it feels strange for that to roll off my tongue considering the work Robert originally put into his original “Nerd Project” Super Unimatic around 15 years ago, but here comes another chapter to the lineup from none other than myself
Me and my dad had an idea around a decade ago to start messing around with a Raspberry Pi microcomputer and a toy washer
Though that original idea sort of failed due to the both of us not having the time or effort to begin much, it sparked an idea down the line years on
2022: my dad brings it up again, we began talking more in depth about starting it up again, this time using a real machine, though we couldn’t figure out what to use, we did have a general idea of what it would be like in programming
Using Artificial Intelligence along with a small camera, the machine would be able to detect items of clothing that were held up, allowing it to detect stains and soiling
June 2023: we both bite the bullet and genuinely decide to kick the project into motion
October 2023: I aquire a Miele Professional W6073, originally wishing to use it, though it was later decided it would be too advanced to work with the idea we had, I kept it as a collection machine where it still serves me today
December 2023-January 2024: I aquire a Whirlpool Direct Drive, the machine’s mechanics are exactly what we are looking for and I get to work on a recirculating nozzle design using an old fill jet from a Hoover Soft Wave
February 2024: relay board ideas pop into our heads, we have to control the Direct Drive’s motor, along with additional heating elements and other features like electric pumps
A 16 channel relay board is chosen as we aren’t sure of the amount of components we will eventually be running from it
We also realise we should give the machine a 7” touchscreen to show controls, cycle progression, options, and more like motor speeds, water levels, and other features we planned to add
By this time the Raspberry Pi 5 has released to consumers, we get our hands on it, but unfortunately the system doesn’t recognise the relay board we used, so we end up using the previous model 4 for it
Eventually the project slows down rather significantly until tonight when I was called downstairs
My dad managed to get his hands on a HAT+ board for the Raspberry Pi 5 we couldn’t use, he had plugged a camera into it and with a fair bit of coding and expertise of his own, gotten it to not only show images and work, but recognise faces and objects with relative success
This is a massive milestone in the project, but we aren’t finished yet
As this machine will need to use a lot of resources and memory, we expect to need to use 3 to 4 separate Raspberry Pi Microcomputers which will communicate with eachother through some means
1 will be used for the camera and most of the artificial intelligence coding, along with recognition
Another will be used to run the relay board for the mschine
Another will be used to run a touchscreen that will be used to control the machine’s programming by a user
And a final one may be required for communication via any medians like WiFi, Bluetooth or an NFC tag for a smartphone
They will all communicate with eachother as the machine won’t run without it being so
By this stage of the project the groundwork has been set up, though we aren’t sure when we may be able to actually put it into anything
Hopefully that may be soon
Thank you for reading
Matthew
View attachment IMG_1161.mov
Me and my dad had an idea around a decade ago to start messing around with a Raspberry Pi microcomputer and a toy washer
Though that original idea sort of failed due to the both of us not having the time or effort to begin much, it sparked an idea down the line years on
2022: my dad brings it up again, we began talking more in depth about starting it up again, this time using a real machine, though we couldn’t figure out what to use, we did have a general idea of what it would be like in programming
Using Artificial Intelligence along with a small camera, the machine would be able to detect items of clothing that were held up, allowing it to detect stains and soiling
June 2023: we both bite the bullet and genuinely decide to kick the project into motion
October 2023: I aquire a Miele Professional W6073, originally wishing to use it, though it was later decided it would be too advanced to work with the idea we had, I kept it as a collection machine where it still serves me today
December 2023-January 2024: I aquire a Whirlpool Direct Drive, the machine’s mechanics are exactly what we are looking for and I get to work on a recirculating nozzle design using an old fill jet from a Hoover Soft Wave
February 2024: relay board ideas pop into our heads, we have to control the Direct Drive’s motor, along with additional heating elements and other features like electric pumps
A 16 channel relay board is chosen as we aren’t sure of the amount of components we will eventually be running from it
We also realise we should give the machine a 7” touchscreen to show controls, cycle progression, options, and more like motor speeds, water levels, and other features we planned to add
By this time the Raspberry Pi 5 has released to consumers, we get our hands on it, but unfortunately the system doesn’t recognise the relay board we used, so we end up using the previous model 4 for it
Eventually the project slows down rather significantly until tonight when I was called downstairs
My dad managed to get his hands on a HAT+ board for the Raspberry Pi 5 we couldn’t use, he had plugged a camera into it and with a fair bit of coding and expertise of his own, gotten it to not only show images and work, but recognise faces and objects with relative success
This is a massive milestone in the project, but we aren’t finished yet
As this machine will need to use a lot of resources and memory, we expect to need to use 3 to 4 separate Raspberry Pi Microcomputers which will communicate with eachother through some means
1 will be used for the camera and most of the artificial intelligence coding, along with recognition
Another will be used to run the relay board for the mschine
Another will be used to run a touchscreen that will be used to control the machine’s programming by a user
And a final one may be required for communication via any medians like WiFi, Bluetooth or an NFC tag for a smartphone
They will all communicate with eachother as the machine won’t run without it being so
By this stage of the project the groundwork has been set up, though we aren’t sure when we may be able to actually put it into anything
Hopefully that may be soon
Thank you for reading
Matthew
View attachment IMG_1161.mov
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