Can Any Bill Acceptor connect to a PC?

[renobastian100]

how are bill acceptors connected to computers?
Do only 12 voltage acceptors work?
How do bill acceptors "talk" to the computer?


 

[Fozzy The Bear]

how are bill acceptors connected to computers?
Do only 12 voltage acceptors work?
How do bill acceptors "talk" to the computer?


 

You can't connect bill acceptors to your computer. The computer doesn't have the interface to connect them to or the hardware to understand them. Not to mention the software to interpret the signals.  You want a bill acceptor buy a fruit machine (Gambler)...

Bill acceptors use two types of interface, one is a serial interface and the other a parallel one. But neither of them follow the PC standards.  You could get an interface card that would accept them, but it would cost a huge sum of money and even then your software (including Mame) won't interpret or understand what they are.

The answer here is forget it! even if you can do it, it'll be hideously expensive to do. Different manufacturers use different signal systems as well. You can't connect and ARDAC to a JCM system or a Coin Controls to an ARDAC or a JCM to.... etc etc etc..

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear).

[renobastian100]

I could have sworn i read a thread about some guy that wired his bill acceptor to a coin mech.

I guess I am missing something but I'll take your word for it...
 

[sarge]

I don't know if this is exactly what you are looking for but you can look at this:
http://www.happcontrols.com/validators/96060600kit.htm

[Spaz Monkey]

Just an FYI, but a bill validator connected to a pc is something totally different than connecting it to a coin mech.   That being said, I have no idea to either situation.

[Coin_Op]

Why would you need a bill acceptor?

This is for a MAME cabinet?

[protokatie]

Why would you need a bill acceptor? I dunno!

This is for a MAME cabinet?

With the current "value" of the US dollar, you have to have some way to make your friends pay for the beer... 

[Coin_Op]

Why would you need a bill acceptor? I dunno!

This is for a MAME cabinet?

With the current "value" of the US dollar, you have to have some way to make your friends pay for the beer... 

Well........How do I argue with that form of reasoning?
(spoken in a hypnotic voice)Must Make Them Pay, Must Have Bill Acceptor

[protokatie]

Well........How do I argue with that form of reasoning?
(spoken in a hypnotic voice)Must Make Them Pay, Must Have Bill Acceptor Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

I somehow knew that bringing beer into the discussion would have a positive impact

On a somewhat related note, I had been (a few weeks ago) thinking of making a vending machine from scratch, using either a coin mech or a bill acceptor. It would, of course, vend PBR short cans for a dollar a piece

[TalkingBull]

I recently got a bill validator off eBay that is already set to take all the new bills.  I need to get a new coin door to hold it though... I have an old Midway 2-chute door with no port for a validator in it.  If anyone has a spare, please let me know.

As to the interface, it has a power cable and nothing more... I don't know what the heck I am going to do with this thing... just think it would look cool in my machine.

[BASS!]

I recently got a bill validator off eBay that is already set to take all the new bills.  I need to get a new coin door to hold it though... I have an old Midway 2-chute door with no port for a validator in it.  If anyone has a spare, please let me know.

As to the interface, it has a power cable and nothing more... I don't know what the heck I am going to do with this thing... just think it would look cool in my machine.

You could always just have it eat money, and have your friends be on the honor system, heck they are your friends right?

[TalkingBull]

I don't make my friends pay to play on my machine.  I have coin-up buttons on the CP.  I put in the Coin Door because there was this huge hole to fill (Ultimate Arcade II) and once it was in there, I had to get it to work!  It bugged me!  I just think it would be cool to have a bill validator.. and yes, I could have it just suck up cash and make it a somewhat unique bank, I would get irritated that I wasn't getting credits racked up.  I think I will end up getting the serial adapter that is sold over at HAPP along with their 12V adapter I apparently need.  I still need that coin door though...

[M.Lanza]

I have a mars 2000 series bill validator installed in my megatouch.

It seems like the bill validator sends out electrical pulses when currency is inserted,
with each pulse being equal to one coin.

For example:
$1.00 bill = 4 pulses
$2.00 bill = 8 pulses
$5.00 bill = 20 pulses

I am by no means an expert on this stuff, but it seems possible that
some kind of circuit exists that will translate these electrical pulses into
button presses similar to how a coin door microswitch would be connected
that would be far cheaper than what happ is offering.

Also, if your bill acceptor can operate on 12v DC current, I don't see why you couldn't
connect it to your computer's powersupply.

I'm not absolutly sure that what i've typed is correct, so maybe someone
more knoledgable can offer more insight into this.

[Ken Layton]

Bill acceptors come in many different operating voltages, mounting configurations, snout styles, upstacker/downstacker/stackerless, wiring pinouts, output configurations, communication protocols. There were a limited number of Midway "Ms Pacman" style coin doors made with a cutout for a Rowe "OBA" series bill acceptor (stackerless) used on the Midway "NFL Football" laserdisc games.