RoboPots Guide #3 – Mechanical

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.