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Just bought a Rowe 4900s... my 1st snack machine, thoughts?


Winegar

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Hey guys!... Just secured a good deal for a Rowe 4900s... 5-wide snack machine.... 6 shelves with 5, 5, 10, 10, 5, & 5 items per shelf.... Coinco 9300L changer and Rowe CBA2 bill validator (none of which I know much of anything about!) My pop machine uses all MEI money takers!

 

I'm totally new to this, as I just bought my first pop machine about 2 weeks ago (Vendo720). These machines are going to be setup for our local skydiving school and will only see approx 35-80 people per day 4 days a week, secured in a airplane hanger...

 

Do you guys have any thoughts about this snack machine, anything I should be on the lookout for, or known issues?... Pro's/Con's?... It was referb'd 3 years ago and has been in storage since then... I've seen many photos of it and a lot of talking about it with the owner, but he has never used it as it was his son's idea to buy it before moving to europe and leaving it home.... I have paid a deposit on the machine, but the roads are bad here for another week, then I can go and retreave it!

 

I'm really concerned with having enough product that sells, to fill this machine... I will be around this machine at least 1-2 days a week as I am an instructor at the school as well, so I can look after it pretty well...

 

I'm thinking of limiting the different selections in the machine by placing a duplicate rack or two of product, as i'm scared i'll buy stuff that wont sell. I have acess to a Sam's club and local supermarkets, but there is not a Costco here...

 

On another note, I may not be able to put actual chocolate bars in the machine as it gets pretty warm in the hanger in the middle of summer! :-(

 

I really just want to supply the friends and new folks with snacks and not trying to charge Disney World prices or anything, but want to make sure I can keep it going for us for as long as I can!

 

Thanks guys!!!

 

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As this is an old machine from a manufacturer that has been gone for close to 10 years, your unfamiliarity with vending machines, and the likelihood that you will have to replace the CBA validator as it probably won't take bills after sitting for 3 years, you might want to get your deposit back.  The upgrade to a newer validator will cost between $400 and $600 in parts as the obsolete CBA's are not worth rebuilding any longer.  This is also too large a machine for you.  Duplicating products into 2-4 selections will fill the machine but you will still have too large a machine.  You should be looking for something in a 3 or 4 wide machine what is cheaper to upgrade when the old validator goes bad.

 

You are correct that you won't be able to do any chocolate in it when the hangar gets warm so that will further narrow your variety down.  Don't be so gung ho that you latch onto the first machine you come across.  Be patient and, even better, post information to the forum here prior to purchasing a machine and will can advise you about what you are looking at.  Let us help you be successful.

 

And don't be afraid to make a good profit on these machines, friends or not.  You are the one making the investment and you don't want paltry profits to take you 3 years to pay the money back to you.  If you have a captive audience and they're thirsty or hungry, they will pay whatever price you charge.  You are a businessman and you must price your products accordingly.

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Well, I hope to be able to salvage something.... I paid $250 for the machine total, and he has the reciepts from the referb'er, stating the coinbox and bill validator was included in the referb process.... AZ, you really got me worried now....  I checked on ebay and they are a few CBA2's on there for what I would consider a reasonable price, and some type of adaptor cable to be able to run a Coinco 30B which is very inexpensive if they are worth anything..... Is there any other bill validators that COULD work in this machine?

 

Honestly, worst case... will it still run without a bill validator???...

 

Other than the bill validator, what else could be an expensive fix for this machine?...... I have about 30 coworkers that are some of the best in electronics.... but honestly, I hope to never have to ask them for a favor!...

 

I would do several M&M's and that type of candy once the hotter season hits... I should be okay all but about 2 months here when the temps really get up there!....

 

Thanks for any and all input guys!

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Hey guys!... Just secured a good deal for a Rowe 4900s... 5-wide snack machine.... 6 shelves with 5, 5, 10, 10, 5, & 5 items per shelf.... Coinco 9300L changer and Rowe CBA2 bill validator (none of which I know much of anything about!) My pop machine uses all MEI money takers!

 

I'm totally new to this, as I just bought my first pop machine about 2 weeks ago (Vendo720). These machines are going to be setup for our local skydiving school and will only see approx 35-80 people per day 4 days a week, secured in a airplane hanger...

 

Do you guys have any thoughts about this snack machine, anything I should be on the lookout for, or known issues?... Pro's/Con's?... It was referb'd 3 years ago and has been in storage since then... I've seen many photos of it and a lot of talking about it with the owner, but he has never used it as it was his son's idea to buy it before moving to europe and leaving it home.... I have paid a deposit on the machine, but the roads are bad here for another week, then I can go and retreave it!

 

I'm really concerned with having enough product that sells, to fill this machine... I will be around this machine at least 1-2 days a week as I am an instructor at the school as well, so I can look after it pretty well...

 

I'm thinking of limiting the different selections in the machine by placing a duplicate rack or two of product, as i'm scared i'll buy stuff that wont sell. I have acess to a Sam's club and local supermarkets, but there is not a Costco here...

 

On another note, I may not be able to put actual chocolate bars in the machine as it gets pretty warm in the hanger in the middle of summer! :-(

 

I really just want to supply the friends and new folks with snacks and not trying to charge Disney World prices or anything, but want to make sure I can keep it going for us for as long as I can!

 

Thanks guys!!!

Costco isn't worth squat for your snack supplies - Sam's is your best bet.  Hit the cookies hard as they have a good shelf life, Famous Amos, Knotts Rasberry,  Keebler SAugar Wafers and Karr's Sweet and Salty Mix all do well as well as Cheesits. Sam's also sells a lot of combo chip packs, just check the expire dates as chips will be   your biggest waste problem.  You should be able to run some Peanut M&Ms as well even without the chill unit.  And don't forget the Big Texas rolls

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AZ-.... Does the kit you have change over everything needed to do a new bill validator only?... Or does it replace the changer and main board too?... I would need 110v MEI vn series validator I understand, but would I need to change the changer as well... Any benefit to changing the changer?.... Seems like there are a few options!

 

I have access to MEI VN validators and VN4510 changers at a very reasonable price.....

 

moondog-... Thanks for the tips!... I have looked at several photos in the gallerys section here and saw some photos like what i need to do with the snacks that doesnt melt easily... Sam's club it is!... A lot of Chips, stuff you mentioned and every variety of M&M's!...

 

Thanks a bunch guys!

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I can't say what you have seen on Ebay for this conversion, but there are three ways to do it. 

 

One is with a different version of your current coin mech which is probably a Coinco 9300L.  It would be changed to a 9340L which allows a direct input from a bill validator.  Then a long harness would be connected from the coin mech to the validator on the door.  The validator is then changed to a Coinco BA30B along with a new mounting bracket.  This is the simpler conversion.

 

Another other option is converting your machine to MDB, a different communication protocol.  This would require an MDB conversion kit, an MDB coin mech, a harness from the conversion kit to the validator, an MDB validator and a mounting bracket.  (This might be the one you saw on Ebay)

 

The third and most expensive conversion is to put in an aftermarket board and then use all the MDB components mentioned with the MDB option above.

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Sparta- How do I know if a Costco is a "Business Center" or not?.... Do they say on the building, or can I just call and ask?.....We do not have any very close to me, about an hour away there are two Costco's... They are both only 20 minutes further away from where my pop and snack machine will be, so not too bad!

 

 

I just spoke to the guy selling the new Main Boards on eBay, he basicly told me the process of changing out the board and hooking up the MDB acceptors.... Not a hard process at all, all the plugs fit and no major wiring.... If it comes down to it and the CBA2 in this machine is done, I'll probably go this route!... Does anyone know for certain if the new boards get programed the same way as the factory board?...

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I really only have one more question, and I promise to try and not be a nussance anymore.....

 

In my Vendo720, I have a VN2512 24v validator & VN4510 34v changer... Obvously not the same voltage!....

 

In talking to the guy about the new main board for the Rowe 4900s... I specificly ask him if I bought an extra set of VN2512 & VN4510 as stateded above, if they would work with this board..... He said any MDB would work.... How come they are different voltage and how does that work as I've seen this changer in 24v & 34V? There is a 10v difference.... Know what I'm saying?.... So what I'm gathering is it does not matter if it is a 24v or 34v......

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I really only have one more question, and I promise to try and not be a nussance anymore.....

 

In my Vendo720, I have a VN2512 24v validator & VN4510 34v changer... Obvously not the same voltage!....

 

In talking to the guy about the new main board for the Rowe 4900s... I specificly ask him if I bought an extra set of VN2512 & VN4510 as stateded above, if they would work with this board..... He said any MDB would work.... How come they are different voltage and how does that work as I've seen this changer in 24v & 34V? There is a 10v difference.... Know what I'm saying?.... So what I'm gathering is it does not matter if it is a 24v or 34v......

For some odd reason, 24 and 34 volt are synonamous (which means "the same thing" for some of you guys, I know - I know, it's a big word ;D ) in vending machines. Anything marked 34 volt will work on a 24 volt system.

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Awesome,... Now I know if I go ahead and buy and extra changer and validator, just in case kind of thing.... that when the time comes, I'll have what I need for my Rowe 4900!...

 

Thanks guys!.... I donated on here too, to show the love!...

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The problem is how much money should you put into a 35 year old machine?

 

My guess AZ option 1 would cost 375.00 for used parts if you can find them plus 2 hour labor lets call that repairs 475.00 plus the 250.00 you have in the machine 725.00 and you get a resale value of 375.00

 

My guess AZ option 2 would cost 450.00 for used mech and BA plus 1.5 hours labor lets call that 525.00 plus the 250.00 you have in the machine 775.00 and you get a resale value of 450.00

 

My guess AZ option 3 would cost 600.00 parts plus 3 hours labor let call that 750.00 plus the 250.00 you have in the machine 1000.00 and you get a resale value of 600.00

 

Think of this machine like a car how much money would you spend fixing a 1980 Toyota Corolla?

 

It is not that you can’t make this machine do everything you want it is that you could never sell that machine and recover your investment.

 

At this point I say if it takes bill great.

 

If it stops taking bills tomorrow remove the BA and install a cover plate.

 

If the location sells enough product to pay for a better machine then go buy one.

 

If I had a 4900 or a SBC changer I might get the CBA rebuilt if they were replacing all the belts and the lower LED and the bill would come in under 175.00

 

 

 Walta

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Walta- you have a good point.... Used machines dont really come up here very often and I have been looking for a few months... this one seemed like a great deal... With that being said, I probably would not have bought it, knowing what I know now... That ship has sailed... I could elimanate the CBA all together, but would rather throw a little money at it to keep it alive.... expecially if I dont drop all the coin at once...

 

On a good note,... I work with electronics every day and I'm a machinist and welder by trade... I try to do all the work myself when I can, and combined with the knowledge from you guys on here, I'm sure to not be in too much of a jam!

 

I do have a good service guy here in town that does service calls as well... I'm hoping not to have to use up any favors on this Rowe though!!!...

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Awesome,... Now I know if I go ahead and buy and extra changer and validator, just in case kind of thing.... that when the time comes, I'll have what I need for my Rowe 4900!...

 

Thanks guys!.... I donated on here too, to show the love!...

That is much appreciated,

 

THANK YOU!!

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Do you guys know of a quick and sure fire way of quickly checking this machine for operation on location before I load it, to make sure everything works... I have been reading the manual for it that I downloaded.... I see it says I can just press "test vend" and it will test vend all shelfs and slots.... Can I just plug it in, turn it on, open the door and press it, or do I need to set prices and etc?....  Then, can I just set the price on one slot, close it and try the changer and validator?.... 

 

This is the message I got from the guy.... "Plugged it in and the LED in the main control box lights. On the door, the price led's light and show .00. There is a red led near that in the make selection area that comes ona dn an led blinks above the coin slot"....

 

Sounds like it powers up, but other than what he said, I'll have to spend some time with it to check it all out a little further.... I dont care if a motor or even two is bad, they are cheap... but I want to do a quick function check...

 

Any words of wisdom?

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You can test the entire machine in the manner you stated.  The red led next to the display is an error indicator and when you open the door the machine should automatically display an error code.  This isn't unusual for an older machine that has been sitting and is sold by someone who doesn't know what they are doing.  If there are prices on the machine already you won't have to change any but you should do so to verify the board will do the changes.  Then load the changer with 15 coins in each tube, close the door and test it with coins and bills.

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Sounds good!....

 

It might be erroring because the CBA2 is sitting in the bottom of the machine and was not reinstalled for whatever reason.... I guess this guy has paperwork from veii.com where this machine was bought through when his son purchased it....

 

I hope at this point it will give me dependable service for at least a few months to see what type of sales i'm going to get from the guys at our location.... If its completly not worth it and i'm out of pocket, I'll know better for next year!

 

If it works well, and I need to update it all, at least when I pull the pop machine with it for this next winter, I'll have a good set of machines to find my first real vending location locally... Then if that works out, I'll buy another set for the Dropzone for the following season!...

 

Fact is, from mid November to April, only 1-2 of us go out per month, to check on the airplanes and gear and whatnot.. I cant justify having anything there at those times... I'm not trying to get rich with 2 machines, thats for certian, but cant just have them sitting idle for months either....

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GREAT NEWS!

 

I picked up the Rowe 4900 yesterday!... Very clean machine on the inside and not bad at all on the out... Looks a little dated with the fake wood trim at the top and bottom!... Installed the CBA2 which had been stored laying in the bottom of the machine, and powered it up, it takes $1 and gives change!!!....

 

I cleared the errors by pressing RESET until the screen was clean, and performed the "Test Vend" so it would test all shelves and motors.... All turned in order and without issue!

 

It has a bunch of errors pertaining to the shelves 6 and 7 (bottom two shelves) and the motors.... When I picked this machine up, it was setup with the following shelf locations... 5 wide, 5 wide, 10 wide, 10 wide, 5 wide and 5 wide.... The errors are for shelf 6 & 7 for the first motor and the last 4 of both shelves... Which is really strange as they do not have 10 motors in them!....

 

Does the Shelves have to be in a certian order in the machine, or is there some setting to perform on board to let it know what position the shelves are in?... I checked the labels for the location of each shelf and they were numbered correctly from top to bottom, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7... I have not reinstalled but the top shelf so far...

 

I noticed of the 5 remaining shelves, I have 2 rollers missing, one from two different shelves... I'm at work now, but i'll check those two shelves when I get home, to see if those were from the two shelves i'm having errors from, but 95% certian at least one of those missing rollers is from a shelf without issue...

 

Any thoughts, the owners manual is a little lacking?

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Your shelves can be installed in any order you wish as the machine will scan all motors when you close the door and it will know where they all are.  The standard shelf configuration for all snack machines is, from top to bottom, 5, 5, 5, 10, 10 and 5, but yours will work fine if you just follow the order of the selection labels.  The phantom errors on the 5 and 6 shelves simply mean that at one time the ten select shelves had been there and then were moved without forcing the machine to scan the motors.  This caused the machine to believe that there were 10 motors in those two shelf positions and your machine test vend probably had the machine trying to test those non-existent motors.  Once you get all your shelves in place, press in on your door switch to force the board to scan the machine, then perform a full machine test vend to confirm all motors work and then see if you get those motor errors again.  You will have to replace any missing rollers and the associated hardware as the shelf alignment with the connectors on the back of the cabinet is paramount to motor operation in snack machines. 

 

While you have all the shelves out, closely inspect the connectors in the cabinet.  Look to see that there are two metal reflections inside each terminal slot.  If one slot doesn't have two pieces of metal reflecting back at you that slot may be damaged.  Inspect the pins sticking out of the connectors on the shelves and make sure that none are pushed in significantly farther than the rest.  An obviously shorter pin will cause an open connection with the socket.  Corresponding short pins and damaged slots will mean that if those pins actually are used for that shelf, you will have to move the wires to and unused pin and corresponding unused socket slot so there will be a connection to run the motor.

 

I have whatever parts you might need for this.

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Checked all the connectors in the rear of the shelves & back of the cabinet... All good,... Reinstalled the shelves in the order of 5, 5, 5, 10, 10, 5.... Diagnostic reset,.... Cleared all the errors!!!

Will set all the prices and do further testing tomorrow.... Seems pretty good at this point.... got my fingers crossed!

I ended up paying $200 for it total.... (talked him down a little more!)

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Yes, but I'm trying to find out everything I need and get it all at once... Instead of nickel & dimeing myself to death with $15 shipping 8 times... I'd like to also get some $0.85, $1.00, $1.25 $ $1.50 price inserts for it.... Maybe a tuffront kit (as it looks pretty dated with the fake wood front!).... Trying to think of anything else!

AZ-.... Do you sell this stuff???.... Please PM me with some prices, I have less than 2 months to get this thing in shape!....

I did notice today when it should give me quarters back it was giving me dimes!.... Price was set to $0.25, inserted a dollar bill, $1 credit, select item, vend & gives 3 dimes as change....I checked the main board settings and all 3 switches were set to off... The cover for the board says that setting is for Mars Payout, but the manual says that is coinco!.... So I'll try the off, off, on for coinco settings that the cover says should be right!.....

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I do have parts in stock including price labels, a refront kit, rollers, etc.  I'll send you a PM.  

 

I can't say why you got 3 dimes back when you should have gotten two dimes and one nickle except that you need to verify the price of that selection and then make sure you have nickles in the nickle tube.  I don't believe the Mars/Coinco switches matter except for using one of the older coin mechs from one of them that is obsolete now.  Try pushing your coin payout buttons on the handheld module and see if you get the proper coin from the proper tube.  If you do then the problem with incorrect change is your price or dimes in the nickle tube.

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