The image to the left doesn’t make this look like much, however inside of the cardboard vending maker lives a creative Rube-Goldberg device. The video after the break gives a look at the inner workings to show how a quarter manages to dispense a full can of Coke. however that’s about all the detail we get on the project.
There are two sets of counterweights used in the design. Some marbles, as well as what look like gigantic pinballs. The coin chute, located on the left side of the venting machine, funnels the money into the waiting marble. When the marble rolls off it lands on a spoon. The weight rotates the spoon-filled disk as well as causes one of the waiting pinballs to decrease from their rack. As that metal sphere falls it operates a ratcheting system to dispense just one can. It looks like the capability of the maker is limited to two refreshing cans of sugary liquid, however that might be scaled up if a lot more room were made for cans as well as counterweights alike.
[μέσω reddit]