Vendo 56

[Kevin C]

Hello

I am preparing to prime & paint my V56 this weekend. I was wondering if anyone has ever replaced the embossed sign with a light-up type sign? I am sure the electrical would be no problem but I need is a sign to fit my V56.

Does anyone have a sign they want to sell?  The measurements are 15 1/2 wide by 11 7/8. I figured out how to mount the sign so that I could remove it to replace the bulb with out taking the back of the machine apart.

The picture is the machine I am looking at installing the sign. Of course the embossed sign I have would not be needed.

Let me know

Kevin

[loman4ec]

Funtronics sells the signs new but they do not have a frame. If you go to a custom frame shop they can cut you one that will fit and they look just fine. That is what I did on my past two vendo 56's.

[Kevin C]

Hello

I need to go look in my funtronic's material.

Kevin

[jasmine64]

Kevin
Here's a visual, this is the one I got for my Vendo 63 from Funtronics.

15 1/2 x 9 5/8 x 3/16.

#700-CC

Jas

[jasmine64]

The frame around my Dr Pepper Vendorlator 56 looks like framing on an aluminum window screen.

Held in place with a single wing nut and screw on the botton of the frame below and center of the p's.
Easy to access and remove the sign. Just behind the coin door.

Hi Kevin,
Please check out my new thread about the V-HA56B I got in Iowa yesterday:

http://soda-machines.com/cgi-loc....;t=1972

Mine too has the metal sign and I plan to replace it with a lighted one as well. At least you will be able to sell your metal sign on eBay afterward, mine is too faded.

Anyway, the reason I mention all of this is because mine has two electrical hook up wires behind the Jones plug inside the coin door that seem to be for connecting to a light for converting the sign to a lit one.  Also, mine has a hole right above the wires to run the electrical to behind the sign. I'm new to square tops, so I don't know if they all have those things or if I just got lucky. I'd be interested in hearing if yours came with those too.

I will attach two photos:

And here's the hole:

[BryanH]

My VMC56 came with a lighted sign and has a hookup that is just like Kito's.  The pigtails do go to the light assembly.

[loman4ec]

Here is a pic of one I converted to a lighted sign. The sign itself came from funtronics. I took my metal sign to Michaels crafts and had them make me a frame to fit the size of the old metal sign. The frame and sign fit great and I just added some foam weather strip to the top and sides to snug it up. It looked great. The frame was $30 If I remember and Funtronics sign was $38 and the light from Home Dopot was $20 so it isn't a cheep change.

[Bob K]

Josh, what exactly did you use for a light fixture?  I scoured Home Depot with no luck.

I could not get anything small enough to fit my Cav 55, so I just bought a rubber light bulb base with the two leads and put a low watt "screw in" fluorescent bulb in there (the type you use to replace regular light bulbs to save energy).  I just velcro'd the base to the back of the light compartment and that was it.  Basic but it lights the sign up beautifully.  No ballasts, starters or other stuff to deal with, either.

kito, have you thought about what type of fixture you will plant in there?

Bob

Josh, that's EXACTLY how I want my V-56 to look when I'm done. All red with just those few areas of white.

Quote (Bob K @ Mar. 02 2005,11:41)

kito, have you thought about what type of fixture you will plant in there?

I dunno. I figured something like this (but obviously small enough to fit in there).



But I haven't thought of it much yet.

[loman4ec]

You are right that all of their fixtures are too big, but there is one that will fit that you wouldn't think to use. It is the newer type under the cabnet style that has a bulb that is bent 180 degrees back in the direction of the start. That sounds confusing so I will try to look it up when I am at home. ANyway I take the lights out of their plastic housing and mount them to the machine. I also use shiny metal tape to make the back side shiny. It really doesn't matter what it looks like as no one will ever see it.
Josh

[loman4ec]

Here is one without the background.

[Bob K]

That's a great idea, Josh.

[sodaworks]

There is usually a few light sign frames on ebay.

[loman4ec]

Yes there are but be awair that the 63 frames do not fit the 56's.

Josh, I know nothing about lighting, what is that part in the photo below with the circle around it?

[loman4ec]

That is the transformer or ballest or what ever it is called. Unlike the ones that are on our machines it didn't have a way to mount it so I cut the origional housing that held it in the light and mounted that to the machine. So it is the ballest and a piece of plastic holding it in.

[Paul M.]

This is the old way that fluorescent lights were powered.  One of the things next to the ballast should be a starter.  The ballast is just a coil, not a transformer (which has two or more coils).  But it's still called a ballast.  Newer lights have electronic starters built into the ballast unit, all in one housing.  All ballasts and starters are rated for the bulbs that they power.  You can still buy the old coil-style ballasts and starters from Home Depot and Lowes.  That's where I got the parts to fix mine.