Tippy Bucket

thingiverse

This is an automatic tipping bucket mechanism that comes with several small, round magnets and a reed switch or Hall effect sensor to count the tips effortlessly. Its main design is for measuring hydroponic nutrients but it has numerous other uses as well. As more liquid flows in, the center of gravity starts creeping towards the pivot until the whole mechanism suddenly loses its balance and pours out its contents immediately. The bucket's new empty status allows the center of gravity to shift back again, readying itself for another fill-up. You can watch a real-time demonstration of this automated system being controlled by an Arduino in action on YouTube at http://youtu.be/EZ2_Gmmt1ww Now let's move onto the assembly process. To set up the tipping bucket mechanism correctly, put small round magnets inside the cavity within the handle first. Place one magnet above it and you will notice another from below gets held in position as well. Adding more magnets enables you to increase the volume of liquid before tipping happens each time.