Published July 1, 2018 © MIT

Mr. Ramen!

An IoT cup ramen maker.

BeginnerFull instructions provided2 hours1,324

Runner Up

IoSP: The Internet of Solved Problems with Particle

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Particle Photon

Relay Module (Generic)

5V Power Supply

Cup Ramen

Coffee Maker

Marinade Injector Needle

Food Grade Silicone Sealant

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Cordless Drill (Generic)

Phillips head screwdriver (Generic)

Hot glue gun (generic)

Soldering iron (generic)

Story

MR RAMEN

The ultimate college dorm room kitchen appliance, a ramen making machine! Not only can this little guy remotely brew university snack goodness, but it can be built for a great low price of ~$40.

Using a Particle Photon and an inexpensive off the shelf coffee maker, you too can enjoy super soup with the push of a button!

The challenge: Cook noodles in a place without a stove in a convenient way.

Mainstays 5-Cup Coffee Maker

To build your own, this low cost coffee maker can be found at your local Walmart for under $10 (if it's in stock).

You can transform this coffee maker to make ramen by modifying the filter basket. Simply add a needle that punctures the top of ramen cup that can inject the boiling water.

Filter basket + Needle + Silicone

Make it "IoT"

To turn this coffee maker into an IoT Ramen maker we will first see what's under the hood.

DANGER!HIGHVOLTAGE/CURRENT You will be working with mains power, so take appropriate precautions and safety measures.

The inside (ignore that random pcb square)

Breaking open this beast, you can find simply a power switch wired in series with a single heater. We will be adding a relay module in series to make the heater controllable. A relay in series will also allow the switch on the side of the coffee maker to be shut off.

Also you will need a 5V power source for the Photon.

Standard 5V Power supply

Insides

This circuit can be wired in parallel to the main power.

The final assembly

After some heat shrink, soldering, hot glue and zip ties it's ready to be closed up.

How do you use it?

You can pre-setup the ramen cup and water, and start the brew on your way to your dorm after class, so your ramen is ready to eat when you get back.

1. First insert your unwrapped noodle cup

2. Pour 1 Cup of water into the coffee maker

3. Close the lid of the machine, puncturing the nodle cup

4. Use the Particle API to start the machine

5. Once all the water has boiled and entered the cup, wait 3-4 minutes for the cup to cool down, remove the ramen cup, and enjoy!

Final notes:

This implementation does not measure water volume, so adding a pump could prevent and under/over filling.

A motor or mechanical levers could automate the puncturing process, which would make it easier to insert the noodle cup.

Bon Appétit!

Code

ramen.ino

// -----------------------------------
// Controlling RAMEN over the Internet
// -----------------------------------

int heater = D2;
int led = D7;

void setup()
{

   // Pin configuration
   pinMode(led, OUTPUT);
   pinMode(heater, OUTPUT);

   // Declare a Particle.function so that we can turn the Heater on and off from the cloud.
   Particle.function("heat",heatToggle);

   // Initilize state
   digitalWrite(led, LOW);
   digitalWrite(heater, HIGH); // Active LOW
}


void loop()
{
   // Nothing to do here
}


int heatToggle(String command) {
    if (command=="on") {
        digitalWrite(led,HIGH);
        digitalWrite(heater,LOW);
        return 1;
    }
    else if (command=="off") {
        digitalWrite(led,LOW);
        digitalWrite(heater,HIGH);
        return 0;
    }
    else {
        return -1;
    }
}

Credits

Chris Woodle

4 projects • 11 followers

Comments

Awards

Runner Up

IoSP: The Internet of Solved Problems with Particle

Mr. Ramen!

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Story

MR RAMEN

Make it "IoT"

Bon Appétit!

Schematics

Basic schematic

Code

ramen.ino

Credits

Chris Woodle

Comments

Awards

Embed the widget on your own site

Mr. Ramen!

Mr. Ramen!

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Story

MR RAMEN

Make it "IoT"

Bon Appétit!

Schematics

Basic schematic

Code

ramen.ino

Credits

Chris Woodle

Comments

Awards

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