Mini 400 Point Solderless Prototype PCB Breadboard Protoboards https://ebay.us/5bkxw9 ^
• 1x AC100-240V To DC 12V 3A US Power Supply Adapter Transformer https://ebay.us/yqAJVE
• 1x Zevro KCH-06138 13-Ounce Dry-Food Dispenser https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009MGQUC/
• 1x 6"x6"x1/2" Piece of wood of choice
• 1x 6"x18"x1/2" Piece of wood of choice
• 2x Drywall screws
• 5x8mm Coupling (if you can get just one, I should have went with this method and did not, set me back a week)
• Various header wires (male-male, male-female, female-female)
• Multi-Meter to test voltage from Power Supply to buck converter

Building it!

Sorry, I had no pictures of the build process, but here's what I can give you:

• Use the 6x6 piece of wood as a base and set the 18x6 level with the base, and screw the 2 drywall screws from the back of the 18x6 through to the 6x6. Should hold up nicely. Give it some weight up front as it is a little back heavy.
• Connect the power supply to the buck converter, and use a small flathead to turn down the voltage to 7v.
• Use your breadboard and set up the following:

Home Assistant

For the ease of programming and quick integration, I use ESPHome to program my NodeMCUs throughout the house. In combination, I use Node-Red to create the time-based automation to feed my cats and also notfy me when the food gets low. Check out the yaml file for the programming. Should just be quick copy/paste, inseryt your info, and flash it with either ESPFlasher or your preferred flashing method.

Once flashed, you'll want to integreate it into HomeAssistant. This should bring up quite a few things like your ultrasonic sensor, temperature, humidity, WiFi RSSI, a restart button, and more!

diy-multisensor-cat-feeder's Issues

Home Assistant configuration?

Hi!

I'm trying to build something like this also! Can you share the Home Assistant for this? Mainly the automation. I see you have the input number from the Esphome example, but I'm trying to figure out the automation to drop the food daily.

Another interesting repository: https://github.com/lance36/catFeeder

Specifications for PVC tubing?

Hi there. I recently completed a similar build, but am missing some tubing at the bottom to lead the food to the bowl instead of dropping it from above. Could you share some information on which PVC parts you used to mount at the base of the dispenser, as it looks like a very good solution.