NEWBIE!!!!! Help PLS

[enzo1109]

I wish to make one of my PC's coin operated. I would ideally like th Keyboard and Mouse to stop functioning after a set period and start again once a coin has been issued.

Please can anyone offer me advice as to how I would go about doing this.

Thanks for looking and thanks in advance for the advice.

[paigeoliver]

You would need either a memory resident program that times usage, and then shuts off input if it doesn't get another quarter. BUT, you would have to lock down the PC to keep the user from disabling it.

Or, a hardware timer that did the same thing.



Simply making MAME games coin operated is much easier, you just wire up the coin mechs like any other button?


Now, I simply must ask WHY? What is your master plan here?

[kspiff]

Hm.. you would need to get some kind of coin door/validator and hook it up to a PCB with a timer that controls the keyboard and mouse (which you'd have to make yourself, AFAIK no one makes such a device), probably with a little LED timer display.

If you mean to make something that can recognize when a 'game over' or some other type of event occurs, the PCB becomes more complicated and would also require drivers that can recognize these events and trigger the PCB to turn the kbd/mouse on/off.

LOL.. yeah.. good luck!  Also, most people here will assume that you plan to use this to make money off of MAME or other games.  You will find that no one will support you on such an endeavour if that's the case as it breaks the MAME license agreement and is illegal.

About the only way I can see you finding something like this without making it is if they make that kind of stuff for Internet Cafe kiosks.. but I doubt it.

[enzo1109]

In answer to your question why? the masterplan is as follows.

I share a house with two friends, one of my friends lost his job in January and instead of concentrating on finding employment (thus enabling him to pay the rent) he has spent about 12hours a day perfecting his counter-strike skills on my PC. As you can imagine, this is becoming rather irritating. I don't want to lock him out from my pc but as seen as its always me that pays for the upgrades and him that gets most benefit I thought that putting a coin meter on the PC would help achieve both of the following.

1) No job = no cash and nocash = no gaming :-)
2) His gaming addiction will help towards the cost of the network connection and upgrades of the system and when he has thrown enough money into the slot, I can build him his own PC.

To some people this may seem cruel, but I am really trying to usher him into finding another job and not freeloading. I don't really want to ask him to leave but unless he can start to earn money then I have no choice. I am just trying to be a good friend.

Thanks to those who have offered advice thus far. Keep it coming.

[BillyJack]

Ok, i can't help with the design or source for this idea... but i knew where you were coming from immediately.  Unfortunately, being that I have a criminal's mind...  i automatically assumed that:

1) the keyboard / mouse would be plugged into the coin op device.
2) the coin op device would be plugged into the appropriate inputs on the mb.
3) he could just unplug those inputs and plug the kb / mouse directly into the mb.

So you're gonna have to make that tough to do...  On a side note, I was picking my parents' computer's keyboard lock (yeah i know it's not hard) with a toothpick in 6th grade... then locking it back before they got home from work.  Ground me from the computer will ya!?  I'll show you!

Why don't you just put a padlock on your case and set a BIOS password?  Sure, you're not getting an endless supply of quarters and plugs that way, but you could "sell" him the password every day then change it every evening...

Mwuhahahahaha!

BillyJack

[Brad Lee]

I think I saw this on an episode of the Brady Bunch, where the kids were always on the phone, so Mike got a payphone, but then the kids were all bothering their parents for change, so Alice had to start turning tricks, or something liek that, my mammaries are a little fuzzy this morning...


Anyways.. I've seen on Happs site coin timers, like you would see on a batting cage/pitching machine where you pop a quarter in the slot, it ticks away for a minute or whatever and then DING no more fastballs.. I would assume that the timing can be changed to set it for 15 minutes or however long you need.

If you're just looking to secure the PC, there's all number of keylock switches, bios passwords, heck, I bet there's even a way(if you're running XP or 2000) to set the maximum login length to a set amount of time

There are also a few Rube Goldberg-esque contraptions that come to mind...  

[shmokes]

It seems like I saw a PC that had a bill validator installed by a user for just this purpose in one of the last two Maximum PC magazines.  I'll try to remember to dig it out and see if I'm just dreaming.

[enzo1109]

This is great guys, keep em coming.....

I work for a telecoms company in the UK. I have been to our payphone workshop and managed to aquire a coin op unit (for free!!!). Now i just need to work out who in this company has the electronic genius to make my plan a reality.

I have been suprised by the ammount of replies. Big thanks to all who have contributed. At least if this coin op doesnt work, I will be able to look into other ways of achieving my aim.

[shmokes]

Here's a picture.  I've emailed the mag to see if I can get some contact info for the guy who built it or if they will give him my contact info.  I'll let you know if they come through.

[paigeoliver]

In answer to your question why? the masterplan is as follows.

I share a house with two friends, one of my friends lost his job in January and instead of concentrating on finding employment (thus enabling him to pay the rent) he has spent about 12hours a day perfecting his counter-strike skills on my PC. As you can imagine, this is becoming rather irritating. I don't want to lock him out from my pc but as seen as its always me that pays for the upgrades and him that gets most benefit I thought that putting a coin meter on the PC would help achieve both of the following.

1) No job = no cash and nocash = no gaming :-)
2) His gaming addiction will help towards the cost of the network connection and upgrades of the system and when he has thrown enough money into the slot, I can build him his own PC.

To some people this may seem cruel, but I am really trying to usher him into finding another job and not freeloading. I don't really want to ask him to leave but unless he can start to earn money then I have no choice. I am just trying to be a good friend.

Thanks to those who have offered advice thus far. Keep it coming.

Ok. You would never recoup your initial investment with that little scheme. It would be cheaper just to buy your roommate a computer then it would be to spend $200-$400 doing a coin op mod, and then having your roommate promptly stop using the computer.

[enzo1109]

In answer to your question why? the masterplan is as follows.

I share a house with two friends, one of my friends lost his job in January and instead of concentrating on finding employment (thus enabling him to pay the rent) he has spent about 12hours a day perfecting his counter-strike skills on my PC. As you can imagine, this is becoming rather irritating. I don't want to lock him out from my pc but as seen as its always me that pays for the upgrades and him that gets most benefit I thought that putting a coin meter on the PC would help achieve both of the following.

1) No job = no cash and nocash = no gaming :-)
2) His gaming addiction will help towards the cost of the network connection and upgrades of the system and when he has thrown enough money into the slot, I can build him his own PC.

To some people this may seem cruel, but I am really trying to usher him into finding another job and not freeloading. I don't really want to ask him to leave but unless he can start to earn money then I have no choice. I am just trying to be a good friend.

Thanks to those who have offered advice thus far. Keep it coming.

Ok. You would never recoup your initial investment with that little scheme. It would be cheaper just to buy your roommate a computer then it would be to spend $200-$400 doing a coin op mod, and then having your roommate promptly stop using the computer.

As I work for a Telecoms company, we change the coin op units in our payphones on an anual basis to stem fraud etc. I  I have been given a coin op unit for free and I will be able to get many of the other parts required for very little cash. All in I reckon I can do this for around $75. I have a collegue who is interested in my project and he has the electronics no-how to create the PCB. If I manage to get this done, I will post pics for you to see. I agree that if I had to purchase all of the parts at retail, it would cost me too much and I would not recoup the investment. On the other hand, how many other people have looked into the possibility of doing this and given up due to cost and limitations in knowledge. If I can make a unit at the right price, maybe I can find a market for it here in the UK. Who knows, if nothing else it will give me a basic electronics grounding.

[shmokes]

and then having your roommate promptly stop using the computer.

That's half the point.  That, in and of itself, would be a return on the investment.

[StephenH]

The simplest thing to do, is to get a coin-meter (search the web for these), and connect a relay to it, which you connect to switch the keyboard and mouse power line (or data line).

If you want the computer to log the user out, I know someone who makes a timer program that manages amount of time per day, altough I am not sure if he could set it up so a coin could give the user more time.

[mrhowell]

Kick the bum out.