I do not have an engineering background, but enjoy building and tinkering with things. I am asking this question to get started in the right direction, and then I will seek out more specific engineering help (because this project is beyond me). I am gathering more specifics before beginning.
Goal: I am making a spice box organizer for myself. I want to make a system that can measure, remotely, when each container is near-empty, so I can refill it. And ultimately, I want a system so that I can have a container of 15 or 20 spices, and each is independently measured and then transmitted to a receiver. I am going to ask for help, but currently don’t have enough of a handle on the specifics in order to formulate the specific questions needed. Thus, I am looking for general feedback as to topics I should research more, or solutions that have been applied to similar problems.
My ideas thus far: Very generally, I could approach it with having each spice in an identical container (maybe test tubes), and having a way to measure the weight of each container over time.
Alternatively, having a sensor at a location near the bottom of the container, which will be able to detect when the spices have fallen below that level?
Or, having the containers arranged such that each is between an emitter and a sensor, and the amount of transmission changes when the spice level falls below that level?
I am trying to get a better handle on the possibilities of how this could be done, so I can better research it before beginning. At that point, I will seek out a specific engineer for help. But currently I don’t have a handle on how I should even approach the problem. Any ideas are appreciated!
Goal: I am making a spice box organizer for myself. I want to make a system that can measure, remotely, when each container is near-empty, so I can refill it. And ultimately, I want a system so that I can have a container of 15 or 20 spices, and each is independently measured and then transmitted to a receiver. I am going to ask for help, but currently don’t have enough of a handle on the specifics in order to formulate the specific questions needed. Thus, I am looking for general feedback as to topics I should research more, or solutions that have been applied to similar problems.
My ideas thus far: Very generally, I could approach it with having each spice in an identical container (maybe test tubes), and having a way to measure the weight of each container over time.
Alternatively, having a sensor at a location near the bottom of the container, which will be able to detect when the spices have fallen below that level?
Or, having the containers arranged such that each is between an emitter and a sensor, and the amount of transmission changes when the spice level falls below that level?
I am trying to get a better handle on the possibilities of how this could be done, so I can better research it before beginning. At that point, I will seek out a specific engineer for help. But currently I don’t have a handle on how I should even approach the problem. Any ideas are appreciated!