Coin Mech Options - Old 10p & RetroPi

[alanparry]

Hi, I'm building a RetroPi cabinet and am mostly complete but really want to add a coin mech using old style UK 10p coins. Can anyone recommend a suitable coin mech and/or interface that would support this?

[AndyHazz]

I only really know about the Mars ME111 in my cab, which I have programmed for new coins ... but you might be able to find one that has never been updated, or pay to have it reprogrammed back to using the old 10p coins (you might need to supply a quantity of the coins to whoever is doing that for you).

http://www.swallowam.co.uk/coin.php#mars sells coin mechs.

You'll need a credit board as well, that's what will convert the coin value sent by the mech, to a given number of credits you can send to a gpio pin on your pi. There will be switches on the credit board to configure e.g. 10p = 1 credit, 20p = 2 credits, 50p = 3 credits etc. Swallow sell those as well, but mine is from here: https://www.thomasandanca.co.uk/machines/credit-boards/coin-dt-video-credit-board.html

A simpler (and probably cheaper) option that I have seen, if you don't mind accepting anything roughly coin shaped, is a 3D printed fake mech that triggers a simple switch with the passing coin: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1649021265123737/posts/7126765470682595/

[rtp_burnsville]

Hi,

I have one similar to this and it works fine.  The most difficult part is figuring out how to program them using the china/english instructions.  The one I current have can accept up to 6 different coin types.  I am pretty sure it would work with the coin type you mention.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165746042086?epid=2236004025&hash=item26973be4e6:g:yWkAAOSwh5JjWk7x&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4HC8K%2FrOvAb4Sl8qPMYx%2FT8uXKtj9vaDW3ngOyvGnZtWKeYuNg3%2FNvazln9A8Cwspyq5zdv15ucd3OAxK6k7vnKBQJpwpS5860ae5pjAOzDJkFl%2FZ6EVKuEIiASmMEfbKLd8N52SjNb7qMgjwFtNHWfR2U1JTSy5pyTSgyQvS9eR7S1uP8O1soSpMw2RyqHAf0OPdLNqaJZxOxcAHQ1T8cAdW3CjUEuTHWuYFwZHoFUwOC5xhWqT3TpG6BfQt9WLkCFkamPOgfLMnOXc4JgN6bTzJ%2B2bl2HcwhnN9RQ33dwp%7Ctkp%3ABFBM4J7Bl9Fh

Robert

[PL1]

Coin acceptors like the one rtp_burnsville linked to usually run on 12v so you'll need a properly installed Zener diode to regulate the 12v down to 5v so you don't fry your encoder. (IPac, Arduino, etc.)




Scott