This is the coin door I ordered from Happ Controls. It's the over under model part# 40-0038-00 At $75.00 its a real bargain.

The only problem is the coin mechs that come with the door will only accept quarters, and I wanted to have my cabinet accept any coin so that I could use it as a fancy piggy bank. Here's how I altered the coin mechs to allow any coin...

Tools and Materials needed:

  • Phillips Head Screwdriver
  • Small Flathead Screwdriver
  • Thin Cardboard (like the stuff on the back of notebooks)
  • Popsicle stick
  • Twist-Tie wire (just remove the covering)
  • Emery Board

  I apologize in advance for the quality of these pictures.  They were taken with my crappy old camera before I got my digital camera...

 - First remove the coin mech from the main unit. There are two little metal slides holding it in, so just loosen those up the little black knobs and slide the metal pieces out of the way and the mech will come right out.

 - Next, using a small screwdriver remove the coin catcher part on the bottom of the mech. It's held in by little tabs on the left and right sides.

 - Now remove the three parts shown in the picture. The red quarter catcher piece (which got cut off in this picture) is removed by taking out the tiny (and I mean TINY) e-pin that's holding it in place with the small flathead screwdriver.

 - Next, use this template to create a chute with the thin cardboard.

 - The Popsicle stick will fit in the original slot on the left that was holding the coin chute you removed earlier. Measure and cut the stick so that it reaches to the other side.

 - With the stick in the left side hole, use it to hold the cardboard chute in place and use the twist tie wire to keep the stick snug in place through a couple of holes on the bottom of the mech.

That's it! Now your coin door will accept any coin at all. The only problem is the small coins may get stuck as they are not heavy enough to trigger the coin switch. Here's a solution that works.

 - Remove the coin switch with a phillips head and use a small flathead to pry open the switch. Using the flathead stretch the spring inside the switch a little bit. This will loosen the switch enough that even dimes won't have any trouble activating the switch. Just don't stretch the spring too much or you may permanently damage the switch.

 - The last problem I noticed is that nickels were getting stuck in the coin slot because they're so fat. This is where the emery board comes in. Stick the emery board in the coin slot and gently file on both sides of the chute that is inside the coin slot. It doesn't seems to take too much. Then nickels will fall through with no problems.