Running extra hoppers from the triac output.

[Amusements]

Hi Guys.

 This thread is for anyone who already has two hoppers on their MFME cabinet, and want to add an extra 1,2 or 3 hoppers for the older fruities. - The older ones with 2p/10p/50p/token solonoid/tube payouts

 After planning this months ago, I finally got round to experimenting with my Arduino Uno (regarding Pacdrive Triac outputs to hopper). (Thanks to getting some quiet during the daytime!)

 So as a newby to Arduinos, I literaly took the simplist code there is for the Arduino (https://docs.arduino.cc/built-in-examples/basics/DigitalReadSerial), and built on it for my test. The idea was to take the 5v output generated by the Pacdrive for triac payouts, and make a hopper spit out a coin, and stop when the coin has paid out.

Here my diagram of set up.

Here is what I altered the (public domain) code to:

//pins
const int pulse = 2;
const int opto = 4;
const int motor = 12;

int relaya = 0;  // off
int relayb = 0;  // off

void setup() {
  // output:
  pinMode(motor, OUTPUT);
  
  // input:
  pinMode(pulse, INPUT);
  pinMode(opto, INPUT);
}

void loop() {
   relaya = digitalRead(pulse);
  if (relaya == HIGH) {
  digitalWrite(motor, HIGH);
   }

 relayb = digitalRead(opto);
 if (relayb == HIGH) {
  digitalWrite(motor, LOW);
  }
  }

 

And here is a quick video example of it running it with a blue hopper.
https://youtu.be/JTeSdhvOSsg

(The button being pressed, is only to demonstrate what happens when the Pacdrive 5v output sets a relay off)

Here is a pin diagram for the opto circuit on a blue hopper as they are never labeled, and a diagram is hard to find.

 

 

My next test was to run 2 separate hoppers both at the same time, by duplicating some of the Arduino code.

//pins
const int pulse = 2;
const int opto = 4;
const int motor = 12;
const int pulse2 = 5;
const int opto2 = 7;
const int motor2 = 13;

int relaya = 0;  // off
int relayb = 0;  // off
int relayc = 0;  // off
int relayd = 0;  // off

void setup() {
  // output:
  pinMode(motor, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(motor2, OUTPUT);
  
  // input:
  pinMode(pulse, INPUT);
  pinMode(opto, INPUT);
  pinMode(pulse2, INPUT);
  pinMode(opto2, INPUT);
}

void loop() {
   relaya = digitalRead(pulse);
  if (relaya == HIGH) {
  digitalWrite(motor, HIGH);
   }

 relayb = digitalRead(opto);
 if (relayb == HIGH) {
  digitalWrite(motor, LOW);
  }

   relayc = digitalRead(pulse2);
  if (relayc == HIGH) {
  digitalWrite(motor2, HIGH);
   }

 relayd = digitalRead(opto2);
 if (relayd == HIGH) {
  digitalWrite(motor2, LOW);
  }
  }
 

Here is another quick video of both hoppers running.

 

Here is a pin diagram for the opto circuit on a common black serial hopper too.

Feel free to add anything that may help others below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2023 by Amusements
Stupid youtube won't embed the first video

[andrew96]

cracking stuff!! great info! 

[MPU_FIVE]

Brilliant stuff, Amusements!!

Eventually I hope to build a cab that'll take and pay out 2p,10p,20p & £'s so this is very exciting to see... are you building this capability into your current cab or are you making a new one? - if so i'd love to see what you come up with.

Cheers,

Gary.

 

[Amusements]

Hi Guys.

Last week I bought a tiny wall cupboard, and kitted it out with an external hopper for 2p payouts, using everything I did above.

The bad news, is that the switches on my breadboard were a different way round to what I drew! (Them switches are black, square and unmarked!). I have asked Pete to swap the big diagram in my first post for the updated one, but have had no reply, so here is the updated circuit diagram:

Everything is working perfectly on all my installed 2p games, and this set up can be reprogrammed any time. Obviously the hopper has to be primed, and have enough coins in the hopper, as triac payouts are pulsed.

Here is the finished project working.

 

 

 

 

 

[Road Hog Mad]

@Amusements I meant to ask you how you got the note acceptor working, as I always have mates coming round with no change  

From what I remember you used a note saving box or something? Care to explain how you did it?  

[Amusements]

 

14 hours ago, Road Hog Mad said:

@Amusements I meant to ask you how you got the note acceptor working, as I always have mates coming round with no change  

From what I remember you used a note saving box or something? Care to explain how you did it?  

For the kids hacked money box way, I use 2 timer relays. One controls the timing for the motor that pulls the note in, and another one times the hopper to pay out 10 coins (in milliseconds). I might have posted more info somewhere?

The other note changer I built, I used a JY-142 timer board and a note accepter.

Quick vid of the timers. 

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by Amusements

[nails]

love the video, please keep us informed!