DIY Vending Machine Is a Masterpiece of Manual Tool Use

If you’ve ever thought about building something awesome, but lamented that you don’t have the necessary 3D printer/laser cutter/CNC router or other automated tool, Dejan Nedelkovski of How to Mechatronics would likely beg to differ. His Arduino-based DIY vending machine, while designed using 3D CAD, is built entirely using manual tools such as a (homemade) table saw, hand drill, and jigsaw.

Inside of the machine’s MDF shell, a series of four continuous rotation servos dispenses items using coils that were manually bent around a spray can. Before it twists an item out, a slide system made out of aluminum tubing and wood moves to catch it, then lowers it down to the exit position. While Nedelkovski freely admits that this slide system might not be necessary, it makes for a much more entertaining device to build and observe.

The machine is controlled via an Arduino Mega, and lets the user select from the four items in the machine with a series of buttons. User feedback (besides dispensing an item) is provided by an LCD panel, and the slide mechanism is controlled by a pair of NEMA 17 stepper motors. Finally, to ensure that customers have paid (something) for their items, an infrared proximity sensor is used to pick up a coin dropped through the money slot.