One of the most iconic projects from the pages of MAKE is the VCR Cat Feeder from MAKE Volume 03 (2005). It’s depressing to think of all the discarded VCRs in the world, but author James Larsson gave us a creative and useful way to repurpose this hunk of outdated machinery. Cats are wonderfully independent creatures for the most part, so when you’re leaving on a weekend trip, this programmable cat feeder is the ticket for keeping your feline companion well fed. Basically, you hijack a motor from inside the VCR, slow down its rotation with a gearbox, add an auger system with attached food container, and use the VCR’s timer-recording system to dispense scheduled meals. Some things never get old, like watching people’s facial expressions when you say “VCR Cat Feeder.”
Check out the full project on Make: Projects, and also watch this clip of John Park demoing the feeder on Make: television:
18 thoughts on “Flashback: VCR Cat Feeder from MAKE Volume 03”
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4:20.
I see what you did there.
-Biggs
lawl 420
Of course this wheels and ribbons need get covered otherwise you’ll find cat strangled on your arrival
Or a chard blob of burnt hair after chewing on the exposed wires.
you got too much time on your hands
This dude is in dire need of a life!!!
he makes money off of our watches and he gets to tinker around wit sh#t would you rather his job or your shitty old job and you have a shitty don’t reply saying your a boob inspector
get a dog…
So have a huge gear box plus vcr on my floor that my cat will either destroy or get strangled in or buy a cat feeder online for $20 bucks mmmmmm. cat strangler plz
in the whole long history of bad ideas this is the worst i’ve seen.