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DIY Coin Mechanism for vending machine II

Simple and easy to build. It can be adapted for your microcontroller project. It accepts Quarters and rejects any other coins. (11/26/2008)

 

This is the second version (improved) of my " Coin operated machine " project. I'm trying to build a Vending machine but the expensive part of this project is the coin mechanism, so I'm trying to build one.

 

This version was made entirely of wood and it's working great, better than I expected. Here is how I built it:

 

First, I had to measure the coin for the specific mechanism, on this case, I'm using a quarter (25 USD Cents). It's diameter is 15/16 Inches (24 milimeters).

 

Drawing two parallel lines on 1/4 thick plywood, 2.5 inches long, separated by 13/16 inches (22 millimeters).

 

cutting exactly the inside area of the parallel lines.

 

Next, drilling a hole and using a router to cut a circle, about 1-inch diameter (2.54 centimeter).

 

 

This part is almost ready. The round hole is exactly the size of the quarter.

 

Now, I had to cut a 10-degree angle, so the coin can fall (Thanks to the gravity!).

 

Also, I need to glue a small piece of plywood so the coin can rest.

 

 

Meanwhile the glue dries, I need to build a "coin ramp" using three pieces of plywood, at least 1 1/8 wide, so quarters can be guided by it to a box.

 

Now, to make the coin slot, I make two cuts together, 15-degree angle.

 

Cutting the plywood in angle, It allows the coin to rest and fall slowly so the size can be measured.

 

Measure the size of the slot, it should be 1-inch high (2.54 centimeters) so only coins smaller to that size can be inserted.

 

Now, I can glue the pieces together.

 

It's time to glue the "coin selector" on the back of the slot, It measures the size of the coin.

 

Also, the "coin ramp" needs to be cutted in a 20-degree angle and glued to the "coin selector". It will looks like the photo at the right side.

 

That's it. The coin mechanism is ready. There are two boxes below the coin mechanism. One holds the rejected coins and the other one holds the quarters.

 

An optical switch can be installed at the "coin ramp" so each time a quarter falls it sends a signal and activate a microcontroller or electronic project.

 

Here is a video, 4-minutes long, showing how it works:

 

 

 

The next step is to make a homemade coin-operated vending machine.

 

Thanks to Noe Flores from California for supporting this website.

 

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