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AMS 39 VCB Problem....


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Hey everyone - before the pandemic, we had this vending machine that I got up and running in our office.  This vending is just for staff to enjoy, not to make money on.  Problem is, during covid, it was shut down and emptied... I just now started it back up again to re-stock.  Now that it is re-stocked, and prices were set, it's not working.

At first, I was getting "Remove product"... which led me to believe it was a sensor issue.  Because I didn't want to find sensors, I just unplugged the sensor, hoping it would bypass it.  I cannot for the life of me find the option (or dip switch\jumper) to disable it, so I figured that unplugging it was the best.  Now what it does, is when you put in a coin, and select a product, instead of vending it out, it just spits the money you have in credit back out to the coin return.

Anything I can do to fix this issue?  Thanks!

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Start by cleaning the delivery bin and making sure nothing is in it then clean the sensors’ opticals.  Next, plug the sensor back in with the switch to the board turned off of course. Depending on what model, try recalibrating it through the menu.  Here’s a link to menus:

https://www.dsvendinginc.com/t-ams_manuals.aspx
 

You’ll either have Sensit 1, 2 or 3.  What happens when you plug the sensor back in?   Will it accept money then?  

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On 10/14/2023 at 6:14 AM, Gizmo Vending said:

Start by cleaning the delivery bin and making sure nothing is in it then clean the sensors’ opticals.  Next, plug the sensor back in with the switch to the board turned off of course. Depending on what model, try recalibrating it through the menu.  Here’s a link to menus:

https://www.dsvendinginc.com/t-ams_manuals.aspx
 

You’ll either have Sensit 1, 2 or 3.  What happens when you plug the sensor back in?   Will it accept money then?  

I have Sensit 1 - based on what I saw in the manuals.

So when I plug the sensor back in, it behaves the same way... you put the coin in, it accepts it just fine.... the credit shows up... if you make a selection that you don't have enough credit for, it displays how much that item is... but as soon as you make a selection where you DO have enough credit, it spits the coin back in the coin return and essentially cancels the order.

It takes a while, before I can get the machine to give the error "Remove Product"... but  basically it requires the sensor cable to be plugged in, and the unit powered down for over 5 minutes, then turned back on.

Maybe I have to clean the heck out of the sensors? They look spotless...  Any other thoughts?

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Recalibrate it by pressing the service button on the board.  Press the # key to cycle through until you get to OPTIONS and go to RECALIBRATE SENSOR.   Once it starts your display board should say please wait.   Once finished try purchasing a product to see if that works.   Also make sure you have enough coins in changer.   Fill via TUBE FILL using the board.  

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If you have light shining on the glass that can cause sensor issues.  That's one of the reasons that AMS went to new sensors.  The lenses that look like pieces cut from a florescent light diffuser sometimes need to be doubled up.  When you do the recalibrate, make sure you write down the three numbers that will be displayed to compare them to what the manual says they should be.  Those numbers flash pretty quickly and because it takes a while before the sensors reboot you can easily miss them if you aren't paying attention.

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12 hours ago, AZVendor said:

If you have light shining on the glass that can cause sensor issues.  That's one of the reasons that AMS went to new sensors.  The lenses that look like pieces cut from a florescent light diffuser sometimes need to be doubled up.  When you do the recalibrate, make sure you write down the three numbers that will be displayed to compare them to what the manual says they should be.  Those numbers flash pretty quickly and because it takes a while before the sensors reboot you can easily miss them if you aren't paying attention.

Hmmmmm - I took OUT the light diffuser, and it's working!  I don't understand why - but I'm happy it's working now.  I've tried recalibrating hundreds of times.... mine only takes about 5-8 seconds to fully calibrate, so I've done it many MANY times.  The second I took out the diffuser, it worked perfectly.... so I'm just gonna leave it out permanently.  lol.

Thanks for your help!

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1 minute ago, Vendo Mike said:

I wonder if it was installed incorrectly by the previous owner

It's possible.... but it worked fine for years prior to the Covid shutdown.... and was never moved.  Is there really a point to the diffuser?

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1 minute ago, Vendo Mike said:

I think it helps prevent ambient light from setting off the sensor.  I'd keep an eye on it if it's located where sunlight can get in.

It's in a cafeteria, with no outside light - just golpher LED lights.  I guess I could see a problem, where if light was hitting it wrong, it wouldn't detect a product being dropped, and it would keep dropping product until it detected one - but so far so good.

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Working without the diffuser means the sensors are weak.  The sensors are no longer available so you need to upgrade to a Sensit 3 board and sensors which is expensive.

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55 minutes ago, AZVendor said:

Working without the diffuser means the sensors are weak.  The sensors are no longer available so you need to upgrade to a Sensit 3 board and sensors which is expensive.

If the sensor finally goes, I'd be willing to take the sensor apart, and finding out if I can find a new IR LED or receiving photo eye that matches with a commonly availably part, and then just re-solder it on.  Worst case, I toss the whole machine.  I don't make money on it - it's literally just for staff.

Cheers

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