Dispenser

FED4 Motor and Pellet Dispensing

The FED4 drives a stepper motor to rotate a hopper and dispense pellets. The dispenser is greatly improved over FED3, with better jam handling, pellet-in-well detection, optional drop sensor, and retrieval/poke logging.

Motor

• Stepper: 4-phase, 512 steps/rev. Pins MOTOR_PIN_1–4 (46, 37, 21, 38); MOTOR_SPEED = 24. Battery required for motor operation.
• initializeMotor() — configure pins, set speed (called from begin()).
• releaseMotor() — coil pins LOW to save power between moves.
• motorTurns — counts small steps during dispense; ~25 ≈ one pellet position, ~1000 ≈ one hopper rotation. Logged (as motorTurns/25) on PelletTaken etc.

Dispensing and feeding

• feed() — full sequence: initFeeding() → dispense() → handlePelletSettling() → handlePelletInWell() → finishFeeding().
• dispense() — steps motor (stepper.step(-10)) until checkForPellet() (well) or didPelletDrop() (optional drop sensor). Every 25 steps, releaseMotor() + 1 s delay. handleJams() runs each iteration.
• checkForPellet() — pellet in well (photo# FED4 Motor and Pellet Dispensing

The FED4 drives a stepper motor to rotate a hopper and dispense pellets. The dispenser is greatly improved over FED3, with better jam handling, pellet-in-well detection, optional drop sensor, and retrieval/poke logging.

Motor

• Stepper: 4-phase, 512 steps/rev. Pins MOTOR_PIN_1–4 (46, 37, 21, 38); MOTOR_SPEED = 24. Battery required for motor operation.
• initializeMotor() — configure pins, set speed (called from begin()).
• releaseMotor() — coil pins LOW to save power between moves.
• motorTurns — counts small steps during dispense; ~25 ≈ one pellet position, ~1000 ≈ one hopper rotation. Logged (as motorTurns/25) on PelletTaken etc.

Dispensing and feeding

• feed() — full sequence: initFeeding() → dispense() → handlePelletSettling() → handlePelletInWell() → finishFeeding().
• dispense() — steps motor (stepper.step(-10)) until checkForPellet() (well) or didPelletDrop() (optional drop sensor). Every 25 steps, releaseMotor() + 1 s delay. handleJams() runs each iteration.
• checkForPellet() — pellet in well (photogate EXP_PHOTOGATE_1). didPelletDrop() — pellet dropped (optional EXP_PHOTOGATE_4); initializeDropSensor() probes for drop sensor at init.
• handlePelletSettling() — wait up to 500 ms for pellet in well; dispenseError = true if not seen. Then handlePelletInWell() polls until pellet taken or 20 s timeout (retrieval time, pokes, etc.).

Jam handling

• minorJamClear() — 200 steps, 1 s pause. majorJamClear() — 1000 steps. vibrateJamClear() — short back‑and‑forth wobble. Used at 100 and 200 motorTurns during dispense.
• jammed() — after 2000 motorTurns without dispense: DispenseError on display, logData("DispenseError"), motor off, then sleep loop; Button 2 reset to recover.

Relevant members: pelletCount, pelletPresent, pelletDropped, pelletReady, dispenseError, retrievalTime, pelletDropTime, pelletWellTime, blockPelletCount / blockPokeCount.

See FED4_Motor.cpp, FED4_Feed.cpp, FED4_Pins.h. gate EXP_PHOTOGATE_1). didPelletDrop() — pellet dropped (optional EXP_PHOTOGATE_4); initializeDropSensor() probes for drop sensor at init.

• handlePelletSettling() — wait up to 500 ms for pellet in well; dispenseError = true if not seen. Then handlePelletInWell() polls until pellet taken or 20 s timeout (retrieval time, pokes, etc.).

Jam handling

• minorJamClear() — 200 steps, 1 s pause. majorJamClear() — 1000 steps. vibrateJamClear() — short back‑and‑forth wobble. Used at 100 and 200 motorTurns during dispense.
• jammed() — after 2000 motorTurns without dispense: DispenseError on display, logData("DispenseError"), motor off, then sleep loop; Button 2 reset to recover.

Relevant members: pelletCount, pelletPresent, pelletDropped, pelletReady, dispenseError, retrievalTime, pelletDropTime, pelletWellTime, blockPelletCount / blockPokeCount.

See FED4_Motor.cpp, FED4_Feed.cpp, FED4_Pins.h.