Published December 13, 2024 © GPL3+

Automatic Trash Can

Press a sensor, and your trashcan will open automatically.

BeginnerFull instructions provided4 hours69

Things used in this project

Hardware components

reartisan DC 5V 0.5RPM Turbo Worm Geared Motor

Force Sensitive Resistor 0.5 SEN-09375

L298N Motor Controller

Particle Photon 2

Software apps and online services

Serial terminal

Story

My dog is always eating the food whenever I eat downstairs at my desk. Hell never eat it when your there, but the second you leave he pounces. The idea behind this project was to make a way I could automatically open and close a garbage can so I could throw stuff away while still sitting down.It works using a photon 2, microcontroller and motor. I would definitely recommend using a stronger motor, because mine is extremely slow, taking almost 10 minutes to fully open and close. I also would recommend using https://serial.huhn.me to track the numbers output by the sensor.

It works by using the pressure sensor to send a signal to the motor controller if the pressure value was high enough. The motor would than spin for a set amount of time in one direction to open the trash can, and than spin the other direction to close it. Since my motor was so slow I decided to take the lid of a candle and attach it to the motor to act as a gear to speed up the process a little bit.

You will see in the video of my working project, that I have to touch it a lot, this is because the weight of the lid pulls down on the candle lid I used, and over time the string started to fall off and completely close the trash can. This could be solved by using a stronger material, and I could've also been a little more percise when drilling the hole.

Use external power for the motor controller, and keep in mind you may need to change sensor pins every now and again. Also keep in mind if you use a different motor, you will have to change the amount of time the motor spins for.

Schematics

Code

Code

int sensorPin = A5;
int sensorValue = 0;
int IN1 = D15;
int IN2 = D16;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(sensorPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(IN1, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(IN2, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
  sensorValue = analogRead(sensorPin);
  
  Serial.print(sensorValue);

if (sensorValue > 3) {
    unsigned long currTime = millis();
    unsigned long startTime = millis();
    Serial.println("HIGH");
    while ( currTime < 280000 + startTime){
        digitalWrite(IN1, HIGH);
        digitalWrite(IN2,LOW);
        currTime = millis();
    }
    unsigned long endTime = millis();
    unsigned long endingTime = millis();
    while ( endTime < 280000 + endingTime ){
            digitalWrite(IN1, LOW);
            digitalWrite(IN2, HIGH);
            endTime = millis();
        }
    digitalWrite(IN1, LOW);
    digitalWrite(IN2,LOW);
  } else {
    Serial.println("LOW");
    digitalWrite(IN1, LOW);
    digitalWrite(IN2,LOW);
    delay(3000);
  }
}

Automatic Trash Can

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Software apps and online services

Story

Custom parts and enclosures

Enclosure

Working project in Enclosure

Schematics

Wiring pictures

Wiring pictures

Code

Code

Credits

Conor Doheny

Comments

Embed the widget on your own site

Automatic Trash Can

Automatic Trash Can

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Software apps and online services

Story

Custom parts and enclosures

Enclosure

Working project in Enclosure

Schematics

Wiring pictures

Wiring pictures

Code

Code

Credits

Conor Doheny

Comments

Related channels and tags