Cow Digestor Simulator

Project Overview

The primary objectives of the Cow Digestor Simulator project are twofold: firstly, to develop, build, test, and evaluate a cattle digestion simulator unit that surpasses the performance of the legacy Virtus, Inc. units in their current upgraded form; and secondly, to extend and enhance their capabilities to meet the forward-looking customer needs of a modern commercial product. Ultimately, it was expected to deliver a functional prototype of a cattle digestion simulator for animal sciences research while robustly demonstrating its performance in an industrial research environment.

Motor RPM Analysis and Adjustments:

Initial Design and Specification:
- According to the torque and speed requirements calculated to successfully stir a hypothetical substance that resembles the viscosity of honey, the ideal motor was selected during the initial design phase. A 19.1 V DC electric motor was selected, featuring a face-mounted round design. The motor operated at a maximum speed of 373 rpm and delivered 202 rpm at a continuous operating torque of 16 in.-oz.
Testing and Prototyping:
- Led the testing phase, identifying discrepancies between the motor's set RPM and actual RPM.
- Made necessary adjustments, including realigning the motor shaft and optimizing bearing configurations to reduce friction.
Electrical Adjustments:
- Conducted a thorough check of all electrical components to ensure they received the correct voltage input.
- Discovered the motor was receiving 24V instead of the required 19.1V and implemented a DC-DC step-down converter to rectify this.
- Addressed wiring inconsistencies, ensuring high-quality connections to avoid voltage drops and signal interferences.
Troubleshooting:
- Set up a stop-motion camera to record motor rotation and calculate actual RPM using frame-by-frame analysis.
- Correlated RPM measurements with motor effort levels recorded by the microcontroller, mapping performance accurately.
Results:
- Successfully reduced the gap between motor set RPM and actual RPM, achieving consistent motor performance through iterative design changes and troubleshooting efforts.
Code Implementation:
- The following Arduino code was used to read the motor’s speed and display it on an LCD, allowing real-time RPM monitoring and adjustments:

Code Explanation:
- Libraries & Initialization: Utilizes the LCD_I2C library to interface with a 16x2 LCD.
- Setup: Configures pins and initializes LCD display.
- Loop: Reads analog input, maps it to the PWM range, and adjusts motor speed. Displays RPM on LCD and sends it to the serial monitor.
Challenges and Solutions:

Addressed motor speed discrepancies through iterative adjustments.
Implemented real-time RPM monitoring to refine motor performance and ensure consistency.

Control Test for Motor Control Subsystem

In the video, we demonstrate the testing of the motor control subsystem for the Cow Digestor Simulator project. The video showcases all key components, including the power supply regulation, Arduino Nano, DC-DC step-down converters, potentiometer for speed adjustment, L298N motor driver, and the I2C LCD for visual feedback. Watch how our troubleshooting and adjustments led to precise motor control and consistent performance.

Motor Control System:

Power Supply Regulation:
- Managed the connection of a 24V power supply to the system, regulated by two DC-DC step-down converters.
- Ensured voltage reduction to 19.1V for the motor and to 5V for the Arduino Nano and other components.
Speed Adjustment:
- Oversaw the use of a potentiometer knob to set the desired motor speed, generating a varying analog voltage signal.
- Read the analog voltage signal (0-5V) with the Arduino Nano and converted it into a digital value (0-1023) representing the potentiometer position.
PWM Signal Generation:
- Programmed the Arduino Nano to process the digital value and calculate the corresponding PWM duty cycle.
- Generated PWM signals sent to the L298N motor driver, adjusting motor voltage and controlling rotation direction.
- Ensured motor speed control by varying PWM signals to adjust the supplied voltage.
Visual Feedback:
- Programmed the Arduino Nano to communicate with an I2C LCD, providing visual feedback to display the motor’s estimated RPM corresponding to the motor effort.

Wiring diagram of the motor control subsystem

Initial wiring of the motor control subsystem

90-second Pitch Video

Experience our senior design capstone project at the University of Florida, where our team developed an innovative cattle digestion simulator in collaboration with the animal sciences lab. This 90s-style pitch video showcases our concept, focusing on easy cleaning with stainless steel construction and removable connections. Our design includes stick-on flexible heaters for uniform temperature distribution, enhancing performance and user safety. The project highlights rigorous testing, 3D-printed parts, and a user-friendly design for reliable, hygienic cow simulations.

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