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Thanks to Design News for this Gadget Freak, featuring a very unique beer can disposal unit.A 1hp centrifugal blower supplies the vacuum and high velocity flow to send the can through 50 ft of 3½ inch tubing from Ed's patio to the crusher in his garage in under one second.
A PIC microcontroller operates the whole system from the time he opens the hatch to the time the little chunk of compressed aluminum is ejected from the machine.
If you also had a Beer Launching Fridge to hand (which made a guest appearance on the David Letterman Show, btw) you would have a full catch-and-throw system on your hands...
You can read the full build instructions, where he begins:
The VETS is a system of large diameter vacuum tubing that runs from 2 remote stations to the PACS installed in the garage. The PACS (Pneumatic Actuated Can Smasher), described in a previous Gadget Freak article, was modified to accommodate the delivery system by replacing the magazine with a new section, referred to here and in the Control Program as the Stack. Some rewiring was also required since a single microcontroller now operates both the PACS and the VETS.
One remote station is on the back patio and the other is on the main support column in the garage. The tubing connects at a 'Y' fitting right above the PACS. The entry stations are identical. Each consists of a steel compartment with a door for depositing the can to be recycled. This compartment is part of a cylindrical section of steel tubing that is connected to the main vacuum transport tubing. The remote stations also have a status display panel that contains 3 indicator lights and a mode switch. In addition, there is a flow control door at the very end of each remote station that is used to control the flow of air (and hence the can) through the tube.Parts List
| Amt | Part Description | |
| 13 | 1k Surf Mount Resistor, 0805 case | |
| 7 | 4.7k Surf Mount Resistor, 0805 case | |
| 5 | 200 Ohm Surf Mount Resistor, 0805 case | |
| 6 | 1N4148 DIODE | |
| 1 | PIC16F877 MCU | |
| 1 | MAX233 RS232 Interface Chip | |
| 9 | N-Channel Hexfet, IRFD120PBF | |
| 1 | 26 Pin Head Connector | |
| 1 | 25 Pin Male Subminiature D Connector | |
| 3 | 3 Pin Molex PCB Header Connector | |
| 1 | Cardinal Programmable Oscillator (CPP-C 7 T A5 BP TC) | |
| 1 | 10 Pin Head Connector | |
| 1 | Misc: 3½ inch electrical conduit as required | |
| Large blower, solenoid butterfly valves, optical sensors | ||
| Get Build Instructions | ||
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