SparkFun Coin Acceptor - Programmable (6 coin types) General

Are you trying to make a quick dime from electronics? Why limit yourself to dimes? This coin acceptor will take up to 6 different kinds of coin! Whether you’re building your own arcade cabinet or just charging admission to your house, this programmable coin acceptor makes it easy to monetize your next project.

The sensors in this coin acceptor use the thickness, diameter and fall time of the coins to identify them and it’s fully programmable so you’re not limited to any particular type of currency. Simply use the buttons and 7-segment display on the side of the unit to select a coin profile, insert a bunch of coin samples (or the same one, over and over) then designate the value. After you’ve programmed the coin profiles, simply read the serial output of the coin acceptor and it will tell you the value of each coin as they’re inserted. It reports these values as binary bytes and the baud rate is selectable on the unit.

This coin acceptor also has a coin reject, so your controller can tell the coin acceptor not to take any more coins, as well as a (very loud) alert beeper. All you need to get the coin acceptor working is a pocket full of change, a 12VDC supply and somewhere for the change to fall after it’s accepted.

So maybe you won’t get rich building your own vending machines but access control using different sizes of tokens might be cool, or even a virtual vending machine where you can buy MMORPG items. There are a ton of cool coin-operated projects just waiting to be built!

Features:

• Recognizes 6 Programmable Groups of Coins in Different Denominations
• Accepts coins from 17-30.5mm in Diameter and 1.25-3.2mm in Thickness
• Serial or Pulse-Width Output with Selectable Speed/Baud Rate
• Can be Set to Stop Accepting All Coins
• Industrial Standard 10Pin Parallel Port Connector
• Simple 0.1" Spaced 5-Pin Serial Port Header
• Draws 50mA @ 12VDC Standby, 450mA At Instant of Collection
• Able to release coins in jam

Documents:

• Datasheet
• Calibration Guide
• Output Format