Vendo 165A selection just quit

[meurek]

Well, I got everything working, or so I thought, now the selection process won't happen.  I at first thought it was my changer, but I replaced it with just the push button variety and still nothing.  Figured out after I unplugged it that it would POP (don't know the correct phrase) to let you select a type of soda, but pushing the buttons doesn't cause anything to happen.  The only way you can the machine to get to the POP is after you unplug it and then plug it back in.  All I know of that I did was replace the starter and the bulb up top, added 4 of the 5 Xmas kind of lights to let you know if the selection is empty, and adjusted the door jamb on the inside side of the machine to make the door close tighter.  None of these seem to make any sense, but these old machines seem to have a mind of their own.  Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks.

[johnieG]

The V-165 has a gravity feed,serpentine style vending rack, at the bottom of each vending column is a gate that is supposed to trigger/vend when that selection is pushed, the selected columns gate solenoid actuates & the gate is released from it's latched position, the weight of the stack of cans pushes the bottom can forward into the vending gate, it then rolls over the gate itself & as it slides out of the column, it causes the gate to teeter-totter & block the next available can, ( so it doesn't double vend) once the can clears the column & drops out of the way, the gate flips back to it's original position & the next can rolls into the "ready to vend" position.

The important thing to remember about this style of can-vendor assembly is that each and every column must have at least two or three cans minimum, or the whole vending circuit is disabled, the machine wont accept any coins & all of the selection buttons will be disabled. Why? because each column has a "ready to vend" switch wired in series with all of the other columns, which then passes the "ready" voltage ( or current if you like) up to the selection switches. So if one column is left empty or below the minimum pre-load level, it disables the whole mechanism.  [Don't confuse these "Ready to vend" switches with the "selection Empty" switches further upstream in each of the columns can-path.]

so the bottom line is, Preload all of the columns with at least two cans each.

One more thing, watch were you stick you fingers as the whole vending system operates at line voltage (120-volts AC) ...also note that this design is prone corrosion & the brass push-on electrical connectors on the small micro-switches are VERY fragile & break if you breath on them...this is a very common failure point in this style of vendor...have fun! 

[meurek]

OK, now I may be even more confused than before.  What you are saying makes sense, I mean it really does, especially with the "...wired in series..." part.  My only confusion is in the fact that it worked before with only two or three of the stacks full.  Worked on it that way one day, only to try the next day and it wouldn't.  I'll try what you suggest tomorrow, load every stack with two or three cans, but I'm still just kind of scratching my head on this one.  Are these machines that tempermental?

Also the POP sound that I talked about in my previous post, was I guess that of the solenoid being triggered, maybe, I don't know??

Thanks 

[johnieG]

hard to trouble shoot over a chat session , but the sound is probably the credit relay latching, but if the stacks aren't ready, then it wont vend, the machines aren't finicky, just old with poor connector design, they should have soldered the connections onto the micro-switches, but then it wont have been more serviceable I suppose.

I'd unbolt the stack at the top, carefully tip/pivot it forward & support it with plastic milk crate or a bucket so you can get a good look underneath the vending gates & their switches & wiring connectors, I'd unload the cans thought as they tend to roll around when the stack is tipped into the service position & they could pierce (remember this machine was designed for steel cans , not aluminum.) really go over & check the wiring. the bottom of the stack is the most common failure point of these machines.

[scalebowler]

With my machine we had one selection completly empty for a few months and it worked fine. There is a switch above the little plastic flap that the can rolls out on the front that resets the vend relay. If that got stuck or something like that it might make the machine think a can was vended before any buttons were even pushed or make it think nothing was vended at all. Might be something to look at. Also if you need any pictures of where the switch is let me know and I can take some and if you do remove the rack be very careful since that thing makes up a lot of the machines weight and the corners are sharp. I know that one from experience 

[globalcompressors]

dumb thought...jammed can? if it doesn't "read" the can has despensed and re-triggered the coin mech,
it won't vend.