Automatic golf ball dispenser - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Maclarkson
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 15, 2024, 09:31:02 pm
content: Hi there,I managed to make a manual golf ball dispenser that I now want to automate.Thing is I am happy with a soldering iron but have no clue about electronics. What can you great folks come up with.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2024, 09:36:21 pm
content: Why are you wasting time posting here?You should be on the way to the Patent Office at 100 mph!!!

author: Maclarkson
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 15, 2024, 11:36:31 pm
content: They already manufacture these admittedly at an extortionate price.I was hoping to attach a solenoid to a vibration sensor pad you can put underneath or within the tee that would trigger the solenoid to open but the solenoid would need to open for at least a second with some ability to adjust this timing. That’s the electronics bit I am not too sure of.

author: JustMeHere
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 01:02:42 am
content: Arduino, some type of button (foot switch), and a servo will do the job, but I don't think it would be much better than your gravity powered solution. It will need batteries. Yours doesn't.

author: Maclarkson
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 06:53:43 am
content: Rather than a switch I would like to connect it up to vibration sensor switch. I don’t know what boards id need or how to program the Adrueno, is there something someone might be able to point me to. The reason why I want to move away from the leaver is that it moves the bucket. Gradually over time which means it loses alignment with the tee.

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 10:41:20 am
content: Quote from: Maclarkson on April 15, 2024, 09:31:02 pmWhy are you posting here, You should be in the microcontroller section.Ok, so let's think about this1. You've already built the dispenser part of it2. and it can manual dispense golf balls without a problem3. Automation simply means..... Whatever you do right now to release the ball, You want something else to do that .so what is it exactly that you do ? Do you load a ball (i imagine you load 200 at one time right ?) so what happens after that in the manualprocess, i imagine a switch, is it a manual switch, is it an automatic switch. what is the manual mechanism that needs to be automated ?4. You're going to be wanting to look at Arduino or.. I would recommend ESP32, Much cheaper, More Powerful, You won't regret it.and.. if you're in a pro shop, with the ESP32, you can even hook the ESP32 controlling the golf ball machine up to your WiFi and have itRelease balls while controlled remotely.5. Next step, you need to figure out how balls are released, will it be a timer, say 1 ball every 10 seconds or whatever frequency.will it be voice activated, will it be a sensor or switch, Perhaps a sensor or switch with a delay, so the player can step on a sensor.then have a certain amount of time to line up their shot or whatever.BREAK IT DOWN INTO STEPS, But this doesn't sound very complicated at all, My guess is you'll be able to do with stock sketchesEDIT : sorry, i didn't see the video. this is bloody simple.so you just need a slow moving actuator above that board thingy that the golf club hits.The actuator is going to be connector to pins on the ESP32 (These pins will receive a HIGH signal under a certain condition)the code for this is so easy it's not funny, it's on the same level as blinking an LED at certain points.Now the condition would be, You setup a sensor, whether it's voice activated or foot activated , that sensor will connect to different datapins on the arduino.so... the actuator will always have a LOW signal going to it, When the sensor is triggered, the code will detect the change and then send a HIGH signal to the actuator , it hits the timber and voila, golf ball comes outYou could even test this by putting an led in the place of the actuator , if the light lights up, the timber latch was hit and ball dispensedPIECE OF CAKE

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 10:53:24 am
content: Quote from: Maclarkson on April 16, 2024, 06:53:43 amdon't be scared of Arduino mate. SERIOUSLY it is nowhere near as hard as you think it is.If you like... email me support@btotechnicalexperts.com.auNot even kidding, this is so easy it's not funny. I can show some arduino basics and believe me you'll be on your way in 1 or 2 lessons.happy to do a zoom chat or whatever. it seems to be that you are afraid of arduino, and thus looking for something else.Believe me Arduino and ESP32 is exactly the tool for this job and.. what you don't know from lack of experience is...Later when you need to tweak stuff, it'll be so much easier with ESP32 or Arduino.Trust me, Shoot me an email and i'll help you with this.as for Alignment with the Tee LOLwell that's what i mean, Arduino sensors can help you keep alignment, Not hard at all

author: xvr
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 12:29:57 pm
content: If you want to dispense ball by pressing a button than you don't need even Arduino. Button + solenoid + buttery. That is all that you need.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 16, 2024, 12:43:04 pm
content: Quote from: Maclarkson on April 16, 2024, 06:53:43 amFrankly, I think the design is great as it is, without needing a battery. There are too many gadgets in my life which require regular care and feeding... Can't you tweak the mechanism a bit to require less force, avoid lateral forces, or add some weight or a non-slip rubber base to the bucket?

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2024, 10:12:53 am
content: Quote from: xvr on April 16, 2024, 12:29:57 pmthis is true, However if he wants to change his mind later it wouldn't be a bad thing to get used to Arduino or ESP32.These things never remain in the way that they start

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2024, 10:13:59 am
content: Quote from: ebastler on April 16, 2024, 12:43:04 pmI was thinking rubber and shock absorbing springs for the base

author: JustMeHere
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2024, 10:04:21 pm
content: If you want to detect the ball, I'd look into a light based solution. Maybe with one of those fake rubber tees looking up.Don't forget an easy kill switch though. If the thing goes bananas on you, like with all powered devices, you need a way to quickly and safely shut it off.Arduino or ESP 32. Both can be programmed with the "Arduino" language. If you go ESP32, find a board that will plug directly into your computer for programming. ESP32 DevKit C for example. One downside of the ESP32 is that it's 3.3 v and many Arduino components are 5v. (Though components that are compatible with both voltages seem more available now)The examples in the Arduino IDE will get you most of the way there. You're merging the button (or sensor) tutorial with the servo pwm tutorial.You can find servos at a decent model airplane/car shop. They will actuate the arm.

author: xvr
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2024, 07:52:37 am
content: One more option is a Raspberry Pi Pico. Very small, cheap and programmed in Python. For beginner this is more simple than Arduino with C++

author: Maclarkson
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 26, 2024, 09:27:39 pm
content: Hay guys, sorry it took so long to respond, I went out to get some parts.What there is left to rightBattery packSomething that I don’t knowRelay switchA timerA vibration switchSolenoidAnd an arduino unoPlus plenty of bitsI think I have enough to create something. But as mentioned about I want the vibration switch to trigger the solenoid. I’d like connect this to the T so that when I swing at the ball it triggers a new ball to load.

author: soldar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2024, 10:30:29 am
content: Quote from: Maclarkson on April 16, 2024, 06:53:43 amMake a base that holds the tee and the dispenser in place? Or just secure the dispenser in place?And I hate it when people come in and propose a microcontroller for something which very clearly does not require a microcontroller at all. It's like someone with a hammer looking for nails to pound.ETA: If you think the dispenser bucket moves now add a solenoid and you are *really* going to see it move. A solenoid jolt will move that bucket down to the lake. If you really want a solenoid I suggest you add a concrete base for the bucket. About 40 to 50 Kg of reinforced concrete should do it.

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2024, 12:05:33 pm
content: Quote from: Maclarkson on April 26, 2024, 09:27:39 pmThe thing that YOU DON'T KNOW is an "MB102" POWER INTERFACE MODULE.Basically i'ts a regulated power supply for your breadboard.Plut it into your breadboard and it'll stretch from one side to the other all the way.it has 2 channels so it has the ability to provide one power rail side of your breadboard with a certain voltageand the ability to provide the other power rail side of the breadboard with the same voltage or another voltagethe way it works is... You'll input , via the jack 6.5V to 12V, most use a 9V Battery hereand it supports a regulated 3.3V or 5V on the output, and the USB can also be used as an outputso yeah.. it's a power supply

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2024, 12:18:36 pm
content: Quote from: soldar on April 27, 2024, 10:30:29 amLOL...1. don't HATE, Never hate, it's a bad habit.One thing i've learned in 50 years is we have so many people in this world and they all have many different personalities and eachhave their own psychologies that are associated with them. As humans we can only get along with people who have the same or similarpsychologies as our own, which ultimately means you cannot get along with everyone.. EVER !!!that being the case, If you hate because someone did something that you didn't agree with (According to your psychology) then you are fighting a losing battle my friend and will do nothing but frustrate yourself and cause yourself health issues later in life.2. But did it ever occur to you that there were other reasons why people suggest he use a micro ?YOU ARE CORRECT... It's not necessary. But this person came to us with a very simple problem, but a problem that wasn't simple for him.as tech people we want to help himAND GIVE HIM IDEASand even though not necessary now, the introductionof a dev board now is going to lead him down different paths of possibility that will either help him solve his problem or cause him to think in different directions and help him down the track, or perhaps he has this underlying idea that he didn't bother to mention that does actually require a dev board but now that it was mentioned, becomes a possibilityMate, it's called BRAIN STORMING, it doesn't have to make sense or be necessary at first.and if he's never used an arduino, and given his curiosity HE SHOULD LEARN HOW TO USE ONEJust like a person who has never used a hammer should go out and find nails to pound into timber if for nothing else but the experience.This project may start as an arduino project, then he'll encounter issues on V 1.0 , then he'll refine it and perhaps on v 6.0 it turns out beingwhat you said and has nothing to do with arduino.. BUT HE GAINED EXPERIENCE FROM IT that would help him in later projects.Never hate, it's not productive to anyone

author: soldar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2024, 01:51:39 pm
content: Quote from: BTO on April 27, 2024, 12:18:36 pmAre you on some spectrum or something?You sound like the kind of person who, at a social gathering, when someone says "I hate it when the toast falls to the floor with the jam side down" would go on to a speech about how hate is so negative and you should make the toast on the floor a positive experience.And when, in an attempt to get away, they ask you what the time is, you would try to teach them how to make a clock ... which is always a useful skill.The OP is interested in playing golf, not in learning Arduino.Look, I am beginning to learn Arduino myself; I think it is useful and entertaining... for me. I do not try to shove my own things down other people's throats because I do not want golfers telling me how great golf is. And any golfer who tries to talk me into golf, their religion or any other cult, like Linux or Apple, I am going to walk away from. Microcontroller guys can be as bad as other types of fanatics.

author: aliarifat794
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2024, 03:07:23 pm
content: You can use an Arduino. Here is an example:https://www.instructables.com/Golf-ball-dispenser/

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 04:01:55 am
content: Quote from: aliarifat794 on April 27, 2024, 03:07:23 pmYou can indeed, but i think his point was YOU DON'T NEED TO. Which.. I agree, You don't need to . But i was trying to explain to himthat we were trying to help the O.P. with ideas.Bottom line is, he seems to have some aggression in him, Maybe he's young, Not sure.

author: Maclarkson
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 04:49:44 am
content: Ok so moving on to the problem. I managed to get something working. I connected up a sound sensor module the Arduino, power, and a relay module. What’s the best way to connect the solenoid to the same battery via the other side of the relay. See pictures. Problem is the solenoid obviously drains too mush current. Because the leds on the Arduino take a dive. How should I best connect up the solenoid?

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 05:18:16 am
content: Quote from: soldar on April 27, 2024, 01:51:39 pmAre you on some spectrum or something?You sound like the kind of person who, at a social gathering, when someone says "I hate it when the toast falls to the floor with the jam side down" would go on to a speech about how hate is so negative and you should make the toast on the floor a positive experience.And when, in an attempt to get away, they ask you what the time is, you would try to teach them how to make a clock ... which is always a useful skill.The OP is interested in playing golf, not in learning Arduino.Look, I am beginning to learn Arduino myself; I think it is useful and entertaining... for me. I do not try to shove my own things down other people's throats because I do not want golfers telling me how great golf is. And any golfer who tries to talk me into golf, their religion or any other cult, like Linux or Apple, I am going to walk away from. Microcontroller guys can be as bad as other types of fanatics.Quote- I don't know what you mean by this.Quote-Hmm, OK, No, i'm the kind of person at parties that if that happened, i would say "don't worry about it, Just get another one".However what you said is hardly toast,YOU SAID :"And I hate it when people come in and propose a microcontroller for something which very clearly does not require a microcontroller"You also said you are new to Arduino programming.well mate, you then lack the experience to know what is VERY CLEARLY required or not. You see what is clear to you now about Arduino will not bethe same thing 2 years from now.but you do seem to have a degree of hate within you, Even your comment back to me shows that. My comment was not one of HATE, but of ADVICE.My comment to you was not hateful but more so a comment of explanation. and let's be honest, you really should have picked up on that.Your reply was not toast on the floor, Your reply was an expression that you don't seem to like when people do things that you don't agree with. There also seems to be a them with "Cults" for you.Let me ask you something , Re thisQuote- But Why ? , Why can't someone just come in and say "Use Arduino for that, it's so cool" ?Say they are a newb and know little to nothing. why can't they put forward the idea ? Why does that upset you ?Ideas, lead to other ideas. THAT'S LITERALLY WHAT WE ARE DOING ON THIS FORUM. To stop people from doing that is to defeat the purpose of this forum.I know a guy at Rigol who has said to me multiple times , regarding Dave on a scope review"I hate it when dave picks on the fonts of the scope being different"But Why ? Dave is expressing his opinion , and IT'S A VALID POINTI remember when dave was tearing down (i think) MSO5000 , he gets to the PCB and it says "Innovation or nothing" and dave says"Nothing with a LOWER CASE N" LOL. That's an opinion , and i agree "nothing" should be Uppercase N for the record.But mate, even stupid ideas can lead to smart ideas down the track, but in this case an arduino is not a stupid idea, it's not necessarily necessary for his application, but it doesn't hurt to recommend itAlso the world is not binary , RE this commentQuote- No the O.P. is interested in electronics, Arduino is part of electronics.The choices are not.. GOLF or NO GOLF, People are not binary nor is life. and CLEARLY he is a guy who thinks outside of the box.CLEARLY he is a guy who is interested in the finer detail, you can see this by the way he pays attention to the dispenser falling outof alignment with the "T" after a few dispenses. Basically, he is asking for ideas to be thrown out and that's what the forum didso.. some of say ArduinoYou and other say.. You don't need that.Fine... Throw the ideas out, Let him play with the ideas and pick which one he likes, because thats' what he asked off us.As for this (Just quickly),Quote- You're being stupid, and .. You know you are.But the sarcasm also shows the hate that you have . Mate, Are you young ? How old are you approx. (to the closest 5 years).You sound young and when you are young you tend to have hate for everything, Things tend to bug you all the time if they are not in alignment with what you want them to be. LEARN TO ACCEPT THAT LIFE AND PEOPLE ARE THE WAY THEY ARE.Moving forward from that dumb commentQuote- GREAT, and as such your job should be TO LEARN AND LISTEN. I myself am not new to it.But especially if you are new you need to recognize you don't have enough experience yet and have not consumed enough of the topicto perhaps know what we are doing here.As i said, You were technically correct, but.. there are also reasons why me and others are saying what we are saying and you need to recognize that, but irrespective of if you know or not, HATING the fact that someone i saying shows a serious flaw with you.Quote- And, no one is shoving anything down his throat, They are SUGGESTIONS AND IDEAS.Quote- But even if they were to do it, You shouldn't have them. it just means they are passionate.Mate, i have Jehovah's witnesses coming to my door telling me how great god is, I just understand they are passionate about god,i don't hate them nor am i rude to them.This problem of hate seems to lie with you, but it's also not productive to this discussion.I'm not being rude, but in my first reply to you, i just said, don't hate , it's not a good thing. You could have just taken that as advice,but somehow .. you couldn't.QuoteYeah mate... there seems to be a thing with you, You make illogical jumps.there are no cults here, no one is sacrificing virgins and putting goat heads on a pikeComments like yours do not arise for no reason and this partQuote- This comment has me curiousI mean, have you been burned my electronics guys being toxic ?Mate, i've been on forums like Stack and Arduino and so on and i've dealt with the rudest guys who have the biggest chip on their shoulderand they are not necessarily interested in discussion but instead they just want everyone to accept their point.Me, i don't worry about it, I just accept that this person is the way they are.If you enjoy electronics , My advice is dont let others kill your buzz. But i also suspect that part of the problem is with you.You can't be so rigid to say that the O.P. cannot use Arduino or should not use Arduino for his project.it's about experimentation, it's about learning , LET HIM BE FREE TO DO WHAT HE LIKESbut the concept isTHE MORE IDEAS THE O.P. HAS , THE MORE LIKELY THE O.P. IS TO HAVE A BETTER OUTCOMEBut don't hate it for any reason. as it's not going to contribute to your as a person in any positive way.does that make sense ?

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 05:27:50 am
content: Quote from: Maclarkson on April 28, 2024, 04:49:44 amQuoteYes, Lets get back to Golf and ElectronicsQuote- This is a very commonly experienced problem, Your idea is to use the main power source for everything. it won't work very well.THE SOLUTION IS... The Solenoid needs it's own power supply which has to go through a relay and that relay will receive a signal from the Arduino, No doubt the condition that has to be met for the relay to get the signal to be energized is that the sound sensor has to experiencea certain condition or stateDOES THAT HELP ?

author: Maclarkson
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 06:09:50 am
content: Ok so I simple need to power sources

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 06:14:52 am
content: Quote from: Maclarkson on April 28, 2024, 06:09:50 amNo.. you SIMPLY need TWO power sourcesYes that's correct, You're very close, Throw in a dedicated power source for the solenoid and test it.Let me know how it goesAgain this is where you can try using that dual power supply board (MB102) that you bought, (Depending on the requirements of the Solenoid)

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2024, 06:35:17 am
content: Quote from: Maclarkson on April 28, 2024, 06:09:50 amHey, i can see you're pumped about this. I'm curious, once you work out the bugs, what do you plan to do ?is it gonna be a one-off where you use it for yourself or are you planning to make a business of this and sell a few of them.I reckon you should do the latterJust another point of view (as a 50 year old who's been in business for 35 years).Electronics is cool and all but if you can design stuff then sell it, You get make money and have fun.in your case, You get to make money, have fun and play golfso, what was your plan here ?

author: Maclarkson
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 01:55:34 am
content: The final prototype. Check this out.https://youtube.com/shorts/KOmL9WKCEq0?si=3pFnC7feHF5k9J2u

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 02:11:21 am
content: Quote from: Maclarkson on April 29, 2024, 01:55:34 am- Checked it out- Had the priviledge of leaving the first commentBunnings bucket huh ? I suggest a modification so that every 10 golf swings, it dispenses a bunnings snag and can of coke.or how about using a DF Robot MP3 player that is triggered not by the hit but by the dispense mechanism and it plays a sound file that saysin a slow suspensful voiceHe's got the ball on the T,........ the crowd is silent........... He lines it up........You can just feel the suspense in the air..........winds are not too bad today and his caddy seems a bit low in spirits but ... i think he's gonna do what he can with the unfortunate circumstancethat he's in.He knows everything rests on this one shot. but he's chosen a 5 iron.... don't know if i would have gone for that one, i would have gone fora 3 iron myself.... Oh no a car just went past and i think it might have upset his concentration but let's see ifhe recoversNow, that aside, it seems to work well, How are you finding it thus far, any issues ?Also... Since it's purpose is to setup a golf ball, What about when you missed and the ball fell off the T , Shouldn't it alsodispense it then ? or... You're not gonna worry about that ?but yeah, can you see any issues with it, Especially with Alignment, as you stated before , So can you say, Get through 100 balls without itfalling out of alignment with the T ?

author: Maclarkson
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 03:30:40 am
content: Ok guys, the final prototype.https://youtube.com/shorts/KOmL9WKCEq0?si=T7d2N874ycgET7hBIt would have been nice in their forum if someone could have suggested ways to achieve this.

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 04:13:28 am
content: Quote from: Maclarkson on April 29, 2024, 03:30:40 amHere's how it seems to work... the plunger of the solenoid above the ball exit keeps balls inside the bucket. When the solenoid is activated the plunger moves upwards letting a ball roll onto the ramp. The solenoid is timed to only let one ball onto the ramp at a time.The components are just two battery packs, a relay module and an Arduino and perhaps some sort of sensor (optical? perhaps a microphone) on the lid. I think the sensor on the lid is just used to trigger the solenoid.

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 11:58:51 am
content: Quote from: Maclarkson on April 29, 2024, 03:30:40 amHow do you mean ? I mean, You're a newbie so i'll humour this .But granted that a lot of people didn't respond but those that did did try to help , so.. what did you mean exactly ?If however you meant that someone should have told you how to do it completely... NO, that's not the way it works.Mate we derive pleasure from electronics, a large part of that is learning how to do stuff ourselves , therefore i we just saiddo this and that and that and this and solder this to that and use this code. You would literally have nothing to do .We would feel that we deprived you of the pleasure of learning, which is also... the entire point of why i pushed you into the arduino andESP32 direction.so. You are expected to pull your part of the weight as well, (and you did )Now, you do have an option to ask us to do it all for you, but that would require payment , and that would give you the right to notcare how it's done and to have us just build it for you.However most people here want to do it for free and to learn, I made the assumption that that's what you were afterso, I'm confused, did you mean that you wanted to be told how to do it all upfront or did you mean you didn't get any support ?or.. Did you mean that you wanted me to explain how that commentary DF Robot thing works I didn't really understand your comment properly.so i guess the question is...WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SO FARAND WHAT DO YOU WANT EXPLAINED

author: BTO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 11:59:52 am
content: Quote from: Maclarkson on April 29, 2024, 03:30:40 amAlso.. if you want us to have a look at your code, .... Post it

author: Maclarkson
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 01, 2024, 12:10:45 pm
content: Ok so I8)have now bought a second hand 3d printer to make the housing. Infact I’ll just print the whole thing from scratch!! And the journey continues. I used a microphone by the way. Works well but not for kids who can’t hit the ball hard enough to get it to make a loud enough sound. Oh well I guess they will just have to do it the old fashioned way.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 02, 2024, 10:24:42 am
content: One way to automate it, is to remove the "wooden peg", and/or integrate it in the arm. The Idea is that the weight of the ball keeps the dispensing arm folded out, and as soon as the ball has been removed, it will fetch the next ball.A disadvantage is that the system is vulnerable. The gulf club is likely to hit the arm occasionally and destroy it. This can be mitigated by making the arm easily replaceable and having some spares, or by building the whole thing on some sort of plateau, with the result that the arm sinks "below ground level".