Bill Escrow Error on AP Snackshop 123 with CoinCo B5A2R Acceptor

[413Vending]

Hi all,

I'm having an error with my AP 123. It accepts the first dollar bill, and always only sucks it in halfway, such that it's not stacked, but also not poking out of the machine. It gives a credit of $1.00, and allows me to vend items that cost exactly $1.00 after taking my bill. It won't let me put another dollar bill in, or vend an item that's $0.50, in which case it gives the error: "use correct change". It very deliberately does this every time, and after some searching, I've come to the tentative conclusion that the machine is putting the bill "in escrow".

 

Things I've already tried:

- machine reset in settings

- filling the coin mech (it has at least 5 quarters, 5 dimes, and 5 nickels)

- set bill escrow to N (even though it already was on this)

- set bill escrow to LAST

 

Any ideas why my bill acceptor is only accepting the first bill halfway, and what I can do to fix this?

Thanks very much,

413 Vending

[Vendo Mike]

5 coins in each tube aren't enough.  Especially on the older style mechs that use metal tube sensors.  You'll need at least 1" of coins in each tube and then purchase something with coins.  From there you should be good to go.   

[413Vending]

Thanks, you were right. I put a bunch more coins in and this solved my issue. I have one last follow-up question: The bill acceptor STILL likes to escrow the last dollar bill, and when I say the last dollar bill, I mean the last bill inserted until the credit matches the maximum price of the items in the machine. Is this normal behavior? Should I change this or just leave it be?

[AZVendor]

Also, since it's an MDB machine you need to add the coins in the TUBE FILL mode.  So dump them all out and start again.  Otherwise you will have created a false correct change issue.  MDB counts coins into the tubes without regard to the tube level sensors.  What you're describing sounds like you are a miserly vendor that keeps your coin tubes super low so that you don't have money "wasting away" in your machines.  That is bad vending.  Last bill escrow is what you want so that people don't try to use the machine as a bill changer, so yes that is normal.

Edited May 24 by AZVendor

[413Vending]

Thanks for the tip about the tube fill mode. Will look into that. The reason I had very few coins in the machine is because I just moved it (and therefore emptied the coin mech) and didn't have many coins on hand when testing the machine. Thanks again.

[AZVendor]

Why empty the coin mech when moving the machine?  Seems silly.

[413Vending]

Because I lie the machines sideways due to lack of forklift/lift gate, and this sometimes results in the coins falling out. Is there a better way I can be moving the machines? Maybe some way of keeping them upright that I haven't thought of with the equipment I have available? (pallet jack, small utility trailer).

[AZVendor]

Get yourself a pickup with a liftgate. Then get a narrow pallet jack and flat 4 wheel dolly with 5" poly wheels.

[413Vending]

Thanks for the tips. Looking at these for the future when I have the capital. Quick question though - what is the point of the dolly?

[AZVendor]

The 4 wheel flat dolly is so you can clamshell the machine through a doorway.  

[413Vending]

Understood.

[AngryChris]

On 5/23/2024 at 8:00 PM, AZVendor said:

Also, since it's an MDB machine you need to add the coins in the TUBE FILL mode.  So dump them all out and start again.

Just so you know, in the last 5+ years of business, I have only had to use a tube fill option maybe once.  I think the mdb tube fill issue is based off of older software versions of older models.  I'm pretty sure modern software versions all let the mech tell the board that it has sufficient change.  I just stocked probably $300 worth of change in some refurbished machines without a tube fill and everything works 100%