The Turntable
The Turntable sub-assembly contains three primary features. First, the turntable itself which is composed of two wooden disks with a turntable bearing sandwiched between them. This provides the smooth rotating surface on which all other components rely. Attached to the top disk is a laser cut internal ring gear that is driven by a geared DC motor. On the internal edge of the top wooden disk are a series of embedded magnets in front of each cup holder. These magnets are used in unison with hall sensors to allow the machine to track and place cups. |
Cup Dispenser The cup dispenser is actuated with a two-step process. First the servo pulls the cup release slider out, causing the cup stack to fall a short distance and ready the next cup for dispensing. When the cup slider is pushed back in, it simultaneously supports the cup stack while separating the bottom cup and letting it drop into the holder below A close up of the slider shows the two rails that guide and separate the cups from each other. This mechanism works with most plastic cups that have a lip diameter of about 4 inches |
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Motor Mount The turntable motor mount not only houses a 30RPM DC motor, but is also the home to two limit switches and one hall sensor.
The limit switches are affixed via pins to the outside edge of the motor mount so that when the tower reaches its extreme limits, it will hit one of the switches and deactivate the tower motor. The hall sensor is affixed to the edge of the "diving board" protrusion. This enables on-the-fly easy adjustment to get the most optimal readings from such a small sensor. The hall sensor waits for the magnets embedded in the turntable to pass by before activating the cup dispenser and dropping a cup perfectly into the holders. |
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