Parallax has an interesting kit called the M-Sorter. It sorts M&M candies and even Skittles. The device is incredible and ingenious in it’s simplicity and design in that the whole project runs with only one moving part! In fact, the only devices needed to make this project work are the TAOS TCS230 Color Sensor (available from Parallax with the kit) and a standard hobby servo (included in the kit).
This kit demonstrates some of the principles found in everyday industrial applications and shows that the BS2 is a very capable contender in this area, as well as being just plain fun to watch!
The photo above shows our unit in operation. Yes, that is a BOE-Bot in the back giving it a jump (power)! As you can see, the only two connections that are needed to the BS2 (mounted on a Board Of Education) are to the servo and to the TAOS TCS230 Color Sensor. Operation is pretty smooth. Of course, I did have a few deformed M&M’s that hindered the operation temporarily, but they have been removed. Our new M&M’s slogan is, “M&M’s, they melt in your mouth, not in your M-Sorter!”. I don’t have all the original source code files, however I did manage to find the kit documentation.
Resources
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Note:
THIS IS A RESTORED ARCHIVE PROJECT AND AS SUCH MAY BE MISSING PHOTOS, PARTS LIST, SCHEMATIC, SOURCE CODE, ETC.
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