A DIY Automatic Pet Feeder That Looks Better Than Anything on Store Shelves

The nice thing about great industrial design is that it doesn’t cost anything. Heck, it could even reduce the price of a product by lowering manufacturing costs. So, while DIY projects may have a reputation for subpar design when compared to consumer products, that doesn’t have to be the case. A maker with talent for design can absolutely create DIY projects that outshine their consumer counterparts. Need some proof? Take a look at this stunning DIY automatic pet feeder designed by Manuel Maeder.

Maeder is a German engineer that has a penchant for plastic recycling and especially desktop injection molding. But this pet feeder, called Pedro, shows that he has an eye for design, too. Like most automatic pet feeders, Pedro dispenses dry food according to a predetermined interval. It should work with many different types of food, for many different animals. Cats and dogs are definitely on that list, but so are plenty of more exotic pets. You could even have Pedro dispense bird feed outdoors.

But the big draw here is, of course, the stylish design. It is clean and unobtrusive, with a cylinder being the primary shape. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that Pedro is simple. Good design is a challenge and Maeder clearly put a lot of thought into this. A window on the side helps users know when to put in more food and a desiccant packet holder at the top keeps that food dry. The dispensing mechanism is a large auger-style that will handle most food sizes and shapes without jamming.

The electronics are built around an Arduino Nano board that controls the single stepper motor through a driver module. The Arduino and driver go on a customer PCB to keep the wiring tidy. The controls, which are located on the back of the feeder where pets won’t accidentally bump them, consist of two potentiometer knobs and a button. The knobs determine the interval between feedings and the amount of food to dispense. The button manually dispenses a measure food, for those times when Whiskers is feeling extra hungry.

If you want to build your own Pedro automatic pet feeder, Maeder is selling the design files on Etsy and Ko-Fi. They’re a little pricey as far as digital downloads go, but the total cost after you buy the parts should still be under $100.