This project was the main topic of my MECH 458 class (Mechatronics). We were tasked to wire an AT90USB1287 microcontroller to the black terminal block, and program it to sort objects as quickly and as accurately as possible. The system sorts 4 different types of objects into categories based on their reflectivities: black plastic, white plastic, steel, and aluminum.
See the code on GitHub: https://github.com/fwacer/conveyor-sorting-machine
Parts used:
- Hall-effect sensor (for homing the stepper motor)
- Optical sensors
- Reflectivity sensor (for categorizing the type of object)
- ADC (to read the reflectivity sensor values)
- DC motor (and driver) to drive the conveyor belt
- Stepper motor (and driver) for the sorting bucket
A “pause” button allows the LCD to display data about the quantity of each object sorted.
A “ramp down” button tells the system to finish sorting all current objects, then halt and display data about the items sorted.
This project was finished over email because the Covid-19 pandemic closed down the labs. I did all project troubleshooting and design by emailing a circuit schematic and my latest revision of code into the lab instructor, who would test it. There was a lag time of 1-3 days between sending an iteration of code and getting a response back. This video was our final response received, with all project milestones reached. Thank you to the lab instructor, Patrick, for all his tireless efforts in seeing this project through.