Giving away buttons at Maker Faires or trade shows is a great way to promote your brand, but what if you want to dispense these trinkets in style? That was the idea behind this automated button dispenser mechanism from Jeremy S. Cook, which drops buttons one at a time, and uses a capacitive sensor to detect when someone presses a marked “activation circle” on its base.

When triggered, the Arduino Uno commands two servo motors in sequence to release the lower button, while holding the other stacked buttons in place. The button-in-motion then proceeds down a 3D-printed slide, shooting out into the receiver’s hands—or floor depending on one’s reflexes! 

Be sure to check out the build process in the video below, and you can find code/print files on GitHub if you’d like to make your own!