Hello All! New to vending.

[ChrisPBacon]

well, I have been passed the keys to the vending machines in our company break room. This is not really a business, it is more of a way for us to have snacks and beverages since it is a factory setting with nothing in the area to go get food or meals during our breaks and short lunch time. I have joined this forum to gain insight and resources to make repairs or contacts for parts or new machines if/when needed. Most of the machines are extremely old and in desperate need of repairs. I wonder if I will be able to find parts for some of them. This will be interesting, looking forward to it. Our newest machine has a Bill Pro 4 SX3 (2005 yr) validator that will no longer accept 5s 10s or 20s. is there a way to get this updated? or is there a replacement that will fit? looking forward to meeting some new people and learning a lot from the group.

Edited September 26, 2021 by ChrisPBacon

[AngryChris]

Let's start here.  How many on-site employees do you have, what kind of hours do they typically work, and what are the model numbers of your current machines?  Pictures can help too.

[Vendo Mike]

Welcome to vending.  You're at the right place for Q&A types of support. 

On the point of your bill acceptor not accepting larger denominations, I would start by making sure it's set up for them and that you really want them to accept larger bills..  The Coinco BP4SX was configured using the anti-cheat lever on the lower track.  Look up the manual for specifics.  You should know that, in order to accept a 5, 10 or 20, your coin acceptor will need to be able to pay change on the lowest price item in the machine.   Keep in mind that, even if your coin mech has a dollar coin tube, in order to pay change on a $1 drink or snack when a $20 is accepted, your mech will need to dispense 19 dollar coins which means that your change will run out very quickly.  Once those are gone, it will depend on quarters which will run out 4 times more quickly. When the tubes start to get low, dollar bills will be inhibited.  Generally, vending machines are capped at $5 bill acceptance to keep those service needs down.