Arduino Powered Machine that turns itself off

Fun project to learn about MOSFETs, AVR low power modes & servo control - it get lots of laughs when left lying around in the office

Pete Milne

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Description

I had a lot of fun learning low power techniques and interrupt service routines on Arduino with this fun project. The box contains 2 servos, one to operate the lid and the other for the lever to turn the switch off. It doesn't actually switch itself of, it just goes to sleep until the next curious user switches it on! Full details of how to build it, including code, board schematic and video on my DesignSpark homepage. http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/eng/blog/arduino-powered-useless-machine

Details

The box contains a small board based on an ATMEGA328P-PU chip and supporting components, including a MOSFET to reduce power consumption while in sleep mode. The code was developed on an Arduino Uno. When powered up by 4 x AA cells, the box can remain idle for several months while it waits to be activated. Once the switch is turned on, the lid opens and an arm switches it off again. Both the arm and lid are controlled by small low powered servos and they operate in a sudo-random sequences each time the switch is activated.