Home-made / cheap hopper?? Automated sorting??

[c1881]

Hi, I'm new here. I've spent the past few hours searching the forum archives for ideas on how to improve my current set up, but with no luck. I have a cheap-o coin-a-lyzer sorter I spent like $30 on, and I am actually pretty happy with it. Not interested in investing in a Ryedale anytime soon.

I made a cardboard chute w/ a couple adaptations that allows me to sprinkle in a handful of pennies without too much care or attention, and is a huge step up from hand sorting, or even hand feeding the sorter one penny at a time.

However, I really want to take it one step further, and have a fully automated system, so I don't have to keep feeding it a handful at time. I want to be able to pour a bunch of pennies into some sort of hopper (or tube feed), flip a switch on a little motor, and be able to walk away. I don't want to spend too much money on a full-on hopper; part of the fun for me is keeping my investment to a minimum.

What I have in mind is something along the lines of the 'Penny Miser' (a rotating disc with penny-thick holes) but a little quicker -- something that would simply keep a steady feed into the sorter I already have.

Has anyone made any such contraption? Does anyone have any plans or details on how to build something like this?

What other kind of adaptations have people made on these cheap sorters that have made sorting more efficient?

Any other ideas for making a cheap automated set up? Or are there any affordable hoppers out there that I could combine with this sorter?

Thanks a ton for any advice. It's a pleasure to join the ranks here among you copper enthusiasts. I had no idea there were so many of us!

[GGerrands]

I'm in the process of building my own sorter with a IGT S2000 hopper. Here are some links I found helpful:

1. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/coin- ... -11-a.html
2. viewtopic.php?f=21&t=11238&p=111782#p111782
3. viewtopic.php?f=21&t=4741&p=96569#p96569
4. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=19679

[hags]

Having used both I would doubt the coin-a-lyzer would keep up with the IGT2000 hopper...You'll need a better comparitor..

hags

[Madwest]

There could be middle ground between hand feeding a cheap-o-lizer and building a homebrew sorter that rivals (or exceeds) performance of the Ryedale.

You could fashion a "hopper" or other delivery system from any number of things (funnel, CD spindle case, frosting tub, http://www.harborfreight.com/money-mise ... 98052.html, you name it). Then, you could figure out a way to get the coin from the "hopper" to the comparator from any number of things (hot wheels track, aluminum, plexiglass, molded plastic, you name it).

Odds are though, you wouldn't be all so happy with the result. It will be slow, hard to keep running, prone to errors, etc. In the mean time, you will face equivalent expense and hardship with that approach as compared to going all in on a homemade sorter made from proven components. If you are resourceful and handy, you can make a respectable sorter from reclaimed slot machine parts and other junk for $80 or less.

Hopper: $42
http://www.ebay.com/itm/S2000-IGT-UPRIG ... 7775d#shId

Comparator: $17.50
http://rudysdeals.com/index.php?route=p ... duct_id=51

Power Supply: $3
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-US-Plug-AC- ... 53f1a6cee9

Coin Chute/Slide: $2
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hot-Wheels-Tr ... t/17325654

Misc: $0 - $15 depending on how good you are at "scrapping"
- shelf wheel for cents (made from 16ga stainless or galvanized steel)
- some sort of stand (made from wood or something else)
- wire nuts
- who knows what else

[Zincanator]

I checked out that Harbor Freight coin sorter today. Tiny motor, wobbly nylon gears. More of a novelty than anything else. I don't think it'd be up to any extended duty use. But I think that's what Madwest is getting at .