Coin Sorter

Do you need an efficient way to sort and count your coins without doing all the math yourself? With this coin sorter, all you need to do is place your coins in, sit back, and let the machine do the work!

From sparkfun kit:

LCD display

Battery pack

Breadboard

Arduino Uno

Male to Male wires

Outside of kit:

Male to female wires

Cardboard

Scissors

Boxcutter

Tape

Hot Glue

3D printer

IR sensors

Screws and nuts

Coins

9V battery and Connector

Elegoo Stepper motor

Elegoo stepper motor driver module

Hopper: Ensures that the coins stay seated while entering the ramp.

Rotor Tray: Holds underneath the coins so the motor can spin.

Rotor: Has spots for the coins to sit in so that only one coin goes to the ramp at a time.

Rotor Shaft: Holds the rotor and tray together while spinning on the axis of the motor.

Total Printing Time For all 4 Parts : 1hr 46 minutes

Once all components are printed, they should latch together in the middle and then you can use 3 screws and nuts to hold them securely together.

1. Wire the Arduino UNO to the breadboard from 5V and GND to + and –.
2. Then connect the rails on each side of the breadboard with 5V and GND
3. Wire the LCD using female-to-male wires. Utilize the diagram above.
4. Wire the four IR sensors. Each is wired to a series of resistors, which are connected to 5V. Each is also connected to the corresponding A0 – A3 and ground. Utilize the photo above to ensure they are all wired correctly.
5. The stepper motor is connected to the stepper motor driver module, which connects to the Arduino board with the following: N1-3, N2-4, N3-5, and N4-6. Then connect GND to GND and + to 5V.

1. Download the given code into the Arduino software.
2. Upload to your Arduino Board

Cardboard Dimensions: These do not need to be perfect, as long as they all fit together well, it will work just fine. Feel free to adjust to your needs.

1. 1x7 piece (Front of coin bins)
2. 4X 1x1.5 pieces (Coin bin separators)
3. 0.75x6.5 piece (Coin ramp)
4. 3X 1x1 piece (for stopper and height: adjust to motor)
5. 9x1.5 (cut holes accordingly for coin size and small rectangles for IR sensors)
6. 0.25 x 2.5 piece (Small ramp to guide coins to go down)
7. 1.5x3, 1.25x3, 1.75x3, 2.5x3. (Angled ramps for each coin bin)
8. 5.25x2.5, 3.5x2.5, 3x2.5, 2.5x2.5, 2.25x2.5 ( Wall dividers)
9. 5.25x7 (Back wall of coin divider)
10. 11x6 (back )
11. 7.5x6 (right side)
12. 3.25x6 left side
13. 7.5x11 (base)
14. 4x2 (LCD holder. Cut the hole to fit the LCD inside)
15. 3.75x4.5 (Front cover)

1. Once all of the cardboard pieces are cut, use hot glue to assemble them.

Use the photos above to build the frame.

1. Cut holes for the sensors in the back wall of the coin divider, ensuring that the holes are underneath the ramp on the other side.
2. Place the LCD into the cut square at the front. Tape the single row of the breadboard behind the LCD.
3. The motor driver module should be hot glued behind this.
4. Next to it, use hot glue to secure the Arduino board.
5. At the end, tape down the breadboard
6. Keep the wires as organized as possible to avoid any pins becoming loose or detached.

Utilize the photos above for placement of components

1. The machine works by first turning it on by plugging in the power cord, which activates a rotating wheel that pushes individual coins onto the ramp.
2. Each time a coin goes down, it counts the number of sensors it passes, which determines the type of coin it is. One sensor is a dime, two sensors are a penny, three sensors are a nickel, and four sensors are a quarter.
3. The coin will fall into the hole that matches its size after passing the sensors.
4. The number of coins of each type and the total dollar value of all coins is then displayed on the LCD screen.

This video demonstrates how the coin is placed into the rotor and then slides down the ramp. It counts as a penny because two IR sensors were triggered.