An Efficient Novel approach for automated fish feeder using

IOT

Sailaja Va),Bindu Amaravadib), Sai Shreeya Digumartic) and Tanmai Kadarud)

Department of Information Technology, Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering and Technology, Bachupally,
Survey No. 288, Nizampet Rd, Kukatpally, Hyderabad, Telangana ,500090,India

Author Emails
a)
Corresponding author: your@[Link]
b)
amaravadibindu@[Link]
c)
digumartishreeya@[Link]
d)
tanmaikadaru@[Link]

Abstract. An automatic fish feeder is used to provide food to fish at a predetermined period. Instead
of manually feeding fish, it regulates the feeding activities by merging mechanical and electrical
components into a gadget. It has been shown that keeping aquatic animals like fish around the house
can lower stress and boost efficiency. It helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure, according to
studies. The necessity to maintain an effective aquarium goes hand in hand with the rising popularity
of fish keeping. It is difficult to monitor the aquatic environment of our fish because we are not always
around to feed them. Since nearly everything nowadays involves Smart technology, an automated fish
feeder is a great device that we can implement to feed our fish with the click of a button on our mobile
phones. The elimination of physical labour is the primary goal of an automated fish feeder. We employ
a ESP32, motor, driver, RTC, and a Blynk app. This smart device uses wireless communication to
release fish food into the tank when we command or schedule it to do so, and we can feed our fish
from anywhere in the world with the help of the mobile app.

[Link]
Fishkeeping has been seen as far back as the times of Sumerians (about 2500 B.C.), and it is still widely practiced
today. Fish were traditionally kept for sustenance or decoration. The enormous advantages of fish farming have only
recently come to the attention of modern civilization. Fishes are well cared for by aquarists. A fish’s main need is a
clean environment with appropriate lighting and oxygen. Fish also require food in moderate amounts. Despite
becoming widespread, keeping an aquarium clean is challenging. People are occupied with their jobs and everyday
responsibilities. Utilizing personal pet care services is one remedy for this. But they are frequently pricey and
occasionally even dangerous. Automated fish feeding is a device that reduces the maintenance aspect of fisheries by
reducing manual labor. The system combines mechanical and electrical systems and forms a device that sends food
instead of feeding fish manually. With the increasing progress of smart technology, automated fish feeding is a great
device that can be implemented to feed fish with a mobile phone button. The system allows us to control aquatic
pets away from home. The Internet of Things is an emerging technology that uses the Internet to communicate
between sensors and electronic devices. The proposed system uses IoT to create an automated feeder that dispatches
a controlled amount of food at a predetermined time and checks water quality. We use an app that provides a
medium for us to schedule food depending on the requirements of the fish.
 [Link] SURVEY
From the previous decade’s papers, we have found this fish feeder system has been helpful in many ways. In the
study by Sourav Mishram et al. [2] we use two containers (one big and one small container) big container is fish
food storage and a small container is a dispatch container. The small container dispatches food in a tank when users
command to dispatch. This explains the methodology adopted in the above study. The key findings in this are based
on IOT, which helps reduce manual work. It is related to wireless communication and mobile applications. It also
has a few limitations which might not be a big problem but having two containers is redundant and unnecessary.
Here a hopper tapers downward and can discharge its content at the bottom. For this, you might need a Hopper,
storage tank, timer, and large scale. However, it is only used for large-scale farming.
The Time controlled Automated Fish feeder for Indoor Aquarium research done by Md. Anas Ali [3] comprises an
automatic fish feeder made with the help of Auto Desk Fusion 360 software and a 3-D printer. The designed
mechanical system, which uses a servo motor to open and close the food chamber door, has been integrated with an
Arduino microcontroller board for automatic feeding. Here, an Arduino microcontroller board is used; which is a
computer-aided design. But, it requires 3-D printing which is quite expensive and not easily accessible. The paper
published by Mat Tahir [4] proposes an aquarium monitoring system that helps deal with important tasks through
real-time notification. It tells the user when they need to refill food and also when they should clean up. Along with
this, the system also tackles mandatory requirements like an automatic feeder, Ph water value and level of fish food.
The system proposed by Devi Ratnasari [5] is developed by using the NodeMCU ESP8266. This particular project
has an automatic water changer, a scheduled automatic feeding monitoring system and a website. This ensures the
cleanliness and health of the [Link] system by Ahmed Abu-Khadrah et al. [6] IoT Based Smart Fish-Feeder and
Monitoring System comprises two major components. The first consists of electrical, automatic, and communication
parts that are connected to the Internet of Things; this makes sure fish are fed on a schedule or from a distance
through a web interface. PH, Ammonia, Temperature and other sensors are included in the second part; which is
used to monitor the environment.

[Link]
The following is a general methodology to create an IoT-based automated fish feeder:
Step 1: Set up the Hardware
1. Connect the L298 motor driver to the ESP32 GPIO pins to control the motor that dispenses the fish food.
2. Connect the RTC DS1307 module to the ESP32 to keep track of time.
3. Make sure to connect the 5V 1A adapter to power both the ESP32 and L298 driver.
Step 2: Install Required Software
1. Install the Arduino IDE and the necessary libraries for the ESP32, L298 driver, and DS1307 RTC module.
2. Set up the Blynk application on your smartphone. Create an account and a new project to receive data from the
ESP32 and control the fish feeder remotely.
Step 3: Develop the Arduino C++ Code
1. Initialize the necessary libraries for the ESP32, L298 driver, and RTC DS1307 in the Arduino sketch.
2. Set up the Blynk library to communicate with the Blynk server and the Blynk application on your smartphone.
3. Implement the code to control the L298 driver to dispense fish food. You may want to decide how much food to
dispense for each feeding cycle.
4. Create functions to read the current time from the RTC DS1307 module.
5. Implement logic to schedule feeding times using the RTC and adjust for time zone differences if
necessary.
6. Connect to Wi-Fi using the ESP32, so it can communicate with the Blynk server and the Blynk application.
Step 4: Blynk Application Setup
1. In the Blynk application, create a button or a switch widget to manually trigger a feeding cycle.
2. Create a time input widget to allow you to schedule automatic feeding times. Set this widget to send data to the
ESP32.
Step 5: Set Up Blynk Event Handlers
1. Define the necessary Blynk event handlers in the Arduino sketch to respond to button presses or changes in the
scheduled feeding times from the Blynk application.
2. In the event handlers, call the functions to dispense fish food and update the feeding schedule accordingly.
Step 6: Test and Refine is working as expected.
1. Upload the Arduino sketch to the ESP32 and verify that the communication with Blynk is working as expected
2. Test the manual feeding and automatic feeding by scheduling different feeding times.
3. Observe the fish feeder in action and ensure that it dispenses the right amount of fish food.
4. Make any necessary adjustments to the code or hardware to improve the performance.
Step 7: Finalize the Project
1. Once you are satisfied with the automated fish feeder's performance, secure all the connections and components
in a suitable enclosure.
2. Keep the fish food container easily refillable and ensure that the dispenser mechanism functions reliably.

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3.1 Hardware Requirements:

3.1.1 L298 driver :

Robotics and mechatronics projects frequently employ the twin H-bridge motor driver integrated circuit (IC) known
as the L298. The inductive loads it is intended to drive include solenoids, stepper motors, and DC motors. A simple
and effective method for managing the direction and speed of these motors is the L298 IC. The L298 has two H-
bridge circuits that enable independent bidirectional control of two motors. Four power transistors—two PNP and
two NPN—are stacked in a bridge arrangement to make up each H-bridge. By enabling current to pass through the
motor in both directions, this design offers control over the motor's rotational direction.
The L298 driver's salient attributes include:
[Link] H-bridge configuration : The L298 IC features two separate H-bridges, allowing it to
drive two motors at once or one motor more powerfully.
[Link] current capacity : The L298 has a peak current capacity of 3 amperes and can carry a
sizable amount of current, often up to 2 amperes per channel. Because of this, it may be used to
drive a variety of motors.
[Link] features built-in : The IC has safety measures including temperature shutdown,
overcurrent protection, and diode protection. In the event of faults or overloading, these devices
aid in preventing harm to the IC and related components.
[Link] control options : The L298 has a variety of control options, including direct control
inputs and digital logic outputs like PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). The PWM signal's duty
cycle may be adjusted to regulate the motor's speed.
[Link] input voltage range : The input voltage range for the L298 is normally between 7V and
46V. It may be utilised with a variety of power sources, including batteries and power supplies.
[Link] power supply for logic and motors : The L298 supports the use of independent power sources for the
motors and control circuits. The motor and logic circuitry may operate at various voltage levels because to this
capability.

3.1.2 RTC DS1307 :

A common real-time clock (RTC) module used in many different electronic projects is the RTC DS1307. RTCs are
crucial parts of devices like digital clocks, data loggers, and automation systems that need precise timekeeping. The
DS1307 is a low-power, I2C-based RTC integrated circuit that offers precise time and date information. It was
created by Maxim Integrated. A modest 8-pin IC chip and a 32.768 kHz quartz crystal make up the DS1307 module.
It use the I2C serial interface to interact with the microcontroller or CPU, making it simple to integrate into already-
existing electrical systems. SDA (Serial Data) and SCL (Serial Clock), the only two wires needed for
communication, are all that the module needs. Furthermore, it contains an inbuilt battery backup to keep time even if
the primary power source is disconnected. The DS1307 comes with a number of characteristics that make it an
effective and flexible RTC solution.
Its essential characteristics include :
[Link]-Time Clock : The DS1307 keeps track of the day and month as well as correctly measures time in hours,
minutes, and seconds. It supports leap year compensation and may run in 12- or 24-hour mode.
[Link] backup : The module has a tiny onboard battery that enables the RTC to continue to function even when
the main power supply is off. This guarantees unbroken timekeeping.
[Link] function : The DS1307's two programmed alarm settings have the ability to send out an interrupt signal
when certain time thresholds are reached. Applications that need event planning or time-based triggers can benefit
from this capability.
4. Square wave output : The DS1307 can produce a square wave signal at many frequencies, including 1Hz, 4kHz,
8kHz, and 32kHz. This output can be utilised as a general-purpose clock signal or as an exact time reference.
[Link] Power Consumption : The DS1307 is built to use the least amount of power possible, making it ideal for
battery-powered or energy-saving applications.

3.1.3 ESP32 :

The ESP32 is a popular low-cost, low-power system-on-a-chip (SoC) microcontroller module that includes Wi-Fi
and Bluetooth features. It was created by Espressif Systems and has acquired substantial appeal in the maker and
IoT (Internet of Things) communities because to its adaptability and functionality. Here is some information on the
ESP32 Microcontroller : The ESP32 features a dual-core Xtensa LX6 processor with clock speeds up to 240 MHz. It
use the Tensilica Xtensa LX6 architecture, which is optimized for low-power applications.
Wi-Fi : The ESP32 has an integrated Wi-Fi module that supports 802.11 b/g/n standards. It can function as a station
(client), an access point (AP), or both at the same time. Wi-Fi Direct and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) are also
supported.
Bluetooth : The ESP32 supports Bluetooth 4.2 and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). It supports both traditional
Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy protocols, making it suitable for a wide range of wireless communication
applications.
Memory : The ESP32 has variable amounts of flash memory (programme storage) and RAM. Memory
configurations vary depending on module version, but commonly range from 4MB to 16MB of flash memory and
520KB to 8MB of RAM.
Peripherals : The ESP32 has several digital and analogue general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins, as well as
UART, SPI, I2C, I2S, PWM, ADC, DAC, touch sensors, capacitive touch interfaces, and more. Because of these
peripherals, it is suited for a wide range of applications.
The ESP32 can be programmed using a variety of development environments and programming languages. ESP-
IDF (Espressif IoT Development Framework), which is built on FreeRTOS, is Espressif's official development
framework. Additionally, the Arduino IDE, PlatformIO, and MicroPython are popular programming environments
for the ESP32.
Applications : Because of the ESP32's adaptability, it is appropriate for a wide range of applications such as IoT
devices, home automation, robotics, sensor networks, wearables, smart agriculture, industrial automation, and more.
It is frequently utilised in projects requiring wireless communication and low-power operation. The ESP32 has a
sizable and active open-source community that offers libraries, code samples, and tutorials. This level of community
assistance makes it easier for developers to get started and solve common difficulties.

3.1.4 Arduino IDE:

Arduino is an open-source platform widely used in electronic projects. It consists of a physical programmable circuit
board (microcontroller) and an integrated development environment software (IDE) running on your computer. This
software allows you to create and upload computer code to physical boards. The popularity of the Arduino platform
is increasing among the beginners for good reasons. Unlike previous programmable circuit boards, Arduino
eliminates the need for additional hardware programmers to load new code onto boards. For this purpose, a simple
USB cable is sufficient. In addition, Arduino IDE uses simplified variants of C++ programming languages to
facilitate learning curves for programming beginners. Finally, Arduino offers a standardized form factor to simplify
the accessibility of microcontroller functions by separating them into a coherent package.

3.2 Hardware Setup:

Connect the L298 motor driver to the ESP32 GPIO pins to control the motor that dispenses the fish food. Then,
connect the RTC DS1307 module to the ESP32 to keep track of time. Make sure to connect the 5V 1A adapter to
power both the ESP32 and L298 driver. Now, install the Arduino IDE and the necessary libraries for the ESP32,
L298 drivers, and DS1307 RTC module. Set up the Blynk application on your smartphone. Create an account and a
new project to receive data from the ESP32 and control the fish feeder remotely. Initialize the necessary libraries for
the ESP32, L298 driver, and RTC DS1307 in the Arduino sketch. Set up the Blynk library to communicate with the
Blynk server and the Blynk application on your smartphone. Implement the code to control the L298 driver to
dispense fish food. You may want to decide how much food to dispense for each feeding cycle. Create functions to
read the current time from the RTC DS1307 module. Implement logic to schedule feeding times using the RTC and
adjust for time zone differences if necessary. Connect to Wi-Fi using the ESP32, so it can communicate with the
Blynk server and the Blynk application.

3.3 Blynk Application Setup:

In the Blynk application, create a button or a switch widget to manually trigger a feeding cycle. Create a time input
widget to allow you to schedule automatic feeding times. Set this widget to send data to the ESP32. Define the
necessary Blynk event handlers in the Arduino sketch to respond to button presses or changes in the scheduled
feeding times from the Blynk application. In the event handlers, call the functions to dispense fish food and update
the feeding schedule accordingly. Upload the Arduino sketch to the ESP32 and verify that the communication with
Blynk is working as expected. Test the manual feeding and automatic feeding by scheduling different feeding times.
Observe the fish feeder in action and ensure that it dispenses the right amount of fish food. Make any necessary
modifications to the hardware or programming to boost performance. Once you are satisfied with the automated fish
feeder’s performance, secure all the connections and components in a suitable enclosure. Keep the fish food
container easily refillable and ensure that the dispenser mechanism functions reliably.

4. RESULTS

Fig 2:User Interface Fig 3:User Interface

We use the Blynk application, motor, driver, RTC, and ESP32 as the main components of the fish feeder. The
feeder is attached to a tank which has fish. We need to add fish food pellets into the feeder’s storage container.
First, we
open the Blynk application and log in with our credentials After this step, we connect our fish feeder to our
mobile phones via hotspot. Now the system is controlled by the Blynk application. You need to have previously
created a
project on this application. Which acts as the interface for the fish feeder. Click on the “Automatic Fish Feeding
System” project and you’ll be redirected to a control panel where you can personalize when you want to feed
your fish. There are several different feeding options. Choose them as per your requirements. The device
automatically feeds the fish every hour. We can monitor this via the real-time clock. If you want to dispatch the
food at a specific time you can use.

CONCLUSION

The core purpose of this system is to help pet owners take care of their fish when they are not around. Using the
Blink application makes our system user-friendly and easy to use. This system ensures that the fish’s health is not
compromised, all while making sure they have a balanced diet. Feeding the wrong quantity may lead to overfeeding
and underfeeding. All this allows users to manage and monitor the feeder remotely. Integrating our system with the
Blynk application allows for numerous benefits. This application lets us monitor the WiFi connection, which is
crucial; this is sometimes a feature not found in the other existing systems. In addition to this, you can also monitor
when the motor is on/off. Lastly, a realtime clock and date are available to let us keep track of the overall feeding.
These features are essential for individuals with unpredictable and busy schedules. The user can utilize these
features from a smartphone or tablet.
 In conclusion, the proposed system will transform how fish are fed thanks to its user-friendly interface, adaptable
feeding schedules, and real-time monitoring features

FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS
The Blynk app will allow for several interesting future improvements to the automatic fish feeder, expanding its
functionality and enhancing the user experience. Here are some potential improvements to take into account. The
fish feeder can learn and adapt to the distinct nutritional requirements of many fish species by integrating artificial
intelligence and machine learning algorithms. The device can track fish behaviour, analyze eating patterns, and offer
individualized feeding advice depending on the needs of each fish. The fish would benefit from adequate nutrition
and general health thanks to this clever adaption.
Monitoring Water Quality: Including water quality sensors in the fish feeder system can give users important
information about the aquatic ecosystem. Real-time monitoring is possible for variables including temperature, pH,
ammonia, and oxygen concentrations. This improvement can assist in preventing future health problems and
ensuring a secure and adequate habitat for the fish by warning users of any variations or anomalies.
Integrating a camera module inside the fish feeder would enable people to view their fish from a distance. This
function may offer a live video stream or take pictures of the fish as they are being fed, allowing owners to check on
them, monitor their behavior, and even share photos with loved ones.

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