Help

[Ark]

Have a FSI model 3132 17 selection snack machine. Today I was notified by client that it stop vending. It accepts bills and coins but after selection, coil barely turns. I tried motor test on each and all do the same. Can anybody help?

[tc vending]

This sounds like a board issue.

[Ark]

Any known solution or do I need to get it serviced?

[mission vending]

Have a FSI model 3132 17 selection snack machine. Today I was notified by client that it stop vending. It accepts bills and coins but afoíter selection, coil barely turns. I tried motor test on each and all do the same. Can anybody help?

Does this model have ivend on it? If so, my first thought is misaligned, blocked or malfunctioning optical sensors.

[AZVendor]

This model uses an F80 controller without I-vend capability.  Make sure your light is good and well lit, as bad lights can damage the logic boards in USI machines.  If your light is out or flickers or is dark on the ends, remove it as it should be replaced.  The machine uses the  MDB communication protocol and sometimes a faulty coin mech or validator can cause issues with the machine, too.  You can try disconnecting the coin mech and validator separately to see if that solves the problem.  Remember that  the power must be turned off before disconnecting a coin mech or validator.

 

If the problem is not solved, you might have a bad motor or a grounded wire in one of the shelves or inside the cabinet.  You should begin by unplugging each shelf one by one and performing some test vends on the remaining shelves to see if the machine then works properly.  If the problem doesn't change with the unplugged shelf, then plug it back in and unplug the next one and perform test vends again.  Repeat this process until all shelves have been unplugged and the machine is tested.  If you find that the problem is resolved with a particular shelf unplugged, then your problem is on that shelf. 

 

Pull that shelf out and look over all the wiring from the shelf plug to the last motor.  Look for damaged wire insulation, a wire caught under a motor, or any unused wires that might have protruded from the shelf and been caught somewhere. 

 

If no wiring issues are found, you can further narrow the problem down by disconnecting one wire from each motor and testing the machine.  If not fixed then repeat until all motors have been disconnected and isolated from the machine.  If no bad motors turn up then you may have a grounded wire in the cabinet or it could come down to being a bad logic board.  Look closely at all the wiring around the logic board.  There is a cover over the board that can pinch a wire when it is tightened down.

[Ark]

It should be noted that earlier that day I filled the machine so a pinched wire is a possibility. I didnt isolate each shelf but did run motor test and each motor barely moved the coil.

[AZVendor]

If you have a bad wire or a grounded wire you need to follow steps to isolate the problem.  One wire somewhere in the machine can cause the problem you describe.  You don't want to put a board in it, find out the problem is still there, and then still have to do the troubleshooting.  If you can find a vending tech, maybe a local USI distributor, that has an F80 board and is willing to try it to see if it fixes your problem, then take them up on that.  Otherwise you need to troubleshoot before spending the money.  That's how I've done it for 28 years.

[Ark]

AZ-

When u put the machine in service mode, it recognized all 17 selections. I disconnected each self and did a machine test and same thing happened ( nothing). I checked each motor to make sure no wires were pinched, all clear.

I must have done something to it as I was stocking, just can't figure out what. I was trying to change a price after stocking could I have done something program wise?

[AZVendor]

When you have each shelf unplugged, you need to perform some test vends to see if the other motors begin to function correctly, not just a motor count (if that's all you did).  There isn't anything you could do in the programming that would cause this. 

 

When vending, do the spirals turn slowly all the way around with the product vending and the spiral back where it started?  In other words is this a slow-motion vend?  That would be the only way I could see you getting 17 motors on your display each time.  If the motors only turn a little bit and then stop turning, that would leave motors off their home position and then you would get an inaccurate motor count, so I believe that all the motors slowly run their complete cycle, yes?

 

I also wonder why you don't have 19 motors as your model number is for a GF19 snack.  I don't remember a 17 selection snack.  Do you have 2 missing motors or 2 motors that have previously stopped working?

 

You may be looking at a logic board problem.  I would have suggested a bad transformer, but your coin mech and validator are running off the board just fine at the same voltage as the motors, so the transformer is not likely the cause.

 

Do you have a slaved soda machine attached to this machine?

[Ark]

No machine attached. I conducted a machine test on each selection. Same result, the spiral barely turns. If I put a dollar or change in and make a single selection, same result the spiral barely turns. Not even a half turn but more like 10-15% turn. It's a 17 selection machine.

Also I noticed two connectors coming from the "multi-drop" connection on board. One looked like it was connected to the validator the other was not connected at all. Could this be the issue???

[AZVendor]

No, that loose connector would probably be used with a different validator.  So your motors never stop in the home position?  It's weird that you can still get the motor count at 17.  I think you need a new board. Would you like me to get one to you?  The exchange price is $189.

 

PS:  I'm still wondering if you truly only have 17 motors in the machine.  Can you tell me how many are on each shelf?

[Ark]

I have 3 selections on shelves 1-4 and 5 selections on bottom shelf.

[tc vending]

Ark you in Arkansas? If so I can recommend you my main parts supplier. I use mainly usi machines when they start acting crazy it normally the board I exchanged one this week should be a snacktron 3 board.

[AZVendor]

I have 3 selections on shelves 1-4 and 5 selections on bottom shelf.

Okay, that's an unusual setup, but the machines are adjustable.  Do you want a replacement board for exchange?

[Ark]

No, Louisiana. I will get back to you about board. Do you have a website?

[tc vending]

I am in the baton rouge area. The vending center has been very helpful since I been in business their website is thevendingcenter.com they got my board here the next day.

[Ark]

Okay, that's an unusual setup, but the machines are adjustable. Do you want a replacement board for exchange?

AZ do you have website to order board from?

[AZVendor]

I don't have a website but I can help you if you let me know what issue you are having or are you speaking of this same machine with the F80 board?

[Ark]

yeah same issue. looks like i need a new control board. Can you post a photo of board so I know we are speaking of same kind?   Also, how to I get one from you?

[venddoctor]

There is a Pulse feature in the F80 board (at least it is in the AP version of the F80 board so I assume it is in the USI F80 board too) that you could have turned on by accident while trying to price it. Hit the service mode button then press E then 1 if it says PULSY (the Y may look like a 4) then press 1 again so it says PulseN then hit the mode switch and try it.

[AZVendor]

yeah same issue. looks like i need a new control board. Can you post a photo of board so I know we are speaking of same kind?   Also, how to I get one from you?

You can pay with credit card or by Paypal.  The feature venddoctor mentioned is not available on your board and I don't think this board was used in an AP machine - at least not with the feature he is speaking of.  Each board has its own eprom with its own set of features for the specific machine it is in.

[AZVendor]

yeah same issue. looks like i need a new control board. Can you post a photo of board so I know we are speaking of same kind?   Also, how to I get one from you?

You can pay with credit card or by Paypal. I will ship the board and then you ship your bad board back to me.  The pulse feature venddoctor mentioned is not available on this board. If the board was also used by AP, it would have had a different feature set burned on an Eprom specific to the machine it was used in.  Any option for Pulse would be for a validator interface and nothing else.  I will try to post a photo of the board.

[venddoctor]

You can pay with credit card or by Paypal. I will ship the board and then you ship your bad board back to me.  The pulse feature venddoctor mentioned is not available on this board. If the board was also used by AP, it would have had a different feature set burned on an Eprom specific to the machine it was used in.  Any option for Pulse would be for a validator interface and nothing else.  I will try to post a photo of the board.

The F80 board is the same board used in the AP LCM machine which does have the Pulse feature in the programming. Yes the two boards have different pin headers and slightly different software but the base code is almost identical. The F80 board is an off the shelf board that was made by Coinco and used by 3 different manufacturers. One of them used it in a can drink machine which used solenoids which only required a "pulse" to fire the coil.

 

When the Pulse feature is turned on the machine will take money and when a selection is made the spiral will turn just a little bit (the amount it turns is set by the Pulse time which is also hidden in the board).

 

Now doesn't that sound exactly like the problem ARK is having?

[Ark]

Thanks VenDoctor. I will try it out because like I said, I was trying to price an item the day it went out. I will let you know asap!!

[AZVendor]

Venddoctor, 

 

Which can drink machine used this board?  It does look similar to the LCM boards, but I have never compared them before.  It is like the USI CB700 board that is the same board used in some late model Royal machines.  I do see that the LCM board has two more pinout headers that the USI board doesn't have and I will bet that the USI board Eprom doesn't have the programming features that allow the Pulse setting.