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M2C2 - Milwaukee Makerspace Can Crusher
Summary Status
The M2C2 has been mounted to the wall, and is awaiting its custom control board. A pair of green industrial momentary pushbuttons currently activates the device, only as long as they are held down. When energized, the system holds the crushing part in OPEN state, forcefully.
Description
- Use the building-wide pneumatic system for fun & entertainment, while saving space by crushing cans!
Features
- (2) 1.5“ pneumatic cylinders, running at 100PSI = ~235 pounds of can-crushing awesomeness! (120PSI yields ~282 pounds)
- 4-port 24VAC pneumatic manifold – allows complete control over all pneumatic functions!
- Arduino-powered! (You knew this already though, right?)
- LCD screen shows how many cans have been crushed! (No, it will not tweet every time a can is crushed.)
Bill of Materials
| Part Desc | Vendor | Qty | Unit Cost | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4” NPT to 1/4“ QD connector | Parker | 4 | $1.50 | $6 |
| 1/4” NPT to 5/8“ QD connector | Parker | 2 | $2.50 | $5 |
| 1/4” polyethelyne tubing | Parker | 100 | $.21 | $21 |
| 4-valve manifold | Tom Gr | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| 1.5“ pneumatic bimbas | Hack Rack! | 2 | $0 | $0 |
| 8020 extruded aluminum | Matt | 1 | $0 | $0 |
| 8020 sliders | Matt | 2 | $0 | $0 |
| LCD Screen | Chris | 1 | $10 | $10 |
| Solid-State Relays | Electronics Lab | 4 | $0 | $0 |
| Custom PCB | OshPark | 1 | $30 | $30 |
| Various other infrastructure pneumatic adapters | Ace Hardware | 1 | $20 | $20 |
External Links
Saw a can crusher at Fort Wayne Maker Faire, and decided “Hey, we need that!”
Project Tasks
| Task | Status | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Weld custom mounting brackets | Completed | Chris |
| Mount M2C2 to wall | Completed | Chris |
| Cut & mount backer board to wall to contain spray | Completed | Chris |
| Mount workspace clearing nozzle | Pending | Chris/Matt |
| Design & outsource PCB | Completed | Chris |
| Test & program PCB | Pending | Chris |
| Mount activation buttons to outside of M2C2 | Completed | Chris/Matt |
| Design acrylic sign | Pending | Shane T. |
| Edge-light acrylic sign | Pending | Chris |
Progress Log
- 10/15/13 - CFH - Mounted up individual components for control system onto wooden backer board.
- 10/15/13 - CFH - Prototyped circuit design with Arudino, pushbutton, and single valve activation.
- 11/15/13 - CFH - Welded custom mounting brackets
- 11/15/13 - CFH - Mount M2C2 to wall using custom mounting brackets
- 11/15/13 - CFH - Ran pneumatic line to M2C2 location
- 12/??/13 - CFH - Changed layout of pneumatics by moving main valve to the woodshop where the supply is located. This way, the whole line stays discharged until the system needs to be used.
- 12/??/13 - MW - Drilled holes in main 8020 slide to allow soda to drip out.
- 1/??/14 - CFH - Began training people on how to use the system in its current state.
- 01/25/14 - BMH - Added this sign
- A bunch of time has passed
- 11/27/24 - BMH added a digital counter that CFH supplied
- 01/18/25 - BMH added a mechanical counter also that Tom Gwz. supplied
Makerspace Members
- Matt Wittman
Counter Readings
- 11/27/24 - Digital 0
- 12/02/24 - Digital 499 (avg. ~100/day)
- 12/29/24 - Digital 744 (avg. ~9.07/day)
- 01/18/25 - Mechanical 21, Digital 870 (avg. 6/day)
- 02/16/25 - Mechanical 322, Digital 1250 (avg. ~13.1/day)
- 02/23/25 - Mechanical 327, Digital 1285 (avg. 5/day)
- 03/22/25 - Mechanical 417, Digital 1503 (avg. 3-8/day)
- 04/15/25 - Mechanical 888, Digital 2067 (avg. 19-26/day)
projects/m2c2.txt · Last modified: 2025/04/15 22:30 by branth
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