Reset coin counter to Zero?

[DaOld Man]

Anybody know how?
KT 801

[Ginsu Victim]

Lots of coins?
I tried to open mine, but one of the screws was stripped and I couldn't get in.
Considering it was at 92,000 and has six digits, I just left it alone.

[Malenko]

roll it.

[Encryptor]

I took mine apart and reset it to zero. It wasn't that difficult.

Encryptor

[Jdurg]

If you can take it apart to reset it, then that is the best maneuver.  If your counter was like the KE one I got with my coin door, good luck taking it apart.  They are hermetically sealed and the only way to move it is to just manually apply voltage to it and get it to move.  If you can wire up a circuit, you can probably just turn a switch on and watch the numbers roll by.

[DaOld Man]

It was tricky to take apart, but I got it.
It was an even more of a trick releasing the wheels so that i could turn them.
I had the counter wired up to my h drive and used my Printer Port Tester program to pulse it.
But it was going to take forever to run it all the way back around to 0, plus the clicking noise was driving me up the wall.

[severdhed]

kinda off topic, but how do you wire one of these up on a mame cabinet?  my coin counter has two wires, and says 12v on it.  if i connect it to the yellow and black wires on a pc power supply, it will roll the number.  is there an easy way to hook one of these things up so that it will count coins on a mame cabinet?

[mountain]

kinda off topic, but how do you wire one of these up on a mame cabinet?  my coin counter has two wires, and says 12v on it.  if i connect it to the yellow and black wires on a pc power supply, it will roll the number.  is there an easy way to hook one of these things up so that it will count coins on a mame cabinet?

Wire the ground side of the counter to your coin switches and diode isolate them.

[Thenasty]

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[mountain]

....

This doesn't look right to me. Can you explain how it works?


This is how I wired mine. My counter was the 12v variety. On the left of the diagram is the coin swtch inside of my coin mech. They are isolated with the diodes so that they both will trigger the relay, which sends a hard gound to the counter. The relay may be over kill. I also wired a seperate button for coin credits for player one. This can be duplicated on all four coin switches if needed.

[DaOld Man]

I think this would be the way to go if you want to use diodes, but I wouldnt do it this way.

[protokatie]

The relay may be over kill.

I woundn't call it overkill. Separating two different voltage systems with a relay in this kind of application is what I would call insurance. Besides, a 12 volt rated relay costs like 3 or 4 bucks... And can be found at most electronics stores (IE electronics stores, not big box "electronics" stores like best buy).

You did smart: Would you rather
1. have a relay, or
2. have your Ipac/Keywiz/etc and USB port controller die?

Yes, I understand there are other ways to electically separate the two source voltages, but I will be going the relay and separate power source route myself.

[mountain]

I think this would be the way to go if you want to use diodes, but I wouldnt do it this way.

How would you do it?

The relay may be over kill.

I woundn't call it overkill. Separating two different voltage systems with a relay in this kind of application is what I would call insurance. Besides, a 12 volt rated relay costs like 3 or 4 bucks... And can be found at most electronics stores (IE electronics stores, not big box "electronics" stores like best buy).

You did smart: Would you rather
1. have a relay, or
2. have your Ipac/Keywiz/etc and USB port controller die?

Yes, I understand there are other ways to electically separate the two source voltages, but I will be going the relay and separate power source route myself.

I think the diodes are probably plenty to keep the counter isolated from encoder. I would not recommend supplying the counter a ground from any encoder unless the manufacturer says it can handle it. The Bosch relay I used pulls 150ma through the coil. I don't know what the coil in the counter draws but RandyT told me that on the Keywiz line of products, the inputs are sink rated for between 7 and 12 ma. I am sure the ground supplied from Keywiz can handle WAY more than that, but I don't think they were designed to power accessories.

[DaOld Man]

I think this would be the way to go if you want to use diodes, but I wouldnt do it this way.

How would you do it?

I agree with protokatie about keeping the encoder isolated from the counter and its power source.
But instead of using relays at 3-4 bucks each, i would use opto-isolators.
they arent much bigger than a diode and run around 50 cents to a dollar each. (depends on where you get them and how much it costs to ship, etc). Plus they make no noise, dont require suppressing diodes, and they should outlast a relay by several years.
You can also get dual opto-isolators which would supply both encoder inputs. they are two opto isolators in a single 8 pin DIP package. (Integrated circuit with 4 pins on each side.)
Plus, again agreeing with protokatie, I would much rather overkill something than under kill it.
Under killing something leaves the door open for it to bite you in the a**.
But if you feel comfortable about letting the encoder and counter circuits touch each other, then the diode drawing I showed should work fine. the relay shouldnt be necessary, but there are several ways to do something. Using relays would work too.
You could also use a relay to isolate the circuits, but the opto isolators will do the same thing cheaper and take up a fraction of the room.
I can post a drawing using optos if you'd like. I can also give you some links for more info about the optos. They are very easy to use, but do require some soldering skills.

[mountain]

I think this would be the way to go if you want to use diodes, but I wouldnt do it this way.

How would you do it?

I can post a drawing using optos if you'd like. I can also give you some links for more info about the optos. They are very easy to use, but do require some soldering skills.

Thanks for the explanation. Please post or PM me what you have, you have my attention 

[Jdurg]

In my case, my big question is what type of signal does the KeyWiz output?  Couldn't I just wire my counter up to the coin-switch and have the voltage come from the signal generated by the KeyWiz, and just tie the ground into the ground on my encoder circuit?  My counter is a 4.5/6V counter and if it's getting a feed from the encoder it shouldn't cause any damage to it.  (I have trouble understanding how something can damage itself with a signal it generates).

[mountain]

In my case, my big question is what type of signal does the KeyWiz output?  Couldn't I just wire my counter up to the coin-switch and have the voltage come from the signal generated by the KeyWiz, and just tie the ground into the ground on my encoder circuit?  My counter is a 4.5/6V counter and if it's getting a feed from the encoder it shouldn't cause any damage to it.  (I have trouble understanding how something can damage itself with a signal it generates).

The only output from an encoder is through the USB or PS2 cable. The ground "output" is just a ground. The counter needs to see the ground pulse from the switch to register a number change. The encoder needs to see the pulse to tell the computer that a "key" has been pressed.

[Jdurg]

I think that's what I was getting at, but in a more convoluted manner.  I'll have to draw something up.  I just know that there has to be some flow of electrons through the encoder in order for a signal to be registered, and that a flow of electrons through the meter causes the counter to change.

[DaOld Man]

I think that's what I was getting at, but in a more convoluted manner.  I'll have to draw something up.  I just know that there has to be some flow of electrons through the encoder in order for a signal to be registered, and that a flow of electrons through the meter causes the counter to change.

The counter most likely will draw more CURRENT than the keywiz can sink.
It will probably draw more current than the PC's PS2 or USB port can handle.
If you power the counter from the keywiz +5 volt supply you are taking a very big chance.
I WOULDNT DO IT.
But if you do, tell us how it turns out.
I think we discussed this in another thread.

[DaOld Man]

Thanks for the explanation. Please post or PM me what you have, you have my attention 

OK, I am no expert, but let me start by explaining what a opto isolator (also called opto coupler) is and how it works.
It is a small package that contains an led and a photo transistor (some have photo triacs and photo scrs, but Im not getting into those here.)
you supply current to the led side, it lights up (inside the package, you cant see it), and it basically turns on a photo transistor. The transistor is like a switch, but its current capacity is limited.
Here is a very simple drawing of a opto isolator:

[DaOld Man]

And here is a drawing of what happens when you send current through the LED side.
Note that a resistor has to be used to limit the current going through the LED, just like any other LED.
The current through the transistor has to be very small (around 30-50 MA).
Think of this as a SPST NO relay.
The opto isolator keeps to current supplies isolated. It will take hundreds or even thousands of volts to break this isolation.

[DaOld Man]

Here is a blurred pictured of an opto isolator in my hand, next to a 1 amp diode for comparision.

The opto isolator is the square thing on the left.

[DaOld Man]

And here is how I would wire two of them (u1 and u2) into my above circuit.
Notice there is no connection at all between the counter and its power supply and the encoder.
r1 and r2 are current limiting resistors for the leds.
The coin switches handle the current going to the counter and the opto isolators leds.
The opto isolators photo transistors switch the coin inputs to the encoder.
You can also get optoisolators with two isolators built into one package. This is probably what I would use, due to the one double package being smaller than the two single ones.
You can also buy sockets for these to plug into.
Makes wiring them a little simpler, cause you have to be careful when soldering these babies. just like any semi-conductor, they dont like a lot of heat.

[DaOld Man]

oops.. made a slight mistake.
The anodes of the leds need to go back to the positive side of the counter's power supply.
I also reversed the leds for accuracy.
left the other pic up so you can compare teh two.

[DaOld Man]

I am not in any kind of business to sell opto isolators, or any suggestions I offer on this board.
But, if someone really wants me to, I can throw together a small circuit that will do the job of the last circuit I drew.
It will have the two opto islators, the resistors, and the diodes on a small board.
You will need to supply the counter, the encoder, the counter power supply and the coin door switches.
I have no idea what it will cost me to build this, but I will say 20 US bucks plus shipping costs. If it doesnt cost me that much or take an awful lot of my time, I will cut you a break.
Just PM me if you are interested.
Im not trying to sell these, and I dont need to, just doing it as a favor.

[Jdurg]

I think that's what I was getting at, but in a more convoluted manner.  I'll have to draw something up.  I just know that there has to be some flow of electrons through the encoder in order for a signal to be registered, and that a flow of electrons through the meter causes the counter to change.

The counter most likely will draw more CURRENT than the keywiz can sink.
It will probably draw more current than the PC's PS2 or USB port can handle.
If you power the counter from the keywiz +5 volt supply you are taking a very big chance.
I WOULDNT DO IT.
But if you do, tell us how it turns out.
I think we discussed this in another thread.

I certainly will.  I'll do some research on it first and see if there are any risks at all.  I'll have to bring out my old physics book to see how the counter could even draw current that wasn't available to it.  I figure it will either work, or won't and that's it.  I can see how damage could occur if I fed it 12 volts and had it connected to the KeyWiz though.