MAKE | Maker Workshop – VCR Cat Feeder

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By Make: television
Posted 2008/12/31 @ 11:45 am
Category General

John Park poses a kitty conundrum: Who’s going to feed the cat while you’re on vacation? Using a motor from an old VCR, he creates an automated feline feeder. While building this Make: magazine project, John learned that newer VCRs have safeguard technology, limiting access to the motor. Watch John as he demonstrates his solutions to this challenge.

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5 Responses to Maker Workshop – VCR Cat Feeder

designswarm on January 9th, 2009 at 3:38 pm said:

Am i wrong or this an original project by James Larsson? http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/10/the_maker_file_interview.html

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Phillip Torrone on January 9th, 2009 at 8:45 pm said:

@designswarm – yup! many / most / all of our projects online, in video, on Make: television are likely based on something we’ve done in the magazine.

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Josh on February 3rd, 2009 at 5:23 pm said:

Those wheels they used looked cool. What are those wheels from?

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Make: television on February 5th, 2009 at 8:51 am said:

Our very astute technical adviser, Bill Gurstelle, passes on this note re: the wheels in the VCR Cat Feeder…

I got them at Northern Tool.
See
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_13794_13794

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Marco on February 28th, 2009 at 4:22 pm said:

Well, issue is that cats donÂ´t necessarely need food to eat over a week-end.Fresh water is more important. Cool rig though but seems a little bit pointless unless it is for guidance of oppotunities of old VCR:s

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