S2000 Hopper optics question

[BCD]

Let's try this again...

First off please remember head shaking is allowed but guffawing  is to be kept to a minimum.

Here are a couple more pictures of the coin sorter joint project.  As you can see she ain't no beauty but she was designed to sort coins not win pageants.

And sort coins it does!  When the planets are in proper alignment, and the chute is where it's supposed to be, the hopper will deliver 300-350 coins/min to the comparitor.  I'm REAL happy with this because the Cadillac of sorters, Ryedale, is rated at 300 coins/min and lists at $500.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see I have slightly less than $500 in this thing.

For the umpteenth time, a thousand "Thanks" to all that have helped me.




When she has a counter I'll post a movie clip of her in motion.

[zarobhr]

Are you separating copper pennys with that??

[BCD]

Hi zarobhr,

Yes, I'm sorting copper pennies.

After looking at the pictures me thinks it's a good idea to use a tripod in low light situations.

[zarobhr]

you should try to get one of these it is designed to sort between copper and zinc pennies

http://www.coinmech.com/product_profile.cfm?id=453

[BCD]

Hey zarobhr,

That looks like the comparitor CMI brought out for corting copper pennies!  I called CMI about it and decided not to spend $100 on this comparitor until I make sure this contraption works.  I bought used comparitors for about $15 apiece.

If you use the penny comparitor are you happy with it and is it able to discern wheat cents from memorial pennies??


Correction zarobhr; is the CMI penny comparitor able to tell the difference between wheat cents and pre-1982 memorials?

[zarobhr]

i dont have one but an old friend of mine does. it only sorts between copper and zinc (accepts one rejects other) i believe the wheats were copper also and zinc started in early mid 80's

[BCD]

Thanks zarobhr.  You're exactly right.  I mispoke in my previous post.

Catch up with y'all later; I'm off to drive a fire engine.

[stayouttadabunker]

I found this article...>>>

I think you mean what's the difference between Lincoln Wheat Cents and Lincoln Memorial Cents. Wheat Cents were made between 1909 and 1958, and they feature a reverse design of two wheat stalks surrounding the phrase "ONE CENT/UNITED STATES OF AMERICA". The Lincoln Memorial Cents have been made from 1959 to present day 2005. Their obverse is the same as the wheat cents, but on the back is the design featuring the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Additionally, most dealers will pay 1 and a half cents per wheat penny, whereas memorial pennies are only worth one cent. Big deal, I know, but since a roll of mixed memorials sells for 50 cents, it's nice to know that a roll of mixed date wheat cents sells for about 90 cents.

Read more: http://www.cointalk.com/t9268/#ixzz1b3FnOKJf

I don't think the coin comparitors can tell the difference but I'm not 100% sure on this.

[zarobhr]

Bunk your right it cant tell the difference between the wheats and memorials, but it can tell the difference from the pre 82 copper pennies and 82 to current pennies that are zinc.

[Jim]

the only reason someone goes through this much trouble to sort and count pennies is to MAKE MONEY.

pre 1981 pennies are worth .04 cents  of copper value, so a pound of pennies (90% copper) is worth maybe 6.00 USD.

how many pennies make up a pound???


Am I on the right track or did I miss the train???
How many boxes of pennies do you own,  looks like there were several in the photos.

Jim

[BCD]

The CMI compariitor, when "tuned," easily and quickly sorts the 95% coppers from the 5% coppers.  Some of the wheats (1909-1958) are also sortable from the other high % coppers because of less attention to the alloy mixture.  The high % coppers are most anything from Indian Head pennies through 1958.  Other than a few oddball planchets, 1943 is the only year I know of that was not 95% copper.  Due to a wartime shortage of copper the '43's were mostly steel and visibly different than other pennies.  1982 was a transition year for composition %'s.  Early '82's are 95% copper whereas other '82's are the 5% copper variety.  The government figured out the value of copper in each penny was more than one cent. 

Currently, $50 of 95% coppers will fetch 75$-$85 on eBay.  Definitely not a get rich quick proposition now that the price of copper is down.  When copper was higher in the year, $100 was the going price for a bag of high copper pennies.  As a hobby/investment there are some advantages;  I get exposure to people a heck of a lot smarter than I am, gizmos are created, $100 worth of pennies sorted each week will return $625 gross annually, at today's low price, with NO downside, and when the sorter is operating correctly it can run in the background so one can multitask.  Negatives are storage, lugging 75# of pennies around, and bank/CU tellers that are having a bad day.  I would not EVEN want to do this whole shebang by hand.  Right now the drawback I have is counting the high % coppers. 

That's why I'm on this counter perfection kick instead of using the comparitor/counter combo.  Wiring up the count function on the comparitor is the no-brainer.  But, unless you reverse the count process so the rake doesn't activate for each counted coin, the rake solenoid will get a heck of a workout and quite possibly wear out REAL SOON.

Jim - I'm not sure where you're getting the .04 cents.  I read that as 4/100 of a penny worth of copper in a high copper penny.  eBay pricing says it's more like 150/100 (1.5 cents) per penny.  There are 140+/- pennies to the pound.  Right now I only sort 10,000 ($100) pennies a week; usually during a televised college football/basketball game or History/Discovery channel show.

Want a possible no-brainer coin play?  Nickels (except some WWII years) are worth 20% over face given current nickel prices on the metals market.  If the world economies rebound nickel prices should also. BIG plus is now sorting.  Negatives are storage and $$ tied up.  'Course given CD and $$ market rates...

[Jim]

BCD


http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150667287859


Jim

[BCD]

Exactly Jim. 

$6 divided by $.04 equals 150 pennies to the pound.  Look at it like this, the copper value is four time the face value according to the eBay seller.  His SELLING price is 2.66 cents per penny; still pretty high.  When you add the shipping fee of another 2.66 cents this is mighty expensive!  Also, the seller is not quite accurate on all his facts.  1962-1981 are 95% (not 90%) copper and some 1982's are 95% copper, 5% zinc contrary to assertion. 

I'll be curious to see if this lot sells.

If I can QUICKLY and EFFICIENTLY sort/count pennies, have no more than face value plus REASONABLE eqt. cost, get ZILCH for comaparable liquidity, AND MAKE 50% OVER FACE, darn straight I'll cozy up to Lincolns.

Wanna really get your shorts in a knot?  Check out pre-'65 dimes, quarters, halves, and all silver dollars!

[StatFreak]

the only reason someone goes through this much trouble to sort and count pennies is to MAKE MONEY.

pre 1981 pennies are worth .04 cents  of copper value, so a pound of pennies (90% copper) is worth maybe 6.00 USD.

how many pennies make up a pound???


Am I on the right track or did I miss the train???
How many boxes of pennies do you own,  looks like there were several in the photos.

Jim

Current pennies weight 2.5g, but according to the following site, the older pennies weighed 3.11g. They also calculated the current value of melted pennies to be about 2.2¢ if you take their word for it.

http://www.coinflation.com/coins/1909-1982-Lincoln-Cent-Penny-Value.html

[BCD]

   You nailed it StatFreak, that website seems to be the "go-to" for melt values.

[Buzz]

I must have missed something.  If your selling the penny's by the pound, what's the big deal of having a counter ??

[BCD]

I like your "If it ain't broke..." motto.

All the talk about weight was background, additional info, whatever you want to call it.  I would be selling by the face amount because it's more precise and reliable counters are not expensive.  Plus, it's one more gizmo to Rube Goldberg!

[StatFreak]

I doubt anyone has ever built a larger scaled RG machine.. of course, I could be wrong!

Enjoy.

SF

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/qybUFnY7Y8w&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/qybUFnY7Y8w&rel=0</a>

http://www.okgo.net/this-too-shall-pass-rube-goldberg-machine/

[BCD]

  HOLY MOON BLOOMERS!!!!!  Now THAT is Rubing!

Thanks StatFreak.

[StatFreak]

What's even more amazing is that the entire video is a single shot with no cuts, and yet several of the major events occur right on the beat of the music as they are supposed to.

[BCD]

IMO, no matter one's opinion of Rubing, the amount of work and coordination that went into that project has to be respected.  The song ain't half bad either!

[CaptainHappy]

That was amazing!!!!!  for posting it!

The scary part for me is that they must have made multiple attempts for a perfect performance judging by their already paint stained coveralls. Quite a bit of setup!

CH

[BCD]

Bunker,

I'd like to try wiring up a counter like you did in your video but have a question about voltage to the optics sensor.  I've tried to determine the voltage to the sensor on Foster's S2000 attachment with his earlier post.  There are two voltages shown for the diagram of the J122 clip; 5V and 13V.  I think the four pin J122 is for his optics.  I have not been able to find a schematic with voltage(s) for my six pin optic so I have no idea whether my optics takes 5V, 13V, or what.  In your video you used 12V to power your sensor.  Can you tell from Foster's diagram if the sensor is powered with 5V or 13V?  If it's 13V it seems to me I should be able to use 12V like you did in your video.  If it's 5V I'm afraid I'd damage the sensor  .

Thanks,
Bart

[poppo]

If it's 5V I'm afraid I'd damage the sensor  .

Best to try 5V first.

[StatFreak]

BCD, considering how much you enjoy experimenting, you should really do yourself a favor and buy a bench power supply. I know Bunker finally broke down and bought one. You'll thank yourself for it.

Stat