On my project, I could get my code to move the servo like I wanted maybe 50% of the time but it frequently went past the point I “controlled it to”. I’ll try the older servo library.

After weeks of struggling with the servo code, the thought of an actuator with just an IN or OUT command sounded like something I would have given my arm for.

Thanks for the idea of the box. It took me three months to build mine. This time was spent venturing into areas of hardware and software and woodworking that had been completely unfamiliar to me.

I had just started to learn about the Arduino when I came across your description of the Puzzle Box. My previous simple activity of just lighting an LED immediately got shelved and I jumped into the deep end with this project.

Although at times I would have wanted a more detailed description about how to make the parts work together or the software to work, I had lots of fun stumbling through it all. The only tragedy was one ATMega328 that got trashed.

All of my designs (so far) have used servo motors. What you probably saw in the video was a Hitec HS-311 servo attached to a hand-made piston of sorts. The piston is just a dowel rod inserted into a sleeve I made by drilling a hole through a block of wood. If you fasten the servo to the end of the dowel with a paperclip or other clasp, you can get that linear motion you describe.

Programming is not much harder than sending a IN or OUT signal. You have to calculate where to position the servo for “IN” or “OUT” and then just write code like


servo.write(45); // open latch
servo.write(135); // close latch

One other thing to note is that the revised Servo library which appeared with Arduino 16+ is incompatible with NewSoftSerial. I get around this problem rather easily — I just use the old Servo library. If your servo “has a mind of its own”, you might try this technique.

Mikal

I have struggled with the originally recommended servo but it seems to have a mind of its own regarding where it should turn to. I already only power it if I am ready to control it and store the last controlled position in EEPROM.

A linear actuator, especially if we only have to send an IN or OUT signal to it would make life a lot simpler.

Can you give the make and model of the linear servo you used in the YouTube video.

http://www.yorkshiregeocaching.co.uk/index.php/component/option,com_kunena/Itemid,94/catid,1/func,view/id,12850/

If you need any help building boxes let me know… I am an Arduino developer.

Have a great day.

Jim

I do hope someday soon to have a snippet of RG sample code to share. But I have to say that there are a number of people who started out by asking for schematics and code who went on to craft their own device anyway. Many of these report that an already rich project became richer and deeply satisfying by virtue of having been built and “invented” on their own.

Start off at the “mothership”: http://arduino.cc. Check out tutorials also on ladyada’s great site: http://www.ladyada.net/learn/arduino/.

Keep in touch!

Mikal

Thanks,

Brian
Fellow Geocaching Enthusiast and total Geek.

What we’re trying to do is encourage people to talk about the idea of the Reverse Geocache ™ and experiment with building their own devices. As you point out, there are a number of people who have been so captivated by the idea that they have created their own variations on the idea, some more successfully than others. This is nothing but good.

On the commercial side, we continue to work to refine and improve our designs and reduce costs. My goal is to make it possible to any group or person who really wants to experience the magic of a Reverse Geocache quest to do so with one of our boxes. And to answer your question, yes, we have filed a patent application and are trademarking the term “Reverse Geocache”.

Thanks for the kind words.

Mikal