Crane 474 "make another selection"

[n88n]

Hi All.  I picked up Crane National Vendor 474 from a friend who did not want it.  I got all the spiral treys working but I am having trouble with the cold cans section. 

My main two issues right now are below and probably tied together

1. need to get old broken cans out
2. need to clear the "make another selection error"

If I try to vend any of the F trey, all the cans,  it says "make another selection". When i first plugged it in F0 was working and the door would open and close nicely on each vend.  The first can was actually exploded long ago so after a couple of cycles I was able to clear the can with some plyers.  Once the can was cleared then F0 also went straight to the "make another selection".  The only info i could find online about this error was a video that said to first try the reboot, that did not work.  Then it said to get change and set a new price for everything in that row.  I changed F0 - F8 all to $0.25 and it held the values but all the slots still say "make another selection"

I would love to clear out all the bad cans but reaching in from the top "loading" section is not easy.  There are little doors that cover the dispensing port that don't want to open manually.  I did not want to force it open as i feel like i would break it.  I would have guessed that there would be a way to cycle dispenser motors regardless of the state the machine thinks of the stock.  

Anyway.  If you fine people have any ideas i would love to hear it.  I assume it is not broken because the F0 was working.

[AZVendor]

Don't force the delivery doors or you WILL break them.  Only the motors can move the doors.  Take the main door off the can module.  You'll have to remove the candy shelf to get to the top brackets holding the door on.  Then you'll have to clean all the sticky soda from the inside seal of the door and the inside of the module.  Can you tell if the module is even cooling?  I would do that first because if the compressor is bad you'll have to replace it and then probably some motors and/or sold out switches as well due to all of the broken cans.  The cans probably broke because the temperature control went bad and froze the cans until they burst.

[n88n]

Thanks so much for your response!

my buddy never got the thing to get cold, but all it took was some light cleaning.  The fan was blocked by remains of a mouse house.  Once i cleared all the stuff out the fan spun up and surprise this morning the cans were at about 42 degrees.  The AC part was the part i was most concerned about and least confident on my ability to repair myself.  I was pretty happy to see it getting cold.  Generally speaking are these machines big power hogs to keep the cans cold?

clever, I never thought about taking that whole face plate off.  I will look at the parts diagram and work on the face plate.  I have to image all the sensors and switches are really gummed up and need cleaning.  What is the best for cleaning all the pop off?  Just water and a tooth brush?

[AZVendor]

Soap and water, lots of water.  They aren't power hogs but they aren't efficient either.  Are you keeping this at home?  It should be on a location making money where the power is uses doesn't matter.  Be sure to keep the vend screen clean on the bottom of the cabinet and keep the machine 4" away from a wall for air flow.

Edited August 29, 2022 by AZVendor

[n88n]

To be honest I never really thought about the long term plan for this unit.  As of right now it is in my garage and we are going to treat it like a fun toy.  I imagine if I get it running great and looking good I could always sell it off.  I never thought about putting it someplace to earn with it, maybe I should put it at my office as we don't have any vending service.  

I was able to get that front door off and it helped me get a better look at the mechs in there.  I cleared a bunch of broken cans and I have 7/8 slots vending.  Pretty exciting!!!!  I found the sensor arm that recognizes the second can in the slot.  Looking at the diagram i don't think there are any more sensors, correct?  So something else is probably broken with that last bay.

I want to clean all the insides of the can compartment, but how do you get in there?  I read basically the entire programming manual and I do not see a way to open a specific door.  Is there no way to easily make the door open and stay open for cleaning?  

Again, thanks so much for your help and thoughts on this project of mine.  Once we get this thing cleaned up we are going to be in pretty good shape.  :)

[AZVendor]

Your office, with no vending because it's probably too small for most vendors, would be a good place for it.  The levers are for the sold out switches so that one can is left behind each vend door when it's sold out.  That keeps one can cold.  There are no sensors, just switches.  The last column probably needs a motor unless the sold out switch is gummed up (not clicking.)  The only way you can run a door and leave it open is to turn the machine off when it's fully open. Otherwise just spray around the edges of the vend doors.

[n88n]

i found a mouse living in the bottom.  Also there were about 12 cans broken open so the bottom 4 rows of cans holders look pretty darn gross.  

So i can cycle the door and then flip the switch when it is open?  To fix it do I turn it on a vend it again?  Or is it better to do that "all motors home" option that i saw in the manual?

 

[n88n]

I took a leap of faith and powered it off while the gate was open.  When I turned it back on it finished the cycle.  Thank you AZ for your help!  Very nice of you to help.