Automatic chicken door

This Project of Mr. Soltys Engineering projects design course at the University of Colorado was attempt #1 at a Eggmobile controller

For reference - A similar project was done by an outside individual here: [1]

Purpose

To create a Self-sustaining  automated chicken coop door for Eco- Agriculture

Hardware

Automatic chicken coop doors that are eco-friendly are easy and cheap to create. One of the main parts needed for an automatic chicken door is a motor and an arduino board. The motor should be decided based on the amount of force required to pull up the door. A smaller door that does not require a lot of force could be lifted using a 9V (volt) battery any door larger than that would require a battery between 9-12V or larger. Another critical part is a light sensor (optional) that is programmed to open the door at sunset and at sunrise. This part is for convenience. The light sensor is powered by a solar panel which helps power the battery so that its cost effective and you don't have to keep replacing the battery. For programming the motors you would need an H-Bridge which helps with automatic transition between the door rolling up and rolling down, along with an Arduino board as a source of power because there is always current running through the board. For the light sensor an Arduino board is also necessary because that is for programming along with the board. This part was the electrical part of the door, now to the hardware. Materials that can be used for the door are metal, acrylic, wood, and chicken wire, these are the most recommended although other materials can be used. The best material would be a combination of wood and chicken wire because this cause the door to be lighter yet stable and more durable. Metal is another option because its sturdy and can hold a lot of weight and withstand any force but it is the heaviest and it requires a stronger motor and can use more energy than most products. Wood by itself can easily decay and can become less study and durable as time goes on. Acrylic is another option because it is light but in order to make it more sturdy you would need it to be thicker and the thicker the acrylic the more expensive the acrylic is. Another part you could add to the door is a locking mechanism which can range from a latch to an actual programed lock using a servo.

Examples

Prototype