Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 Hey everyone I got a snack shop 123a snack machine that I have plugged into a gfci outlet with a surge protector.The machine will work for about a day that instead of saying have a great day on the display screen it will glitch on have & not be able to vend. So I replaced the coin mech thinking maybe that was an issue. Then the outlet tripped & we reset it. After that it worked for a week & than same issue so I unplug the machine & plug it to a new gfci outlet. I have the same issue tho about everyday & I can temporarily fix it by unplugging the machine & plugging it back in. I put a new power strip to see if that worked same issue than now I took out the power strip & a just using an extension cord. Not sure if this will fix it or it is an electrical problem or a control board problem. Let me know if anyone has any suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendo Mike Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 Do not add any surge protection between the service cord and the outlet. The GFCi performs this function and is the reason it's part of the service cord. By adding another breaker, you're adding more connections that will drop your supply voltage. Start with direct connection to the wall and go from there. Also, refrigeration vending equipment should be on a dedicated 15 Amp circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 13 Author Share Posted June 13 Thanks so you think plugging it to the outlet with an extension cord will fix it? I just did that this morning so hopefully it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendo Mike Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 It will increase your chances. The machine needs 115 VAC. If you drop the first 10 volts across those extra connections, your board will act crazy in any number of ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 13 Author Share Posted June 13 Ok thanks for your help. I’ll let you know if it fixes that issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendo Mike Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 No extension cords or surge protectors on any vendor...or your home refrigerator/freezer for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 13 Author Share Posted June 13 It can plug straight into the outlet tho. How would that work then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 13 Author Share Posted June 13 Can’t I meant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendo Mike Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 I don't think I understand. If you can plug a surge protector into the outlet, you can unplug that and plug the vendor into that spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 13 Author Share Posted June 13 I’ll try after I am done with work. I did the extension cord cause it looked like the regular vending cord won’t be able to fit into the gfci without damaging the cord. Also is an inline gfci cord an option? Or get a different cord end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendo Mike Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 If the outlet is a GFCi, 115 VAC / 15 Amp then you should be fine. The machine has breakers, fuses internally so adding more surge protection really isn't accomplishing anything. Is this in the U.S. or elsewhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 13 Author Share Posted June 13 United States. So an extension cord works? Saw that they should be used in vending machines. I’ll try to plug in it directly to the outlet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendo Mike Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 Extension cords are NOT to be used on any refrigerated equipment. The end of the plug is the same configuration as any 115VAC / 15 amp outlet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 13 Author Share Posted June 13 Ok thanks I’ll try it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 14 Author Share Posted June 14 If I am still having issues with the same problem while being plugged in directly to the source what other issues could it be? Control board issue? Outlet issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendo Mike Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 What errors are being listed from the service menu? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 14 Author Share Posted June 14 When I check it it says no errors. It will just glitch & than I can’t check the errors till I unplug it & plug it back in that it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vendo Mike Posted June 14 Share Posted June 14 I would make sure power to the board is stable. If not, double check the wall. If that looks good, something in the power distribution panel is flakey. If power to the board is stable and it's "glitching", disconnect everything from the board except for power, display and keypad and check again. If it fails again, double check the power harness to the board. If that's ok, your board must have an issue. Could be as simple as a connector or chip not completely seated or a cracked solder joint. If all is well with JUST power, display and keypad installed, start reinstalling individual circuits (disconnecting power before any disconnect or connection) until you find the circuit causing the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 Haven’t tried anything yet but here is pictures of the control board maybe something isn’t plug in correctly. I will test tomorrow to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 Here is another photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 I don't see anything wrong there. Turn it off, unplug everything a couple of times before you put it all back together to clean the contacts. You may just have a bad display that causes this. If it's power that quits on you then I would look at the power cord for any flat spots and replace it if there are any. if the ground pin is missing from the plug at the wall then put a new plug on the cord. You can use an extension cord on a non-refrigerated machine but try to size it for the exact length you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 Thanks. What do you mean exact length of extension cord? Don’t have anything too long? Also thought it was illegal to use extensions cords for vending machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Well, on a snack only machine you can just used the shorted extension cord you can find, such as 15'. On a soda or a chilled machine, but never on a frozen or cold food machine, you can use an exact length extension cord with 12 gauge wire, preferably, 14 gauge minimum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Giacobazzi Posted June 21 Author Share Posted June 21 Would I need a 15 feet 14 garage 15 amp extension cord? It has only happened 2 times this week compared to the previous everyday issue. Looks like nothing wrong with the cord & unplug & cleaned the control board. Could the outlet be a issue? Would extension cord help with that? Got a gfci extension cord on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted June 21 Share Posted June 21 Take the GFCI cord off. Then use a voltmeter to check for a bad ground in the outlet. You should have 115v from one slot to the ground terminal and zero volts from the other slot to the ground. If you still have a florescent bulb in the machine make sure it's not dark on the ends or just not lighting at all. If either is the case then the flickering bulb as it tries to light will cause interference with the logic board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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