snack machine change hanging up........sometimes

[nrpick44]

Any idea what would make my quarters hang up sometimes while giving out change? Being a newbie I have no idea. This started last week but i was hoping that it was just a one time thing. Looks like its not.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[RJT]

Take all the quarters out of the tube and inspect them.  Most likley one has goo on it, bent, or has a bad edge.

[nrpick44]

is there a way to pull out the whole change holder? Or do i just force vend the quarters out?

[mission vending]

Your snack machine should have a feature in service mode that allows you to test fire the different tubes so you can empty the mech without removing it. If it's intermittent it could be as simple as a weak or dirty solenoid. Check the manual for directions on how to do it.

First thing I'd suggest is to empty the tube until it's nearly empty, only 2-3 dollars in it. If its the solenoid it should work better without the weight of all the quarters in the tube. Some electronic circuitry spray contact cleaner might help as well but ultimately you will need to replace solenoid by switching it with a known good one or get a replacement mech for it.

If its something else, then emptying the tube should have no impact on the failures and then it's time to start looking at things a little more in depth.

my .02

[nrpick44]

You can hear it making a noise like it's trying to push it out. So if I need to replace it what exactly would it be?

[alboy88]

it may need a cleaning  spray wd 40 on the contacts  all you do is take screw out of bottom  its simple

[RJT]

Sounds like it has what I told you wrong with it. Take the coinmech out and take all the quaters out of it.

[mission vending]

If its all the time then you likely have a bent coin stuck in the bottom of the tube, if its intermittent then its the solenoid. I'd advise against using WD40 or other lubricant that is petroleum based because the residue will attract dirt and after initially helping over a couple of weeks the problem will get worse.

As previously mentioned, use a electronic contact spray cleaner that dries without leaving a residue. It will only be a temp fix if at all. If its not a bent coin the permanent solution is replacing the solenoid or swapping out mechs.

[nrpick44]

Where is the solenoid located? And what is the mech? Is it just where the coins are located or is it the whole change system thingy? Thx again fellas

[mission vending]

The mech is the "whole change system thingy"

Visualize the coins stacked on top of each other. The bottom coin is sitting in a piece of plastic that has a cut out to fit the coin. When the solenoid fires it pushes this piece of plastic out and the coin falls out into the change box. The piece of plastic pulls back in and the stack of coins drops down into the cutout. hope this makes sense.

The solenoid is the part behind the piece of plastic that pushes it out and pulls it back in.

Start with shutting power off and lowering the acceptor (the part that the coins go into) carefully disconnect the ribbon connector to the acceptor. There should be 1 to 3 screws, probably phillips head, that need to be loosened. You then disconnect the cable coming out of the top and lift up the entire mech to remove it from machine. Using a couple of fingers block the top of the dime and nickel tube and dump out the quarters. Look at mech from the bottom and see if there are any coins still stuck. If so, use the screwdriver from the bottom to push it out. If not, then its a solenoid problem.

Given your level of experience I'd suggest getting another mech to swap out and then send it out for repair. It will cost more but having an extra mech and DBV around is something you ought to do anyway.

[nrpick44]

Is it safe to think that the mech and dbv are pretty universal?

[mission vending]

If its new enough to be set up with MDB mechs and DBV then yes. If not, then the answer would be maybe. You can tell by the connector, if the mech connector cable has a number of metal pins sticking out of it then it is not MDB. However it might be convertable.

The make and model would be helpful.

[Technivend]

Is it safe to think that the mech and dbv are pretty universal?

NO  it is not safe to think this. You need to confirm, not guess. You can cause major damage to control boards if you use the wrong mechs.

Before disassembling everything and going crazy try this.

Depending on the type of machine you may be able to push up on the quarters from the bottom of the changer to dislodge anything that may be stuck. I would use the WD40 and only WD40 and spray ONLY at the slot at the bottom of the change that the slides move in and out, and just a little bit is good enough. More is not better.

[nrpick44]

Should I spray the solenoid also? Or should I just plan on picking up a new mech?

Plus are changing out lights on a DN 501 as easy as i think it is? I had 1 go out last week and the other yesterday. I hope its just needs new lights.