Coin sorters - More Pics Added 6/26/11

kb4iqm

Sr. Member
Mar 26, 2011
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Southeastern Tennessee
I bought a Coinalyzer coin sorter recently and was having issues with it. This was discussed a little bit in another thread, but I felt it needed a thread of its own to keep from hijacking that other thread.

My first post there is;
http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,393353.msg2802679.html#msg2802679

I will continue here;
kb4iqm said:
blkcwbyhat said:
KB: do you have a divider set up under the bottom? It kicks the rejects to one side,without it,they fall randomly.I made the wooden box thing with the center piece belt sanded with a 45 degree on each side,centered on the outlet.I made the box big enough to fit some small tupperware square boxes on each side.I'm still working on some type of thing to make it easier to feed,my thumb gets sore quick!!
The coinalyzer is an electronic coin mechanism for a vending machine and fits the industry standard coin mechanism mounts. I used to be in the vending business and still have some machines and parts in storage. I took an old vending machine coin door, stripped it down to the bare minimum, and made a stand to hold it vertical. I mounted the coinalyzer in place of the original mechanical coin mechanism, it fits perfectly. All I have to do is set a pail under the back of the coin door to catch the coins that pass. All rejects and coin returns go into the coin return hopper on the front of the coin door. The pass/reject/return port spacings on the coinalyzer are in the industry standard locations.

When I first set it up, it worked, but it had trouble discriminating reliably. It would pass some of what it should reject, and reject some of what it should pass. If I ran multiple passes it would eventially get them all right. Like if I run the reject clad cents through several times it would eventually get all of the copper out. Then do the same with the coppers and it would eventually get all of the clads out. After testing it like this for an hour or so, it stopped passing coins totally and rejecting everything fed to it. I put it aside to mess with later, have not tried it again since then.

If I can get the coin mechanism itself to work reliably, then I'll just set up a dime feed hopper from a slot machine with the discs resized for pennies. These hoppers can be bought for under $50 from vending suppliers that sell used parts on feebay, and replacement discs are available as they wear out. Would be less than $100 invested to automate the process if I do all of the mechanical work to put it together. Now that I think we can afford :laughing7:

Bob
I just checked the coinalyzer and it was working again, but still very unreliable. I noticed the trigger timer was set to "short". I set the trigger timer to "common" and that cleared up the majority of the reliability issue. I'm now getting a clad in the copper 100:1 or less now vs 10:1 like it was. I've run 6 rolls so far and no coppers in the clad yet. I'll run the rest of the box and see how it does.

By the way, the coinalyzer mechanism will support adding a coin counter. It outputs a grounding pulse on the grey wire for every coin accepted. If you connect the leads of a vending machine coin counter to the grey wire and the red wire, it will increment the counter once for each coin accepted. I'm going to order a resettable counter for mine.

Bob
 

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AgRockStar

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Jul 24, 2011
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madwest said:
It is not nearly as elegant as Bob's, but my cent sorter is functioning - and the price was right (~$65).

Here is a short clip of it doing its job. I have done nearly 6 bags (about $300 face) of cents so far. I had to fight through some clogs early on, but it seems to be running like a top now ;D.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrZff0IOQCc

Awesome. I want to build one...but I don't have the brains for it...
 

Swift

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Oct 20, 2011
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I have a few extra dime hoppers , this thread is great !
 

sjzeno

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Jan 15, 2012
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Re: Coin sorters

kb4iqm said:
conpewter said:
Do you mind posting what wires need what? I have a similar comparitor and have not got around to wiring it up. Would love to get a hopper for it too, so buy a halves hopper and get a dime conversion?
Looking at the CC-16 facing the label on the front, the I/O connector (inline 6 pin molex) is on the left side of the plastic box the label is on. Pins are listed from the top down;

6 - Ground - Power Supply Return
5 - Power Supply Input - Apply Rated Voltage.
4 - Not Used
3 - Not Used
2 - Open Collector Coin Counter Output - Coin Accept Outputs A Grounding Pulse.
1 - Inhibit Input (For Inhibit models) - Ground To Enable CC-16 Operation.

The halves (also used for $1 slots tokens) hoppers are usually more plentiful and can be less expensive. But if you want to feed dimes without having to buy a full dimes conversion kit, you can buy a quarter or nickel hopper and just change out the shelf wheel for a dimes version. Those can be found for about $10 if you shop wise.

Bob




Hey Bob!

I sent you a PM but I dont know if it went threw.

I have the same exact cmi coin comparitor as you and I am having troubling wiring it to power it up.
I searched all over the internet trying to find an I/O connector (inline 6 pin molex) like you stated
but turned up nothing. can you lead me in the right direction with wiring and powering up this
comparitor.
 

postvmvs

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I believe it is a 6-pin JST style connector with 2.5mm/0.100" pitch. You can get them from your favorite electrical supply company. HH
 

madwest

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You can use . . . cables from . . . one end . . .power and . . . is inhibit.
 

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Novapax

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Anyone have new photos of their coin sorters or even videos?

Im working on building one or two and would like to see what others have done.


thanks


Novapax
 

optix

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Jan 23, 2012
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I am considering building one of these. Do they reliable sort silver dimes?
 

madwest

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optix said:
I am considering building one of these. Do they reliable sort silver dimes?

Yes and No.

The hopper . . . That is the easy part.

After that, . . . The first comparator . . . for dimes.

Since then, I . . . The first problem . . . I got around that by . . . spring. With . . . the reference coin, it . . . you would have to watch it close to . . .
 

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docgonzo

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Apr 11, 2012
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I am looking to convert a balleys 6000 25cent hopper to dime for use in penny sorting, but i know absolutely nothing about the machine. could anyone tell me what parts i would need to replace? so far i found someone selling a dime payout disc. any help is greatly appreciated
 

jarlbartar

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Jan 3, 2012
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Anyone been having their sorted coins carry a static charge? Mine have been. I'm not sure if its from all of the friction generated when sorting or if there is a short somewhere. All of my components are grounded, so that shouldnt be an issue. Regardless, I obtained some plastic with electro static discharging properties and will be modifying my ramp and collection bins this weekend. What's awesome is that the plastic is clear(ish) so you can see the coins going through the chute and into the comparitor.

Just got my nickel hopper the other day and have been tweaking it, it is a thing of beauty to see that thing chucking coins down the chute! For those of you who have not bought one yet, DO IT! It's soooo worth it!

I bought a second comparitor but the it did not come with a wiring harness, hopefully I can find something at Radio Shack. I also intend to wire a variable speed potentiomiter to adjust from 12 to 24 volts, along with an ON / OFF switch. We will see what the weekend brings...
 

madwest

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Anyone been having their sorted coins carry a static charge? Mine have been. . .

. . . the "Triboelectric Series."

Items that tend to hold a static charge are ranked . . .

For example, . . . brass (95% Cu) or . . . Nylon likes to . . . If you slide pennies down a nylon slide, . . . Now if your slide were polyester, . . .

I bought a second comparitor but the it did not come with a wiring harness, hopefully I can find something at Radio Shack.

I have suggested to other members that you can use . . . Otherwise, the cable harness . . . If so, you can re-purpose that connector to . . .

I also intend to wire a variable speed potentiomiter to adjust from 12 to 24 volts, along with an ON / OFF switch. We will see what the weekend brings...

You'll need a . . . to use as a voltage divider with your hopper motor . . . I did my speed control with . . . - I wired . . . and used a selector switch to . . . Each . . . It is a very simple alternative to an actual speed control.

Glad to hear you're having a good time with making your sorter. I found it to be quite rewarding.
 

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FrankDTank16

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Apr 16, 2012
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I've recently been interested in coins, especially pennys. I started when I heard from my dad (a collector of all coins) that pennies from 1982 and before are worth like 2.5 cents in copper. I work at a retail store and they would let me switch out old pennies for new ones when I closed. Then I found out about sorters, and I bought one. And for about a week I hand fed the sorter. Getting through about $100 of pennies. But I got tired of that and thought of using a hopper. Bought one off ebay, but it wasn't spitting out pennies like I saw in youtube videos. I started tinkering with it, bought new knives, moved stuff around and such. Then I noticed that the wheel was too small. I searched on the internet and stumbled upon this thread. So my question is:

Where can I buy a Dime or Penny Shelf Wheel? I have been searching through all major slot machine providers, and some even messaged me back that they didn't sell them. Sadly I don't have any machinist friends. Is there any place that I could get the metal cut (like Home Depot or Lowes) around the Ohio area?
 

BCD11

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Where can I buy a Dime or Penny Shelf Wheel? I have been searching through all major slot machine providers, and some even messaged me back that they didn't sell them. Sadly I don't have any machinist friends. Is there any place that I could get the metal cut (like Home Depot or Lowes) around the Ohio area?

Wecome to this crazy addiction! Trust me, it only gets worse.:laughing7:

Some suggestions for your shelf wheel search;

-I just tried what I call a nickel wheel, more specifically a 5 5/8" diameter shelf wheel, on an IGT S2000 hopper and it worked fine moving over 300 pennies. Other members help me here if this IS NOT a nickel wheel. Ask TreasureNet merchants or eBay sellers advertising the type hopper you have what size wheels they sell.

-Go to a large high school, community college, or trade school and inquire about the cost of having the metal shop students make a wheel, or wheels, for you. I have not tried it but have read where for a nominal fee, if any at all, they will make things to get the experience.

-Walk into a small area metal shop and ask them what they'd charge. Ya' never know, if you have an example (albeit wrong diameter), they might say they can easily do it with some scrap material they have on hand. Just make sure they know what thickness and diameter you want the shelf wheel to be.

-Depending how DYI you want to get, a last ditch home brew solution MIGHT be a piece of Plexiglas or other relatively hard plastic that you rough cut in a circle and then mount on an electric drill secured in a stand, router, or bench top electric grinder (withtout the grinding wheel) to turn/sand to the finished diameter. I stress MIGHT because it is pretty far out in the world Rube Goldberging. I'm a die hard DIY'er and would think twice about trying this one. Just saying it's a possibility.

-If all else fails, PM me and I'll give you a couple of sources I've had good luck with getting the parts and pieces for the sorters I've built. I say, "If all else fails" because I don't want anyone thinking I'm a shill for some seller.


Again, welcome to CRH, it's GREAT!
 

FrankDTank16

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Just measured my shelf wheel, and it was 5 inches. 5 5/8 inches might actually be a dime or penny shelf wheel.

Luckily, I live in an old metal town that still has a few metal forming plants in the area (Youngstown, Ohio). My grandfather worked at one for 30 years, so hopefully he can get me an in at his old place of business.
 

BCD11

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Just measured my shelf wheel, and it was 5 inches. 5 5/8 inches might actually be a dime or penny shelf wheel.

It might be a dime/penny wheel depending on the brand of hopper it was designed for. If you're using an IGT S2000, be careful using the 5 5/8" diameter wheel for dimes. You might get the dime wedged under a nub on the pinwheel as the dime is moving along the coin knife. Too many times of that happening and you might kiss your coin knife good-bye. You might give some thought to turning the hopper wheels by hand if you have a coin agitator you can get a good grip on. Turning by hand will let you see if the 5 5/8" wheel is large enough diameter to get a dime up the knife and safely into your chute.

I'm only familiar with the IGT S2000 upright hopper as that is what I've built my sorters with. The shelf wheels I have range in size up to 5 13/16" - 5 7/8" diameter. The larger ones work well for dimes.


GOOD LUCK!!
 

jarlbartar

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Jan 3, 2012
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Anyone have any luck with the CC-16 E comparitors? I got one for a song on ebay a while back but cant for the life of me get it going. It is CC-16E, INH, 150, 14G, $LEV. I read some earlier posts about what those mean and figured out most of it. I'm pretty sure that I have to jump the inhibit control to ground, which I have done but still cant get the light to switch off when a coin passes. Another thing that may be a problem is the 14G counterweight. I read that Madwest bypassed the counterweight in a different post, but am not sure how to do it successfully.

Just wondering if it is worth my time to modify this thing, and if it will be reliable after all of the modifications or to just buy the right one, any ideas?
 

madwest

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jb,
That comparator . . . made for nickels (xx in the model number instead of xx). The one you have would work good for . . . if that is of any interest to you.

. . . is easy. Just unscrew it and . . . I even go so far as to . . . can cause issues.

You might want to . . . I remember that I had some difficulty getting . . . If you can't get it to work for a . . ., you won't be able to get it to work for . . .

You are right about needing to ground the . . . pin. It should work.
 

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BCD11

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What denomination coin are you trying to sort? I believe your comparitor is designed for $1.00 size coins. If you are trying to sort smaller size coins your test coin might not be aligning properly with your sample coin. There are at least two reasons for non-alignment. The rail alignment might be out of whack which could result in your sample coin and test coin not eclipsing each other. Another reason could be the acceptance slot on your comparitor might be too wide for the coins you are testing. Your comparitor is designed to accept coins 1.47" in diameter or larger. If you are trying to sort smaller coins they would rattle around in the slot...not good. To some extent the coin damper is designed to get the falling coin's trajectory lined up with the sample coin.

If your comparitor has the 14.2 gram damper, and you are sorting smaller coins, you definitely have a problem. For example CMI recommends a damper weight of 0.7g for pennies/dimes and 2.6g for nickels and quarters. I've never tried a small coin with a 14.2g damper but it seems to me it'd be like throwing a marble at a brick wall; you'll just break the marble and piss off the wall.


I don't recall madwest's post about bypassing the damper. Maybe he just wired it in place. If you find it definitely heed his advice because he knows what he's talking about. What works for me on my CMI CC-16E'S DESIGNED FOR SMALLER COINS is removing the damper. This can be done by turning it counter clockwise. I have my doubts whether this will help you if the acceptance slot on your comparitor is designed for coins nearly an inch and a half in diameter and you are trying to sort smaller coins.


Here's a link to info that has helped me with my CC-16D's & E's.

http://www.coinmech.com/images_products/images_supporting/995.pdf .


Good luck and keep us posted.
 

jarlbartar

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That's what I was thinking; I may be able to modify it, but it would more than likely take too much time and effort. I modified the "stopper" that holds the target coin good enough I'm pretty sure.

The other components of my sorter are coming along very well; I finally got my ramp from the hopper to the comparitor figured out so it won't jam. I wired an on / off switch (it's lighted!) so I don't have to unplug it when the coin knife goes out of alignment (anyone have this problem?) The other problem I ran into is that my comparitor (CH 268 T) dosent seem to like zinc cents as the target coin anymore. There was a pretty bad coin jam that I had to get out with a screwdriver, after that it hasnt been the same. I was careful not to be too rough so I dont think I damaged anything but I cant figure out what the problem is. I tried many different zinc coins for targets but I couldnt get anything to take. I tried unplugging it and resetting it several times but nothing seemed to work. Copper target coins worked fine, but I really want to use a zinc to catch all of the other goodies that land in the non zinc bin.
 

BCD11

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Big time CONGRATS on figuring out the ramp!:hello2: Many times THAT is the monkey in the wrench that gives DIY'ers fits.

Smart move on the switch. Makes it a whole lot easier to stop the parade when things start backing up doesn't it.

I can think of a few gremlins that might be playing with your knife. If you have an IGT S2000 upright hopper you can adjust how the knife rides on the shelf wheel using the two screws that hold the knife in place. Make sure the underside, curved, part of the knife fits snugly on top of the shelf wheel.

Make sure the two screws holding the knife in place are TIGHT. My hoppers vibrate and after hours of sorting the screws might loosen. Any loosening is taken care of when I reassemble my sorters after their weekly cleaning. Pennies are one of the dirtiest things created by mankind! After awhile you'd be amazed at the crud piled up on your sorter.


Use the knife that is intended for the size shelf wheel you have. There are small coin and large coin knives. If you have the wrong knife for the shelf wheel it won't ride on top of the wheel properly. The underside, curved, portion of the knife should fit perfectly on the wheel with no visual gaps between it and the wheel.

A past coin jam between the knife and pin wheel could cause an alignment problem. It wouldn't take much to bend the knife a tiny tad so there is a gap between the backside of the knife and pin wheel. I had that happen once and remedied it by heating the knife with a hair dryer and VERY SLIGHTLY bending the knife until it rested against the pin wheel.

Take a close look at the point on your knife that the coins first come in contact with. Any chips out of that surface can be a problem. I once had a jam where a dime lodged between the knife and pin wheel, taking a small chip out of the knife. It really messed up the operation until I sanded the knife down just enough so it fit tight against the pin wheel again.

I'm sure other members can offer more suggestions that might help.

With all due respect, THUMBS DOWN ON THE CH 268 T comparator!! OK, let the barbs and arrows fly from the members that have one that works. The 268 was my first comparator. After 730 coins it became my LAST 268. Pretty much the same thing happened to me that you are experiencing. IMO, ANOTHER example of fine Chinese craftsmanship. Again IMO, CMI comparitors are the BEST. My used CMI's have sorted hundreds of thousands of coins just fine.


Sounds like you are well on your way to getting your sorter up and running! Keep us posted.
 

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