Modder builds coin-operated PC, only works with quarters
YouTube hardware engineer MrYeester has shared a build that turns a standard desktop PC into a coin-start machine. The idea is quite simple: no coin, no boot, and it has to be a specific coin value. The project replaces the usual front-panel button behavior with a coin acceptor and a relay. Once the acceptor detects a valid coin, the relay triggers a short “button press” signal for the motherboard’s Power SW header.
At the center of the build is an industrial coin acceptor that can be set to accept only one denomination. MrYeester shows the acceptor learning a specific coin through repeated insertions, so the module rejects other objects that match the rough size but fail its sensor checks.
Source: MrYeester
The wiring is fairly simple for anyone comfortable with basic PC modding and crimping. The setup uses a PSU breakout or adapter to provide 12V to the coin acceptor and relay, then routes the relay output to the motherboard’s front-panel header. And that’s probably the most complicated part.
For the enclosure, MrYeester uses a temporary cardboard housing for the coin acceptor during testing, with the focus kept on the electronics and the boot behavior.
The overall cost of the entire “insert coin to play” project is estimated at around $130. This would most likely ruin me, given that I constantly put my system into hibernation (and I keep all USB devices disabled).
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