N-ABELD- NEW ARDUINO BASED ELECTRONIC LIQUOR DISPENSER Don Doty Eastern Kentucky University

OUTLINE I. Introduction a. Inspiration b. Research II. Problem Statement a. Identifying the Problem b. Set Goals/Requirements III. Research/Considerations IV. Proposed Solution a. Physical b. Electronics c. Communications IV. Results a.User Interface b.Video V. Conclusions VI. Future Plans a.Tracking System b. Inventory Management

Introduction Motivation: Acquaintance having trouble finding skilled bartenders to employ in their new restaurant. Project Elements: 1. Electronics – Components and circuits used 2. Communication – Interfacing necessary to pass commands from the user to the physical device 3. Physical – how the actual device is built.

Problem Bartender duties: Take order Mix and pour drinks Must know recipes Knowledge of drink ingredients Clean Chop Fruit Serve drinks The owner has access to a staff of waiters and waitresses who can: Clean Serve drinks Take orders The missing element is the knowledge and skill to quickly make the customers drink.

Research/Considerations Arduino vs Programmable Logic Controller ● Open Source ● More Versatile ● Programming options ● More configuration options ● Lower source voltage ● Cheaper to implement ● Easier to use ● Can directly drive most solenoids ● More robust ● Doesn't require programming knowledge

Research/Considerations Most solenoid valves require line pressure in order to operate. Energizing the coil will open a normally closed solenoid, and when the coil is no longer energized, the pressure from the line is used to close the valve. In order to avoid having to pressurize the lines, I chose to use gravity-feed capable solenoids. Solenoid requirements: ● Affordable ● Food-safe ● Normally-Closed ● Gravity-feed capable

Research/Considerations User Interface Options: I. Hardware based a) LCD with control panel b) Touchscreen w/TFT display II. Software based a) Local software b) Web-based interface Arduino is an extremely flexible platform and will accommodate many different input and output devices that can be used to design a user interface.

Proposed Solution (Physical) Upside down bottles with pour spouts feed tubes running into input of normally closed solenoid Solenoid output feeds tubes that direct the liquid into a funnel A cup holder placed underneath the funnel ensures that the cup is placed correctly

Proposed Solution (Electronic) Because the Arduino cannot drive the solenoid directly, I must use an alternate voltage source and use NPN transistor as a switch. The arduino's output pins are provide signal to the base of a Darlington TIP-120 Collector is connected to solenoid that is tied to +12v When the arduino output pins send a high signal to the transistor's base, it conducts the +12v signal, causing the solenoid to open.

Proposed Solution (Communications) A user interface must establish a line of communication between the user and the electronics performing the work. Web interface relies on communication between: I. Client and web server HTML/PHP form data parsed and passed to MySQL database and/or to a C++ program II. Web Server to Arduino C++ program sends parsed data serially to the Arduino, running its own program III. Arduino to electronics Arduino pinout state determines solenoid status

Assumptions Operating conditions:  Windows PC  Executable responsible for setup  Executable also called in PHP to send the data serially  Working Apache and MySQL servers  The interface page builds itself from the data contained in the MySQL database  Arduino serially connected to PC  The program that communicates with the Arduino sends data through the serial port

Results (User Interface)

Results (Video)

Conclusions The n-ABELD system is a work in progress. It is far from being finished. When I began this project, I realized that budget and time constraints would prevent me from completing it by the end of this semester. Rather than setting a goal of completion, I set my goal at a certain minimum level of functionality. In its current state, n- ABELD effectively establishes proof of concept. The goal of providing a reliable way to quickly mix and serve drinks has been met. Furthermore, the level of user friendliness offered by the interface surpassed my expectations.

Future of n-ABELD Drink tracking – add a database to keep track of every drink the machine pours User database Inventory management – Keep track of liquid remaining in the bottle and notify user when levels are low Different containers for the liquid – easier to fill, threads directly onto solenoid

Acknowledgements - cup image - funnel image Arduino.cc – solenoid schematic and arduino image - solenoid image - plc image