Pre-1982 (copper) pennies.

[k]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLSTXGmBaT4

Same idea but searching for silver dimes instead.

[1714016564]

1714016564

[bluefirecorp]

The thread was a proof of concept. If I find a buyer that's actually interested in a lot of copper pennies or so, then I'd gladly search through 20k a day.

Even if someone just PMs me saying they are interested then it gives me a reason to go out and actually do it.

[silverbox]

The thread was a proof of concept. If I find a buyer that's actually interested in a lot of copper pennies or so, then I'd gladly search through 20k a day.

Even if someone just PMs me saying they are interested then it gives me a reason to go out and actually do it.

If your going to do 20k a day, buy the machine that sorts them..

[bluefirecorp]

The thread was a proof of concept. If I find a buyer that's actually interested in a lot of copper pennies or so, then I'd gladly search through 20k a day.

Even if someone just PMs me saying they are interested then it gives me a reason to go out and actually do it.

If your going to do 20k a day, buy the machine that sorts them..

That's the long term plan. Actually designing a machine rather than buying one. The current machines on the market seem to require too much human interaction.


Right now, I'm trying to get the proof of concept DONE. I need to see there's area in the market for a new face rather than investing 5 grand into it and 500 man-hours just to find out "oh, no one actually buys the coins".

[silverbox]

The thread was a proof of concept. If I find a buyer that's actually interested in a lot of copper pennies or so, then I'd gladly search through 20k a day.

Even if someone just PMs me saying they are interested then it gives me a reason to go out and actually do it.

If your going to do 20k a day, buy the machine that sorts them..

That's the long term plan. Actually designing a machine rather than buying one. The current machines on the market seem to require too much human interaction.


Right now, I'm trying to get the proof of concept DONE. I need to see there's area in the market for a new face rather than investing 5 grand into it and 500 man-hours just to find out "oh, no one actually buys the coins".

$5000 and 500 hours??  to sort pennies.. Just about anything is better then spending that much on a penny sorter .  Last time I checked you could buy a sorter for like $100.  The hardest thing to do will be getting the pennies to feed the sorter..  You'll probably also need a rolling machine to reroll the pennies.

[rjk]

Actually, you could design and build an extremely capable sorter on the cheap. I would recommend a system that you can fill a hopper with coins, and then it spreads them on a slow and wide conveyor belt. Then, use an extremely high resolution camera and some custom image recognition software to sort them; for those that are showing tails, use a robotic arm to flip them over, and another camera to confirm the data from the first one and read the flipped coins. Finally, use a second robotic arm to pick coins and dump them into sorted moneybags.

The problems with this approach are twofold; you must create or buy the image recognition software, which would be extremely difficult, expensive, or both; and you must also be able to create robot arms that are extremely precise without being too expensive. I would estimate that a reputable robot builder such as GE/FANUC would want to charge you between $50k-$100k just to design and build the hardware (cost numbers extracted from my ass).

Another option would be a high-speed serial sorting system; this would mean that you would have to find out a way to feed coins into a slot one at a time very quickly, and again use extremely high speed cameras and image recognition software to read the dates and other properties of the coins. You would need a camera on either side of the slot, and some way of sorting the output. Output sorting could be achieved with a rotating arrangement of receiving funnels that each go to a different moneybag. Use your imagination.

[silverbox]

Actually, you could design and build an extremely capable sorter on the cheap. I would recommend a system that you can fill a hopper with coins, and then it spreads them on a slow and wide conveyor belt. Then, use an extremely high resolution camera and some custom image recognition software to sort them; for those that are showing tails, use a robotic arm to flip them over, and another camera to confirm the data from the first one and read the flipped coins. Finally, use a second robotic arm to pick coins and dump them into sorted moneybags.

The problems with this approach are twofold; you must create or buy the image recognition software, which would be extremely difficult, expensive, or both; and you must also be able to create robot arms that are extremely precise without being too expensive. I would estimate that a reputable robot builder such as GE/FANUC would want to charge you between $50k-$100k just to design and build the hardware (cost numbers extracted from my ass).

Another option would be a high-speed serial sorting system; this would mean that you would have to find out a way to feed coins into a slot one at a time very quickly, and again use extremely high speed cameras and image recognition software to read the dates and other properties of the coins. You would need a camera on either side of the slot, and some way of sorting the output. Output sorting could be achieved with a rotating arrangement of receiving funnels that each go to a different moneybag. Use your imagination.

uh the copper pennies weigh more then the zinc ones..  You don't need any cameras.  A simple wheel that has spots for pennies to drop into one at a time while rotating and two output paths will do the trick..  Its already been done..

Here's a cheesy example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCk_wuxaEvs&feature=related

[rjk]

uh the copper pennies weigh more then the zinc ones..  You don't need any cameras.  A simple wheel that has spots for pennies to drop into one at a time while rotating and two output paths will do the trick..  Its already been done..

Here's a cheesy example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCk_wuxaEvs&feature=related

Sure, but I was thinking of a multipurpose machine that could handle pennies, dimes, nickels, quarters, casascius coins, or whatever. It could sort by type, date, denomination, BTC balance, or what have you.

[bluefirecorp]

$5000 and 500 hours??  to sort pennies.. Just about anything is better then spending that much on a penny sorter .  Last time I checked you could buy a sorter for like $100.  The hardest thing to do will be getting the pennies to feed the sorter..  You'll probably also need a rolling machine to reroll the pennies.

When I mentioned $5000 dollars, I meant $5000 dollars in copper pennies [really, closer to 2 million pennies to get that, $20,000].

500 man-hours was an estimation, now I'm looking at closer 120 with a nice and proper machine.

[bluefirecorp]

Another bump. It seems me selling 'new' type of products on bitcointalk is rather difficult.

[bluefirecorp]

Bump.

[ccliu]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130479399867#ht_2015wt_1270

I wanted one as I have about $250 worth of pennies in my room. A tad expensive though.

[bluefirecorp]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130479399867#ht_2015wt_1270

I wanted one as I have about $250 worth of pennies in my room. A tad expensive though.

Yes and no. Have to manually feed it..so a bit slow.

Also, it doesn't separate out CAD pennies..which would be illegal to melt down in Canada.

[miaviator]

Actually, you could design and build an extremely capable sorter on the cheap. I would recommend a system that you can fill a hopper with coins, and then it spreads them on a slow and wide conveyor belt. Then, use an extremely high resolution camera and some custom image recognition software to sort them; for those that are showing tails, use a robotic arm to flip them over, and another camera to confirm the data from the first one and read the flipped coins. Finally, use a second robotic arm to pick coins and dump them into sorted moneybags.

The problems with this approach are twofold; you must create or buy the image recognition software, which would be extremely difficult, expensive, or both; and you must also be able to create robot arms that are extremely precise without being too expensive. I would estimate that a reputable robot builder such as GE/FANUC would want to charge you between $50k-$100k just to design and build the hardware (cost numbers extracted from my ass).

Another option would be a high-speed serial sorting system; this would mean that you would have to find out a way to feed coins into a slot one at a time very quickly, and again use extremely high speed cameras and image recognition software to read the dates and other properties of the coins. You would need a camera on either side of the slot, and some way of sorting the output. Output sorting could be achieved with a rotating arrangement of receiving funnels that each go to a different moneybag. Use your imagination.

50K - Meh - Legos ->

http://robosingularity.wordpress.com/2007/08/26/dannys-fully-automated-lego-rubiks-cube-solver/

[ccliu]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130479399867#ht_2015wt_1270

I wanted one as I have about $250 worth of pennies in my room. A tad expensive though.

Yes and no. Have to manually feed it..so a bit slow.

Also, it doesn't separate out CAD pennies..which would be illegal to melt down in Canada.

Im in Canada, and pennies up to '96 are 98% i think. Got boxes of it in my room.

[Vanderbleek]

Since there's a weight difference, couldn't you just have a stream of air that will deflect the lighter ones further, and make them miss the collection container? Would just have to have them fall past the stream one at a time.

Don't forget to check for die errors when you're sorting

[bluefirecorp]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130479399867#ht_2015wt_1270

I wanted one as I have about $250 worth of pennies in my room. A tad expensive though.

Yes and no. Have to manually feed it..so a bit slow.

Also, it doesn't separate out CAD pennies..which would be illegal to melt down in Canada.

Im in Canada, and pennies up to '96 are 98% i think. Got boxes of it in my room.

It's not the copper content, it's the fact that if someone wants to take all my pennies across the border [you can carry 1 million pennies on you legally (~6300 lbs of copper)] and melt them down, they can't melt the CAD pennies. They can melt the American pennies for the copper content, but not the CAD pennies. Same in America, if you have a bunch of copper CAD pennies, you can melt them in America, but not American pennies.


(Text as of 2/19/02) 18 U.S.C. §331:
Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; or whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled or lightened - shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. (Emphasis added.)


It says bringing coins INTO the United State to be mutilated, not exporting them.
So, you can't bring me a ton of Canadian pennies

[Electricbees]

None of this metal speculation/value will hold very well when we finally learn how to...

MINE ASTEROIDS.

[bluefirecorp]

None of this metal speculation/value will hold very well when we finally learn how to...

MINE ASTEROIDS.

Google's working on it, they said it'd be a couple of years though.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-24/google-chiefs-back-startup-mining-asteroids-for-metals.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57419801/asteroid-mining-venture-backed-by-james-cameron-google-ceo-larry-page/

[Taz]

Dude, check this out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC8ABm2Tz5c&feature=related
Doesn't look like to much effort to mock up with household materials.