Cashbox

This essay is about a suggested student project in Java programming. This essay gives a rough overview of how it might work. It does not describe an actual complete program. I have no source, object, specifications, file layouts or anything else useful to implementing this project. Everything I have to say to help you with this project is written below. I am not prepared to help you implement it; I have too many other projects of my own.

I do contract work for a living, which could include writing a program such as this. However, I don’t do people’s homework for them. That just robs them of an education.

You have my full permission to implement this project any way you please.

DeLaRue InstaChange coin dispenser

Every office has a small box of cash that is used to handle petty expenses. There is always a problem of theft and error since so many people have access to it, including people who don’t work in the office. It is a nightmare for the person assigned the task of reconciling the cash. Your task is to create a miniature ATM machine to manage petty cash and ensure the records are kept perfectly and nobody takes money without a record of it.

The software

It consists of a computer that people can type on to make their petty cash requests. They can't get any money without specifying the amount and the purpose to the computer. People can identify themselves with various types of id card, fingerprints, thumbdrives, passwords etc.

Management can limit different employees in amounts and frequency, or require authorisation.

All this is handled with a traditional GUI.

The first thing someone would think of to foil such a machine is to take out money, then pull the AC power plug, and hope the machine forgot about the money it just gave out. You have to strongly commit transactions to hard disk before handing over any cash.

The Hardware

The cash itself is stored in what amounts to a miniature ATM. There is no need for it to be built like a safe. We are trying to discourage petty theft here, not a bank heist. You can’t use an actual ATM machine since it won’t dispense change.

It dispenses coins using the same mechanism as a vending machine. Presumably you can get such a device by scavenging it from an old vending machine or finding supplier of new components. You could look for ideas and parts on Google from ATM manufacturers, bill breakers, vending machines, bank teller cash dispensers, night cash dispensers, cash recyclers, coin dispensers supermarket cash registers that dispense coins to the customer, multiple denomination bill dispensers…

You might build it around the DeLaRue InstaChange automatic coin dispenser.

To dispense the money you might use the mechanism for a sheet-feeding printer. Alternatively, you could use a tractor feed mechanism, and put the money in pouches mounted on tractor feed paper. That takes more work to load the machine, but it would hardly ever jam if you had a rugged tractor mechanism. Probably it would be cheapest and most reliable just to use one of the many existing multi-denomination bill dispenser components.

The deluxe model would accept bills and coins as well, the change for some purchase made with petty cash.

Low Cost

The key to making this project a success is to keep costs low. A business can’t justify spending that much more than it saves in petty thefts. It is worth something to a business to remove temptation. It is also worth something to have accurate books. Suspicion over petty cash creates crippling dissention. You can reduce the cost by having it run on some old computer that has been retired.

thumbdrive

	Please email your feedback for publication, errors, omissions, broken/redirected link reports and suggestions to improve this page to Roedy Green :
	Canadian Mind Products
	mindprod.com IP:[65.110.21.43]
	Your face IP:[38.103.63.58]	The information on this page is for non-military use only.
	You are visitor number 11.	Military use includes use by defence contractors.
	You can get a fresh copy of this page from:	or possibly from your local J: drive (Java virtual drive/mindprod.com website mirror)
	http://mindprod.com/project/cashbox.html	J:\mindprod\project\cashbox.html