Joe squid's wc-44sk

[joesquid]

Howdy All!!
As some of you may remember, I was heading to Norfolk this week to get eye surgery done...and pick up my coke machine along the way.  Naval Hospital Portsmouth (Virginia) did the surgery today and it went FANTASTIC!!!!  The whole procedure lasted appx 5 minutes (total for both eyes!!) and my vision was near perfect as soon as I opened my eyes.  PRK rocks!!!

I also got to pick up my Westinghouse WC44-SK enroute and have been playing with it while I've been here.  The compressor wiring had been hacked pretty badly but I was able to re-splice or rewire everything and get the machine up and running.  The compressor kicked on immediately and the thermostat appears to not have any effect on temperature or compressor operation so I'm sure it'll need to be replaced.  The compressor just runs and runs regardless of the position of the rheostat.  
  I think the compressor lines may have a very small leak.  It tried to get cold but the line keeps icing up up near the inlet to the evap coils.  The icing goes as far as the first 1.5 coils but the rest are clear of icing.  I'm assuming it will probably need to be checked for leaks, repaired and refilled unless the symptoms appear to point elsewhere.  Anyone want to venture a guess?
  I wish I had a camera for the next issue.  I can't tell how the "SOLD OUT" flag is supposed to connect to the sold out plunger rod that is loacted directly above the coin mech.  It looks like it should connect to the plunger rod via the coin mech itself, but I can't figure out how it should be done.  Possibly a missing piece (or pieces?).
  All in all, the donor machine I picked up was in better condition than I thought it would be.  I can't wait to get this machine back to Maine ang get the compressor operational.  I'll put this machine in my oldest son's room (what seven-year-old WOULDN'T want a functioning pop-machine in their room??  '>  )
  I'll post pics when I get back concerning the sold out flag issue!

hope everyone has a great weekend!!

[BrianB]

First off, it's a great relief to hear that your surgery went so well and that you are super pleased with the outcome, congrats!!  '>

Yep, sounds like you have a leak and that the system is undercharged. If you check the Refrigeration Section, Alan from Antique Vending just got done working on my second WC-44SK compressor and has breathed new life into it for what I consider a minimal cost. He posted a few pictures and gave a description of the work done.

I had the exact same problem with my "EMPTY" / "INSERT COIN" linkage. The "care package" shipment that Glen (Moondawg) sent me included this linkage and I got it hooked up. When you do get a chance, snap a photo so that I can see what's missing and when I go home this evening I'll do the same to show you how my set up looks.

Here's a reference photo just to let me know that we are both talking about the same thing!

[BrianB]

A little larger, sorry 'bout that!

Quote (joesquid @ Aug. 25 2005,7:24)

I'll put this machine in my oldest son's room (what seven-year-old WOULDN'T want a functioning pop-machine in their room??  '>  )

Eric,
Can you please adopt me???
That would make me your oldest son.
I want a Vendo 44 in my room! '>

So glad to hear that your surgery went very well.
Now let those "peepers" rest.

[joesquid]

Kito,
You can move into Devin's room and SHARE the soda machine! '>  He has a bunkbed and the upper rack is unused.

Brian,
Your reference pic is right on the money.  I have the spring operated plunger rod and the"sold out" assembly but I also have a spring that fits on the rod that sticks out to the right of the flag.  I also have another hook that comes out of the coin mech and is attached to the spring operated plunger.  It's held in place by the little metal clip that is also on your plunger.  It looks to me that the spring on the flag rod and this other hook somehow connect but can't figure out how.  I'll send pics as soon as I get back to Maine.
I reviewed your thread on the compressor board.  Looks like Al did some fine work.  Did I read correctly that it only cost you $100 for the work? (not including shipping)  What type of refrigerant did he use?

Oh...and yes Mother (Kito), I'm getting plenty of rest, eating my vegetables, brushing my teeth, and taking my meds before bedtime.  

[joesquid]

Brian,
I just had an idea.  I took some pics with my cellphone then e-mailed them to my aol account.  This one is probably the best of the bunch that shows what I'm working with.  Am I missing any parts?

[BrianB]

Eric -

Looks like you have everything from here. The spring you have on the flag rod connects to the plunger which in turn is activated by the small lever that is attached to your vending mech. Here's a picture of mine:

[BrianB]

Another angle:

[BrianB]

Looks to me like you have a peice that I'm currently missing. My machine was set to free vend when I got it and it looks like the previous owner/abuser removed the Reject Lever connecting wire that's visible in your picture extending down in to you coin mech. That just prevents the mech from taking any coins when the cooler is out of product.

When you look at my picture, you can see that the spring goes into the outboard spring fastener. Since you have the Reject levet too, it connects to inboard spring fastener.

Yep, Alan did do some fine work, and the price was definitely right at $100! He used good ole' R-12 to recharge it too!

Your son is a lucky dude!! I keep telling my co-workers at NSWC Crane that I'm going to smuggle mine into work for use in our lab/office! Paint it gray and put a nomenclature tag on it.....

Do you think your CMC would welcome a 44SK into the Mess? Or maybe you could put it in CCS! That would be pretty cool....I could just hear it now, "Engineering Casualty, Engineering Casualty! Loss of WC-44SK"  '>

[joesquid]

'>  '>  '>
You know something?  I think I will talk to our CMC about putting my machine in the Mess.  I'll give him the option of letting the ship buy it or I'll give it to the ship in return for never paying dues to the mess for the next four years.  I'd say that's an even trade!!  Thanks for all the help Brian!!  I think I'll give Alan a call concerning the compressor.  How did you ship yours?  What kind of box and packing material did you use to keep it under 70 lbs?

[BrianB]

No prob Eric! Anything to help out a fellow SMC'er and shipmate.  '>

Even better, donate a portion to MWR!  

Welp....I missed the 70 lb mark by *1* measly pound  '>
So that means instead of paying $26 bucks I paid almost double, but in retrospect, it was worth it!

But, I know where I went wrong. I didn't have any open celled foam layin' around so I used the next best thing.....CARPET PADDING!! Yeah..So....See where I went wrong? I probably added about 2 1/2 lbs in padding where I could have used less than 1 lb in open celled foam and protected it just the same.

I built my box out of plywood and pine 1x2's. The sides and the top were 1/4" and the bottom was 1/2". Used decking screws to fasten the whole shabang.

 I assume that your deck uses the same Westinghouse compressor that the machine came with out of the factory? Hopefully there isn't an aftermarket unit in place and all you need is just a leak fixed and a fresh shot of R-12.

The reason I ask if it's the original is because I think it's a pretty unique looking unit and worth saving if possible.

Does either of your 44's have a connection for the door heater? Just curious.

Quote (joesquid @ Aug. 26 2005,4:00)

Kito, You can move into Devin's room and SHARE the soda machine! '>  He has a bunkbed and the upper rack is unused. Oh...and yes Mother (Kito), I'm getting plenty of rest, eating my vegetables, brushing my teeth, and taking my meds before bedtime.

Great stuff!
 '>

Upper bunk is just fine with me. Then I too can be the evaporator fan! '>

[joesquid]

Brian,
Again, thanks for the input.  What is open cell foam?  And, yes, to answer your question, I do have the original compressor for this machine.  I would like to meet the braniac who designed the peckerhead for the compressor.  What a joke that thing is to put back together after rewiring the machine!!

KIto,
I'll tell Devin he's going to have company soon.  Hope you're up to countless hours of Power Rangers, G.I. Joe and Taekwndo form studies!!! '>

[joesquid]

Brian,
A couple of other questions.  
1.  Do you remember the dimensions of the crate you built for your compressor/evap assembly?
2.  How did you secure the evap assembly?
3.  How did you send it? UPS? FedEx? USPS?

[MoonDawg]

Am working on a Cavalier 72 compressor today so I just weighed it.    50 lbs.   So packaging only allows 20#.
     What about those heavy duty cardboard boxes that they ship microwaves or computers?  The styrofoam could be cut to fit.  A nylon strap cinched around the box keeps the bottom from falling out, and doubles as a handle.

[BrianB]

I don't remember the exact dimensions. I shipped with UPS using this criteria: As long as the box is under 20"W x 20"L x 52"H and under 70lbs, your looking at around $26-$28.

When constructing the box, I just added about an inch or two to each end keeping in mind the "20 Inch Rule" Open cell foam is the cheap stuff, usually white or yellow. A common place to find it in the Navy is inside Circuit Card Assembly (CCA) boxes. Closed cell is really rubbery and is found quite a bit in Model RC aircraft to pad all vital equip. (Servo's, fuel tank, battery pack)

I secured the Evaporator Assembly by placing some foam between the fan shroud housing and the condensor coil then used some more foam packed in over the top preventing it from moving front to back or side to side. I'm sure you could use duct tape or plastic zip ties to secure it too.

Yeah, it was a really fine design to use a 3-wire system for the fans and to stack all of it's coresponding wires right on top of it! I'm really used to 2-wire, so when I saw the way it was wired, it threw me a bit.