Automated Multi Material Waste Classification System

Closed-loop industrial waste classification station utilizing precision NEMA 17 stepper carousel indexing, inductive metal detection, infrared drop verification, and high-speed servo diversion flaps.

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📌 Executive Overview

Closed-loop industrial waste classification station utilizing precision NEMA 17 stepper carousel indexing, inductive metal detection, infrared drop verification, and high-speed servo diversion flaps. This repository contains production-ready firmware implementations, hardware wiring pinouts, signal conditioning routines, and real-time telemetry pipelines engineered for reliable physical operation.

• Primary Domain: Industrial Automation
• Microcontroller & Hardware Core: Arduino / Stepper
• Specialization: Industrial Automation
• Live Specs & BOM Viewer: alwintr.github.io

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📐 System Architecture & Signal Flow

[ Feed Hopper ] ===> [ TCRT5000 IR Drop Beam ]
                             | (Drop Trigger Interrupt)
                             v
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|                     Arduino Uno ATmega328P                   |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
        |                                        |
        | Step/Dir Pulses (1/16)                 | Dynamic Angle PWM
        v                                        v
+-----------------------+              +-----------------------+
|  A4988 Stepper Driver |              | SG90 Micro Servo Gate |
+-----------+-----------+              +-----------+-----------+
            |                                      |
            v                                      v
  [ NEMA 17 Carousel (90 deg) ]        [ Metal / Non-Metal Bins ]
            ^
            |
  [ Inductive Proximity Sensor ]

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📋 Hardware Bill of Materials (BOM)

Component Name	Operating Voltage	Interface / Functionality
Arduino Uno R3	5V DC	Master state machine controller
NEMA 17 Stepper (42BYGHW)	12V / 1.5A	200 steps/rev, 1.8 deg step angle
A4988 Driver Carrier	8-35V VMOT	1/16 microstepping interpolation
LJ12A3-4-Z/BX Inductive Sensor	6-12V (Opto-isolated)	4mm detection range
TowerPro SG90 Servo	5V DC	180 deg diverter gate

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🔌 Circuit Pinout & Microcontroller Interconnect

MCU Pin / Channel	Peripheral Pin	Signal Function / Bus
Arduino Pin 3	A4988 STEP Pin	Timer PWM Pulse Train
Arduino Pin 4	A4988 DIR Pin	Carousel Rotation Direction
Arduino Pin 2	TCRT5000 IR Out	Drop Beam Interrupt INT0
Arduino Pin 7	Inductive Sensor Signal	Metal Verification Input
Arduino Pin 9	SG90 Servo PWM	Hardware Timer PWM Output

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⚙️ Firmware Architecture & Control Logic

Deterministic state machine coordinating feed detection, 90-degree rotary indexing with trapezoidal acceleration, sensor settling delays, and servo deflection timing.

Key Firmware Capabilities:

• Zero-Blocking Architecture: Real-time non-blocking scheduling eliminating delay() deadlocks.
• Hardware Interrupt Servicing: Microsecond-precision edge-triggered pulse detection and safety shutoffs.
• Diagnostic Telemetry: Continuous serial datastreaming and state-machine transition logging.

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📁 Repository Structure

Automated-Multi-Material-Waste-Classification-System/
├── .gitignore
├── IMPLEMENTATION_GUIDE.md
├── LICENSE
├── waste_segregation.ino
└── README.md

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🚀 Build & Deployment Instructions

1. Hardware Assembly

• Verify common system ground across all microcontrollers, drivers, and peripheral sensor boards.
• Ensure dedicated power supply rails match the operating voltage specified in the Hardware Bill of Materials.

2. Firmware Compilation & Flashing

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ALWINTR/Automated-Multi-Material-Waste-Classification-System.git

# Navigate to the project directory
cd Automated-Multi-Material-Waste-Classification-System

• Open the project in Arduino IDE, PlatformIO, or ESP-IDF.
• Select the target board configuration and COM port.
• Compile and upload firmware directly to the microcontroller.

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👨‍💻 Author

Alwin T R — Robotics & Automation Engineer

• 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alwintr
• 🌐 Interactive Portfolio: alwintr.github.io
• 🐙 GitHub: github.com/ALWINTR
• ✉️ Direct Email: alwintr2003@gmail.com

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.