This project was created for my scouting group while preparing for “ZuWaKa”, a four-day regional camp with 11 groups and around 500 participants (young and old). Each group was tasked with building an attraction that could be featured at a fair, which was the camp’s theme.
Our team joked about creating gambling machines, but the idea grew on us. We decided to create a coin pusher, initially manually powered, but I suggested automating it using servos via an Arduino could be feasible, and would be something I would enjoy tinkering with. So, the idea for the automated coin pusher was born.
I started by building a prototype out of cardboard, based on a design template by Yowawerts. After a few nights of work, I had a functional coin pusher that allowed manual movement of the coin tray. I brought this back to the rest of the team, who then recreated this prototype using wooden planks. From there, I designed the mechanism for the servos that would drive the pushing platform, crafted from leftover parts and additional components, and ordered the servos. Once the servos arrived, I wired everything to an Arduino via a breadboard and properly cable managed where possible, and then programmed the servos to deliver enough force to move the coins effectively.
From that point on, all that remained was transporting the coin pusher to the event, rework the setup, as it had to be dismantledfor transport, hooking it up to a car battery, and letting kids play with it. Sadly, it did not win us the building competition, but it still provided plenty of entertainment for the children who played with it. Overall, a successful project!
You can find videos of the build process, the final result and the code used to power the servos below: