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Programmatically Controlled Juicer
An anonymous reader writes "The Juicer is a wirelessly controlled, programmable juice maker which will mix each ingredient of a recipe to the exact proportions every time.
The Juicer will take a recipe selection serially via either the keyboard or the wireless remote and dispense the juices into the cup below. Force and Photo sensors are incorporated to control the precise pouring. Wireless communication is controlled with two microcontrollers operating at a frequency of 433 MHz. All of this is housed by a big red frame custom made from 4130 steel."
It's more of a juice mixer than a juicer. I had envisioned something that took fruit and turned it into juice. This was a bit of a let down.
Don't take life so seriously. No one makes it out alive.
Its just the BarMonkey without the alcohol (and therefore the fun)
the barmonkey: http://www.barmonkey.net/
The atmel controller is NOT running at 433mhz. the wireless link is transmitting at 433mhz. the controllers are they typical OTS 20mhz controllers and this could easily be done with any 4mhz pic.
There really is nothing too complicated with this setup, elegant use of a manufacturered bottle/container that solves one of the engineering problems, but the rest of it is fairly basic in design and implimentation.
It certianly would add a tad bit of "coolness" at a party, but as far as being "food grade" and not grossing out some people by the exposed troughs that carry the "juices" to the cup. Hoses attacted to the bottles would be cleaner and have a higher acceptance lever with some of the more "picky" people in this world.
On a side note, it would have been easier but not cheaper to get older pepsi or coke pre-mix containers with fittings. add CO2 to all the containers and a few of the food grade solenoids from a post-mix dispenser and you would have something highly sanitary and sanatisable, hold much larger amounts of "juice" and sustain a long life.
Outside the CO2 regulator you could get everything you need for around $300.00 including a filled 25 pound CO2 cylinder.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Hmmm, I don't think so. Patent law does not allow anyone to build any patented device without a license, no matter what the purpose. Otherwise, you could use a patented device as part of some machine which you don't sell, but use to create something else you sell.
that aluminum mixing trough ain't kosher. Acid+Aluminum = funk
Aluminum has no problem with the acids found in food, otherwise we wouldn't use so many aluminum pots and pans. It's sodium hydroxide that cannot come in contact with aluminum. But the open through raises one question: how often do they wash it? Think dust, flies, cats, etc.