In the Mechanical section of creating a RoboPot, you'll mount the breadboard you assembled in the electronics section on a workbench base, and then you'll add four off-the-shelf components: a dial for setting the amount time the pump runs when it turns on each day, a button to trigger the pump manually for testing, a power jack that can accept either a battery pack or a wall-plug power supply, and the water pump.
The video series including the mechanics video embedded here may be the only information you need to lead a casual RoboPots program. However, you can access Step-by-Step directions by clicking the Downloads button.
Optional Add-Ons
Teachers looking for more depth can add the following optional topics during the mechanical section.
- The Physical Science of electrical potential energy
- The Fluid Mechanics of the pump
- The Math of Ohm's Law in a variable resistor
You can find information on these cross-curricular tie-ins in the Step-by-Step document, which you can access by clicking the Downloads button.