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Dog Door Opener
March - June 2021
Context:
One of my courses at UCSB was ME 10: Graphics, Design, and CAD. Our final project was to design an engineering solution that would help someone we knew. In my case, it was to help my dog enter my room without having to wait for me to finish an exam before opening the door for him.
Executive Summary:
I made a button-activated door opener for my dog so he would not have to wait long for someone to open my bedroom door for him. I opened my heavy door using levers, gravity, and the materials I had readily available. It was simple and cost-effective.
Perspective Sketch:
The prototype sketch (right) changed from the initial perspective sketch (left) due to errors in my calculations that caused an overestimation of the strength of the Arduino kit DC motor. The DC motor was not enough to support the weight of the large lever arm with a string as planned and I had to alter the design slightly to use a second lever to increase the apparent force the motor was able to provide.
Initial sketch
Final sketch
CAD Drawings:
firstLeverArmDrawing
leverLockDrawing
pivotDrawing
firstLeverArmDrawing
1/7
CAD Models:
arduinoAndMotorMount
arduinoButton
arduinoSpinner
arduinoAndMotorMount
1/6
Results:
A picture of what I made and a video demonstrating the project below.
● Link to 30-second video of the final project: https://youtu.be/pMnTGOyv7vY
Lessons Learned:
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How to sketch better using greyscale
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How to use SOLIDWORKS effectively
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How to program and use an Arduino Uno
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That using a lever and gravity is not the most space-efficient way of opening a door
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