DIY Pachinko ball counter
I am thinking about building a home-made digital ball counting machine. Something relatively small so it can sit on a counter. I have some of the preliminary plans drawn up and been researching the electronic parts, and I find the project is very doable.
It would simply have a pour-in top hopper, the balls would run through a counter and discharge into a lower collection bin. It would have an on-off and reset switch, and accurately count 0 to 99,000 balls quickly as you can pour them in, by lots of a few hundred each. It would probably be powered by either wall wart transformer or a regular 9v battery.
It will be built using common materials from big-box hardware stores and a few electronic parts ordered online. Nothing really super-fancy, just a DIY ball counting unit. I was going to build one for myself (only), but then I thought maybe others might be interested in it.
It's a project that will take some time. I have a lot of other things going on too, but I'll update this page as my project progresses. If it all works out in the end I'll offer pre-assembled parts of it for sale or trade (Parts such as the electronic counter unit) and detailed plans for anyone interested.
My first task is experimenting in different ways to get poured balls to flow reliably and single file through a tube without jamming. The electronic counter should be the easiest part.
Wish me luck!
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