A maker named Vinnie built a reliable automatic chicken coop door using an ATmega1284P microcontroller, after finding commercial solutions impractical in harsh conditions. The door uses gravity for closing (a linear actuator lifts it, gravity drops it), making it resilient to mud, snow, and ice. The system calculates daily sunrise/sunset times and uses a state machine architecture for robustness during power outages. The coop is mobile and battery-powered, operating without WiFi. Key engineering lessons include favoring state machines over schedules, keeping designs simple, and minimizing reliance on electrical and data infrastructure.
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