See the work
Replace with <img> or <video>
Replace placeholders with your project photos
Watch the vending machine dispense
How we got there
Concept Selection
Brainstormed dispensing mechanisms — claw, scoop, gravity-drop — evaluated each against our item geometry and complexity, selected best approach which was a pusher.
CAD Modeling
Built full assembly in SolidWorks including enclosure, dispensing rack and pinion, motor mount, and item retrieval area. Checked all clearances before any fabrication.
Fabrication
Laser cut enclosure from 1/8' MDF and Acrylic, 3D printed custom rotating dispenser and brackets, assembled with fasteners and adhesive where needed.
Electronics Integration
Wired 1 servo motor and 3 stepper motors to Ardunio mounted in the back of the housing. Verified signal integrity with multimeter before code upload and then orginized and secured cables.
Code & Testing
Wrote and tested Arduino state machine handling item selection, motor actuation, and dispensing confirmation. Iterated on timing and distance between boxes until reliable across 20+ cycles.
What we achieved
Machine successfully dispensed items on demand with consistent timing across multiple test cycles — zero missed dispensing events in final demo.
Structure was reliable — no moving pieces on housing and could easily be picked up an moved without fear of misalignment or instability.
Code identified as an improvement area for integrating numpad for easier use — a design change for a future iteration.
Full mechatronics integration demonstrated — from SolidWorks model through fabrication, wiring, and embedded code to functional prototype.