Make: Online : Maker Workshop

Maker Workshop - VCR Cat Feeder

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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Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

Posted by: designswarm on January 9, 2009 at 3:38 PM

Link love?

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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Posted by: Phillip Torrone on January 9, 2009 at 8:45 PM

@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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Posted by: Josh on February 3, 2009 at 5:23 PM

Wheels

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

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Posted by: Make: television on February 5, 2009 at 8:51 AM

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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Posted by: Marco on February 28, 2009 at 4:22 PM

feeding a cat

Well, issue is that cats don´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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