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I designed these machines from 2016-2017, and I programmed everything in the Mindstorms app for iPad which had a drag-and-drop programming method. The goal for these machines was to accept a certain payment while rejecting others and to dispense a product. They also held at least two rounds of each product which demonstrated that the build could be expanded to hold any amount of product.
More machines can be seen on the Youtube channel.
This machine was the second iteration of my iPhone vending machine. It accepted $20 Canadian dollars (CAD) in exchange for one iPhone and one charger. It featured a novel bill-rejecting mechanism (at the time) which drew over 300k views to the Youtube video.
Dispensing Mechanism
Dispensing Mechanism
The phones were held behind a chute in a holder. Once payment was detected, a rack and pinion mechanism moved one phone from the holder over the chute to be dispensed. A similar rack and pinion mechanism was also used to move chargers around.
Payment Mechanism
Payment Mechanism
A light sensor detected the shiny strip on 20 CAD which was different from the other bills. If the right value was detected, a tire on a motor spun to draw the money into the machine.
This machine accepted a nickel for a starbust mini or a quarter for a regular starbust. Other coins were returned back to the user.
Coin Rejection Mechanism
Coin Rejection Mechanism
The input coins were sorted by size using a ramp with different-sized gaps. Pennies and dimes were smaller and sorted out first. The nickel was just big enough to pass the gap that caught the pennies and dimes while the quarter was big enough to pass through the whole ramp. The nickel gap led to one light sensor and the quarter gap led to another. The starburst or starburst mini was dispensed based on which light sensor was triggered.
Dispensing Mechanism
Dispensing Mechanism
This machine used a rack and pinion to move a holder. The holder started in the neutral position which held the starbursts over a platform. A motor would turn the pinion gear left or right depending on the light sensor that was triggered. The starburst would fall through a gap in the platform and the empty holder would return to neutral position. Another starburst would fall into place for reloading.
This machine accepted a quarter for some pasta and water to cook it in. While this machine did not cook the pasta or give a practical amount of pasta and water, the idea was to test out a water dispensing mechanism. This machine featured a similar coin rejection and sensing mechanism as well as a similar rack and pinion mechanism to the starburst machine.
Water Storage
Water Storage
The water was stored in a water bottle with a hole in the lid. A stopper surrounded by a piece of sponge was placed in the lid to keep the water in. When the water bottle was stored upside down, gravity would keep the stopper in place and prevent water from coming out.
Dispensing Mechanism
Dispensing Mechanism
An arm attached to a motor would move up and down to open and close the stopper on the water bottle. When the stopper was lifted, water would be dispensed.
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