Steve and Friends Discover that Inventing Can Be Intoxicating

By Design News Staff -- Design News, May 5, 2003

Steve Rundell and fellow engineering students at Michigan State University never go thirsty, thanks to the ingenious automatic drink-making machine they designed and built. The contraption allows the "bartender" to select various drink mixtures displayed on an LCD screen. A controller sends a signal to a servo motor that drives a rotating carousel, which positions the drink cup under the appropriate liquid reservoirs. A solenoid valve opens, automatically dispensing a predetermined amount of liquid into the cup.

Drink-o-Matic 3000 Parts List
Amt	Part Description	Allied Part #
1	Solid state relay	235-7602
1	Resistor kit	635-0120
1	Prototype kit	508-7713
1	Microcontroller	671-0052
Additional parts required: dc servo motor, solenoid valve, desk lamp, lazy susan device, wire, 2-liter bottles for liquid reservoirs, various lumber and plumbing products (there's a lot of leeway for creativity in this design)

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http://www.manufacturing.net/dn/index.asp?layout=siteInfoWebzine&view=Detail&doc_id=110761

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