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Dispenser Improvement Results

A project log for Vending Machine for Birds

Simple, inexpensive bird feeder that dispenses peanuts in exchange for dropping stuff in a hole. A vending machine for clever birds.

stephen-chaseyStephen Chasey 03/10/2023 at 09:580 Comments

The previous improvements to the dispenser have worked out. It now dispenses reliably, taking less than a second to dispense one or two peanuts. Occasionally it takes between 2-3 seconds. There are still lots of possible improvements, but it's good enough for now.

The dispenser is still louder than I want it to be. I could potentially annoy my neighbors. Making it a bit quieter is my next dispenser improvement.

Two additional  issues have popped up.

Rain and Snow

We've had a decent amount of rain in Amsterdam over the past week, often mixed with snow. There were a couple instances where the rain was triggering the deposit sensor. When a bird landed it would start spitting out peanuts. They loved it.

Turning down the sensor sensitivity a bit solved this for now. I am working on a way to better mitigate this.

Pigeon Nest

I was away for a few days, and during that time a couple of pigeons built a nest on my balcony about a meter from the machine. They are very territorial and chase all other birds away, so I will have to make a ground-mounting solution and move it out back. I don't want to mount it on the rear balcony railing as there is a chance that the birds will spill litter or bird poop onto my neighbor's garden below.

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