BYO Vending Machine :)

[NiN^_^NiN]

Well as with alot of guys i want a vending machine but they cost WAY to much

Well being the inventor i am (yeah as a kid i use to invent alot of crap which worked but stopped later on in life)

I thought about how to make a BYO Vending Machine

and i finally made plans for a simple mechanism to dispense cans with a push of a button

Now This is really simple and im gonna use this in a non cooled unit (old cabinet or something tall and slim)

Now the rails are simple enough there just to hold the cans in and gravity will make them move down

This system won't creat any jams or anything

But the dispensing mechanism is were i need help

I was thinking of a stepper motor but im sure someone can help me think of a simple gear setup 

Anyway here is a bad paint pic i did 



Does this make sense to you guys?

Anyway i have a way for the paddle to move by themselfs when u push a button and using gears to slow the process down.

But i don't know how to use gears to slow the rotation down.

But what do you think?

I made a quick mockup to make sure the paddle would actually stop the second can when the first goes through and it does

So if someone has an idea on the gears then it would be a fully self powered vending machine that only uses the weight of the can to make it move.

You can of course add a device to cool the cans like using one of them small plastic bar fridges that cools the can down or something like that.
What do u guys think?

[missioncontrol]

someone made a thread sometime back about trying to make a vending machine, but I don't think it went off the ground. everyone just suggested to him to get one of those skyboxes that's seen at Home Depot.........

[ChadTower]

When you're not actually selling the cans, it's just a fancy fridge.

[missioncontrol]

found a pic:

[ChadTower]

MMM, all the power consumption, half the capacity.

[Sephroth57]

whats the point? lol, cant you just keep a mini fridge next to the machine

[missioncontrol]

a mini fridge doesn't have buttons to press 

[NiN^_^NiN]

This is the BYOAC we like playing with buttons 

I'm in australia so skybox ain't available here

I did make a setup using balawood and that worked great (altho it finally broke after i put in 8 cans lol)

I'll try to make some plans by the weekend and post them here and who knows i might get time to actually build it myself

Well proably only the rails but still  thats half way there

Good thing is you can make any kind of case with this and case of the size of the whole rails and mechanism u could do a dual dispenser thats only 2 and a half cans wide for the cabinet 

I'm gonna have Coke and Jim beam dispening in mine

I guess the inside of the cabinet could be lined with that cooler bag stuff to keep it colder than room temp 

[quarterback]

Why build 'rails' when you could just buy something like this: http://www.onlinediscountmart.com/5797.html

[NiN^_^NiN]

Cause its plastic

Altho thats were i got my design from for the rails basiclly

It will hold alot more cans and dispense them with a push of a button.

You would have to hack that thing up abit to make it work with the design i've done.

But theres 3 reasons why mine is better

1) It's solid
2) It dispenses cans when u want them
3) You get to build it thats half the fun plus is very simple

Thanks for the pic tho now people will understand what i mean by rails

[Sephroth57]

maybe its just me but im picturing this really ghetto looking contraption

[NiN^_^NiN]

Not really you put it in a nice cabinet and have the rails holding the cans inside it.

Then its gonna have the like a steam paddle in the path with wooden gears attacked to the side of it.

Should look fine and could look very good if u take the time with the wood working etc.

Beside its gonna be in a cabinet so no1 will see unless u open the door

[knuttz]

Not to be a party pooper but if it isn't refrigerated then whats the point?

[esser]

Just curious NiN,
what sort of $AU to purchase a vending machine?

[Sephroth57]

Not to be a party pooper but if it isn't refrigerated then whats the point?

oh yeah forgot about that, you cant be drinking warm beer man

[Goz]

found a pic:

I have a skybox and it's a great solution at a very good price. These can be found new for about $350. One of the cool things about the skybox is that it is extremely easy to use your own art to make it look the way you want it to look. You can buy art kits for themes like coke, beer, sports teams, etc.. but it has a nice plexy side rail system for sliding your own creations into place to decorate the thing. It also comes with the coke, beer, water inserts for the buttons and the door and buttons light up nicely.

Oh and there's an optional stand and when used with the stand the unit is about 5ft tall (roughly)

-Goz

[Stingray]

Why build 'rails' when you could just buy something like this: http://www.onlinediscountmart.com/5797.html

I had one of those in the fridge forever ago. It lasted all of a couple of weeks before it broke.

-S

[NiN^_^NiN]

ok

First off this is plans to make the dispensing mechanism you can do the refridgerated part anyway you like you can use this in a fridge and still ahve space to put normal things in it if u want.

Second
You can't buy vending machines in aus its illegal to sell as they all belong to pepsi or coca cola and can be punished by law.

You can buy non refridgerated but they cost $500 and up and look ugly.

The whole point is to DIY it yourself you guys are smart enough to work out how to refridgerate it yourselfs

I might refridgerate it for mine but i don't know if i will.

[Goz]

Makes sense now... its and Oz thing.

[NiN^_^NiN]

well if u guys are even interested then i wont bother posting plans

[Stingray]

If we are interested you won't post plans? That's just mean.

-S

[Sephroth57]

ok i kind of get wanting a vending machine, but i dont get who would want warm drinks?

[NiN^_^NiN]

If there is interest i'll release the plans only if foley releases Mr. Do lol j/k

If people want plans i'll give it to em

And Sephroth57 i'll say it again its the plans for only the mechanism

U will have to actually think of how u will refriderate it 

U can just use a $30 mini fridge that holds like 4 cans of coke to cool the cans in the cabinet you just gotta take the parts out of it fridge :p

[GadgetGeek]

What does it matter if it is warm.  He says it is going to be dispensing beam and coke.  It's going to get poured over a glass of ice, right?  You wouldn't want to be seen drinking that out of a can.  Unless of course you are putting the beam into a coke can so you can drink it at work. :-)

Show us the plans!

[NiN^_^NiN]

Plans will be made readable soon 

Building should take 2 hours max on the weekend

Then i will have to work out what kind of cabinet style i want it to go in

[danny_galaga]

You can't buy vending machines in aus its illegal to sell as they all belong to pepsi or coca cola and can be punished by law.

ac cola? schweppes? i think the only major issue with buying a vending machine here is the law regarding R12 gas. if its old, youll have troubles...

[NiN^_^NiN]

Ahigh its not what im looking for

Im not sure who owns them all danny but i've seen schweppes vending machines owned by coca cola same with pepsi ones aswell altho i've never seen a AC cola one.

But from what i've found out no1 will sell u a machine cause it belongs to the company they rent them out to different companies who put them on site to make money etc but i couldn't get to buy one from anyone

But the price for them isn't worth it.

This is a community based on building things im quite surprised from most peoples feelings towards this 

[danny_galaga]

dont get me wrong! i think it would be fun to build your own. im just saying (as an aside) that you CAN buy them, youve just asked the wrong people. building is heaps more fun in ANY situation! otherwise, as you say what are we all doing HERE?

[NiN^_^NiN]

no no i understand your view was just surprised by what everyone said would of thought they would want to make one themselfs it be cheaper than buying a proper one and save money on the electricty costs at the vending machines suck some juice.

Its ok i'll post some pics on sat as i make it 

[ChadTower]

I want a vending machine that has a secret remote.  I want a button somewhere else taht will cause the machine to shake up the guy's beer if he ticks me off.

[Stingray]

Oh so it was you! I bought a root beer from the vending machine at work the other day, it exploded all over my office. I should have suspected that Chad was behind that!

-S

[Goz]

I want a vending machine that has a secret remote.  I want a button somewhere else taht will cause the machine to shake up the guy's beer if he ticks me off.

You could use the 'Butt Shaker' to do it.

[ChadTower]

A transducer requires a heavy bass sound to operate.  I'd be much better off with a small electric spinning motor, slightly off center.  The type you'd find in a vibrator, but a little bigger.

[Goz]

A transducer requires a heavy bass sound to operate.  I'd be much better off with a small electric spinning motor, slightly off center.  The type you'd find in a vibrator, but a little bigger.

Your the vibrator expert. 

[Stingray]

Everyone is thinking too small.



-S

[missioncontrol]

Everyone is thinking too small.



-S

 

still too small

duct tape it to this

[ChadTower]

People would notice that.  I need subtle.

Shake it up, and then maybe eject it too hard into the nuts.

Nutshot, then wethead.  Nice.

[quarterback]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=B0009JP1XS
$159.

All the links seem to point to Amazon without much detail.   Do you know if it has a compressor or if it's one of those chincy peltier cooling units like these:

[NiN^_^NiN]

it's a peltier cooling unit in thoese small fridges

I'll probably use one from them to cool the drinks down 

[SeanCyrusTowel]

I want a vending machine that has a secret remote.