In order to get a margarita just right, the various ingredients need to be mixed together quite vigorously to over-come the different viscosity of the fluids. Looking to create his own barbot of sorts, [TVMiller] decided to make a Margarita Drip Infuser to help make margaritas a bit easier.
Using various chem lab supplies, [TVMiller] has cobbled together something pretty awesome. The Infuser can take up to 8 different ingredients into its test tube reserves, and after the drink ingredients are programmed on the computer, the magic begins.
An Arduino Uno controls a bank of 8 relays which control small fluid solenoids, with each control pulse releasing just a single droplet of fluid. An LED for each valve is run in parallel adding a bit of a light show to the mixing experience. If that’s not enough, he’s also created a copper cooling coil to chill the drink as it is poured.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL6DJpK3X6k
For a slightly more advanced build, check out the Inebriatior.
Is there a reason it couldn’t get the ingredients from larger reservoirs, such as bottles? Figure out how much comes out from each squirt and you could just enter a desired volume and it would do the required number of solenoid pulses for each ingredient?
Size was a major theme. I imagined some thing you could fit on a bar back shelf for display and show. Also this give flexibility of ingredients, meaning it doesn’t demand only one marg recipe or another cocktail.
Although I admire the effort, Margaritas aren’t that difficult and mix quite easily:
3 parts Tequila
2 parts triple sec or Quantro
1 part fresh lime juice
Enjoy served over ice
That’s a basic traditional. Try a more complex sour mix (1 part lime, 1 part lemon, 1 part simple) and/or add brandy, grand mariner, oj, agave, fruit juice, et cetera, then you are cocktailing…
Loving the cooling coil! Just curious if you had test the different droplet size you can get?
Tested sizes to expedite both speed of drink build and eventually went with the smallest size possible for the relays/solenoids as to construct the drink as minute as possible.
Great, what is the size of the droplets? Just curious about the selenoid type too. Thanks
The drop size was more dictated by the Arduino delay so I didn’t measure actual volume in the end but by delay and appearance. The delay between open/close on this solenoid was 120 which could have been yet less.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007D1U64E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Thank you :)
Nice job but real men drink whisky.
Real men drink bleach and jam indelible markers in their urethra.
Guess you aren’t a real man.
I prefer Scotch and mechanical pencils.
Remind me never to come over to your house for a party!