There are 12v-powered bill validators that you could power with a
car battery and a solar charger. Probably too expensive for this
application, though...
<http://www.meigroup.com/usa/amusement/amusement_products/bill_acceptors/mei_12v_battery_powered_v/>
Here's a thought. Inspired by the pay lockers you'd find at bus
stations.
Step 1: Build a wood bin. Think individual cubicles, each
holding a "stack" of wood. Each cubicle has a door with a lock. Each lock
takes a different key.
Step 2: Find a cheap, used vending machine that takes
bills. Vending machine goes on the porch, where there is electricity and
it's out of the weather. Vending machine dishes out keys. Each key has a
tag indicating which door in the wood bin it opens.
A sign goes at the end of the drive. People pay at the vending
machine, take the key and open a bin to get their wood.
Only flaw - you'd need people to leave the key so you can re-stock
it into the vending machine. You could make several extra keys for each
lock, that's cheap. But if they keep the key, what stops them from
returning later to open that bin again and getting free wood? You could
replace a lock every time someone takes the key - that'd work if the locks
are cheap.
Or think up a mechanism that trips when the key is turned,
preventing the lock from rotating back to the lock position (where the key
can be removed). That'd work if the locks only permit the key to be
removed in one position.
Anyway, that's an idea off the top of my head. If I win the
contest I'll expect a nickel royalty per stack :)
Todd
Seattle,WA
'86 GTI, Red of course. (exciting racey car) 272,000 miles
'01 Golf TDI, silver. (new work car) 262,000 miles
'87 Golf, Polar Silver. (retired work car) 654,000 miles <- Gone to a new
home :(
http://www.pureluckdesign.com <-Ferrari & VW stuff
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