Vending machines have
always fascinated me. You put in some money, and out comes a prize. How
do they work?
The machine knows how much money you've inserted! Inside is a currency detector to
read your paper money, and there's coin detector that trips certain electromagnets when
particular coins are inserted.
"The keypad is not only the
vending machine’s main input device but also the home for its central computer.
When you press a key combination on the pad, it tells the central computer what
it should do next." (HowStuffWorks.com)
"At the bottom of the vending machine, a line of laser beams determines if your
product has been released by the metal spirals. Each laser beam is paired with
an electronic light sensor. When your product falls it breaks this path, telling
the computer that it was a successful transaction." (HowStuffWorks.com)
So that's why it thinks you have your prize when it's really
stuck between that little door and you!
You can get some crazy stuff in Japan from vending machines.
Maybe that's a good topic for another Notifiblog. Cheers!
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