AP Snackshop 5000

[Legodude522]

Hello all!  I recently acquired my first vending machine and I'm looking to source parts.  I hope not to waste anyone's time.  I'm new to vending machines but have a solid background in electronics repair.

 

So I have an AP Snackshop 5000.  I was in the market to buy a machine but found this one for free.  The main computer does appear to be working and I can get into the menus.  The MARS bill/coin receiver does not appear to be functioning.  As I understand, this bill receiver only accepts $1 bills.  I would like to know if I can get a bill receiver that can accept larger denominations and takes modern bills.  The bill receiver is labeled as P/N: 922014 Rev. 3.  CoinCo Model Number BA30B.

 

Second thing I would like to know, can I add a credit card reader?  From what I have researched, I may be able to do this but would have to drill holes which doesn't bother me.  I can fabricate my own metal parts.

 

And last, is all of this worth it or should I consider selling it to buy a more modern machine?  I like the look and would love to upgrade it.

 

[tc vending]

Due to its age its not worth any upgrades. It needs an updated control board to make it MDB ,which is about 300 dollars normally if they made it for this machine, to be credit card capable and new updated bill acceptor.

[Legodude522]

10 minutes ago, tc vending said:

Due to its age its not worth any upgrades. It needs an updated control board to make it MDB ,which is about 300 dollars normally if they made it for this machine, to be credit card capable and new updated bill acceptor. 

Now that I know what MDB is now, that seems like what I would need to do if I want to go forward.  Again, the machine was free.  I like the style and would hate to offload it right after getting it.  I guess the appropriate thing to do would be to look for a different machine to find something that made more sense and then try to get rid of this one.  Thanks for the advice!

$350 for the MDB interface upgrade

+$$$ for new bill acceptor

+$$$ for credit card reader

[AngryChris]

If you are doing this as a hobby, then feel free to replace the board and the mech/validator and add a card reader.  It will do what you want.  It will probably cost you close to $1,000 for the whole upgrade and you'll still be left with an old, outdated, low-capacity, unattractive machine that YOU like.

Or, if you are trying to start a real vending business then spend maybe $1200 on a used machine that is already MDB, newer, looks more modern, has more parts available and can be upgraded with a card reader for only $300.  This option is the one you want to take if you want to be a professional vending operator with the intention of being profitable.

That AP 5000, as it stands, is a true workhorse of its time but you'll likely NEVER make any customer happy unless they are so small (and so unprofitable) that they can't get vending service elsewhere.  Again, if it's a hobby, go for it!  But for a profitable business, you should get a nicer machine.

You do have a third option.  You can put a new black front on the machine, possibly replace the trim, and replace the validator and/or coin mechanism (they are two different components) depending on what's wrong, and use it mostly as it was designed (it was designed to be coins only).  Thing is, it likely has a special convertor board on it to enable the validator to work.  If that board is bad, you need to spend at least $150 just for that component.  If anything else is bad, the price goes up.  $50 for a coin mech, $50-$125 for a validator.

There's a good chance that you got this free because the previous owner knew it would cost more to fix than it's worth and it was cheaper to let you take it for free than to pay someone to take it away.

Unless you know a vendor who can troubleshoot what's wrong with it, you could end up wasting hundreds of dollars on this machine.  I'm a one-man operation with over 100 machines and over 12 years in the industry (over 8 years in business) and I have scrapped probably over 20 machines including several working 4000/5000s.

[Legodude522]

12 hours ago, AngryChris said:

If you are doing this as a hobby, then feel free to replace the board and the mech/validator and add a card reader.  It will do what you want.  It will probably cost you close to $1,000 for the whole upgrade and you'll still be left with an old, outdated, low-capacity, unattractive machine that YOU like. 

Or, if you are trying to start a real vending business then spend maybe $1200 on a used machine that is already MDB, newer, looks more modern, has more parts available and can be upgraded with a card reader for only $300.  This option is the one you want to take if you want to be a professional vending operator with the intention of being profitable. 

That AP 5000, as it stands, is a true workhorse of its time but you'll likely NEVER make any customer happy unless they are so small (and so unprofitable) that they can't get vending service elsewhere.  Again, if it's a hobby, go for it!  But for a profitable business, you should get a nicer machine. 

You do have a third option.  You can put a new black front on the machine, possibly replace the trim, and replace the validator and/or coin mechanism (they are two different components) depending on what's wrong, and use it mostly as it was designed (it was designed to be coins only).  Thing is, it likely has a special convertor board on it to enable the validator to work.  If that board is bad, you need to spend at least $150 just for that component.  If anything else is bad, the price goes up.  $50 for a coin mech, $50-$125 for a validator. 

There's a good chance that you got this free because the previous owner knew it would cost more to fix than it's worth and it was cheaper to let you take it for free than to pay someone to take it away. 

Unless you know a vendor who can troubleshoot what's wrong with it, you could end up wasting hundreds of dollars on this machine.  I'm a one-man operation with over 100 machines and over 12 years in the industry (over 8 years in business) and I have scrapped probably over 20 machines including several working 4000/5000s. 

Thanks for your advice!  I appreciate the time you spent replying to me.  The guy that gave it away said "it worked" but he was also in a hurry to get rid of it, he was moving out.  I'll look for a more modern machine with MDB.