Need helpwith Vendo Coke Machine

[cdoyle]

Hi,
Yesterday I was given a Vendo 2228a coke machine.

I can't seem to find much info on it, does anyone know anything about it?
Here is a pic of it.

It seems to run OK, lights all seem to work.   One thing I don't know how to do is fill the trays with the cans/bottles.   there is a drawing on the front of the tray that says something about ensuring the first bottle is over the screw. 

I don't know how you move the screw around to make sure that happens?

[cdoyle]

Here is a pic of the illustration
 

What am I suppose to do here?

[SIGNGUY]

Just a guess here as I have not owned or worked on that machine before, but I think it's saying wherever the screw is lined up, either left or right, that is the position of the first bottle in the stack... (so if on the right, first bottle on bottom goes to the same side, etc.

Just my thoughts

[cdoyle]

I was able to get it to vend a couple times, but now it just stopped.

So now I'm holding in the switch that tells it there is something in the rack (the 'out' indicator turns off.   

The person who had it before me, put a free vend switch on it.   So while pressing the switch in the rack, I press the free vend button.   The make a selection, there is a clang which is the sound of the solenoid pulling up on this cam.



The it just doesn't do anything else, the solenoid just holds that cam up and it never does anything.

I was looking at it, and is this motor suppose to raise that arm up and down?



Since I can't find any info on this machine it's hard to tell how it's suppose to work.  I'm hoping that motor isn't bad.  Is there a way to test it?

[cdoyle]

Ok,
The motor is good, I think there is something out of alignment tho.

Now, when I make a selection that arm goes all the way up, then all the way down, then all the way up, then all the way down.  It just keeps doing it over and over.

Anyone have any ideas on where to start the troubleshooting?

[Jim]

Chris,

I'm coming into this post a little late at night here, but did take a quick minute to look and see if I had a service manual for the V-228 as it seemed familiar and sure enough I do! It actually covers the V-125 & V-190 as well.
At any rate, if you can be patient, I'll scan into PDF format the "Things to Adjust" section in the manual and get back to you on Wed. afternoon...
Additionally, one of our sponsors may have the complete service manual for a nominal price if you're going to keep the machine for a while...

[cdoyle]

Thank You!

I'll be very patient ,
I have a feeling something is out of adjustment and that's why that bar is just going up and down.

Is that what this unit is know as, a V228?

[johnieG]

The vending motor assembly on this machine is very simular to a Westinghouse select-a-matic, if the motor & vending link/arm keeps cycling, you should check the big vending switch thats attached to the motor arm assembly, this switch is what controls the vending cycle when a selection is made the motor starts to turn, this switch then gets closed by the cam or arm to keep the motor running after the selction switch is released to complete the vending cycle, once the cam or arm gets back to its "home" or parking postion, it's supposed to open up the circut that supplys voltage to the vending motor & stop it from rotating again until another selection is made.  so, if the motor is running constantly, you can be sure that this little bugger of a switch has a lot to do with it. this switch is used in the "normally open" postion, that is to say, it's "off" with the vending motor in the parked position.

make sure that it has all of it's wires attached to it , normally it has a three wires going to it, but some machines only use two. also check to be sure that it's mounting screws that hold it against the motor assy. are snug, & that the long lever that contacts the motors cam or arm is correctly postioned & not bent or missing BE VERY CAREFULL when adjusting this switch! it will trigger the motor & you might get a nasty surprise when it rotates without warning & snags your fingers!!!  adjust it with the power OFF, the same goes for the Westinghouse select-a-matic machines too.   unless you like the nick-name "stubby"   

you can disconect the compressor by turning the thermostat to "off" when adjusting this switch, so it doesn't have a fit when you keep unpluging the machine to test the vending cycle.

[cdoyle]

Is this the switch you meant?


I was looking at this yesterday, and was wondering if it might be part of the problem.   I should be able to test this with a multimeter correct?

[cdoyle]

Ya it was the switch. 

I noticed it wasn't 'clicking' when I pressed it.  So I took it off, and it clicked fine, put it back on and it wouldn't click.  So I had to keep messing with it, and finally got it installed and have it still click.

Just wondering I looked at the image of the V228 and it's similar to this machine, but the outside is a little different.  Does anyone have any pics of the one I got?  Just curious to see how it looked new?

I think someone put different coke stickers on the side of mine.

Also, does this machine take cans?  The guy I got it from says it did, but the 'racks' seem to be too long for cans.  I tried adjusting them and they still seem about 2 inches to long for a can.

[johnieG]

If you remove the switch from the machine , yes you can test it with an OHM meter, the termianls should be marked, but you might want to put a register marking with a sharpy marker befor you remove the wires ( just in case) so you kow where they go back. testing it is a good idea, just because it "clicks" doesn't mean that it's actually working electrically.

in order to vend cans in the racks, you'll have to make a spacer to take up the slack between the back of the cans ( which should load all the way forward in the rack, & the back-spacers, you can use a 1x2 piece of wood or a piece of pvc pipe (2") & attach it to the metal back-spacers in the racks, this will prevend the stack of cans from tipping backwards & jaming the stack. since the spacers you need to make don't bear any weight, I use the 1x2 wood cut to length to fit into the stacks & I countersink some holes to hold about four small magnets I got from radio-shack & glue them in place into the holes & just magnetically "snap" these Can spacers onto the steel back-spacers, does the trick for me! just be sure you leave about 1/4" of space behind the cans so the don't bind in the stacks/racks

[cdoyle]

Great, I was wondering if a spacer or something would work.  Glad to know I was on the right track.

I won't get to mess with it anymore until Thursday, I'm hoping to get it all working soon!!

[bubba]

Magnets... Who'd a thunk it... Cool tip JohnieG

[Jim]

Hey Chris,

Here's a link to the "Vendo V-125, V-190, V-228 Things to Adjust" pages in the Service Manual.

Hopefully helpful...

[cdoyle]

oh that's cool!
Thank You!!

I messed with it a little before I saw your response.

I tried one of the other slots, and it worked OK.   But the first selection, it not vending, it acts like it jams or something.   So hopefully using this I can adjust it and get it working again!

Thank You!!

[cdoyle]

Been messing with it some more,
Question:  Are the 'flaps' as I call them(the pieces that move down, that allow the bottle to drop).  Are they suppose to alternate after each vend?

I'm noticing on the 2 columns 5 and 6 (which are the same selection switch) that bind, both are only moving 1 flap each time.   The other one doesn't move at all.

Reading the PDF I'm not sure how they are suppose to work?

[cdoyle]

Ah, just noticed something.



These 2 rotor wheels are for the 1st selection.
I noticed that niether of the wheels rotate when a selection is made.  The solenoid, pulls up, and everything else works like it's suppose to, but the wheel doesn't move.

I tried the other selections, and noticed that the wheel moves clockwise 1 tooth each time.   

What I have noticed is, it's hard to tell but not sure if the index pawl is missing the tooth on the wheel?  But there are times when it does make contact, and that's when it jams up.  It's like the wheels either don't want to turn or something? 

   

[cdoyle]

For the life of me, I can't see what is different about these 2 wheels, compared to the other ones?

They all seem to be resting in the same place, where the index pawl is right under a tooth of the rotor wheel.  But for some reason these 2 wheels refuse to spin when it tries to move it. Which causes the whole machine to jam and has to be unplugged.

Anyone ever work on this type of machine before and have any thoughts?  Or things to troubleshoot?

[cdoyle]

Got it working!! 

I adjusted the index pawl on both, and gave it a try and it works now!!

Now on to the next issue, Selection #4 doesn't do anything when the button is pressed.
No click of the relay or anything.

So since the relay is the same for #3 and #4, I swapped them.  #4 still doesn't work, and #3 still works after the swap.  So it's not the relay.

So I then tested the switch with a DMM.  When the button is pressed I get continuity, so it's not the switch.

So are there any other common areas to check?

[cdoyle]

Well got all the racks working now.

The sprite one wasn't working because of the main harness, by the door.   It was a bad connection, messed with it a little and it started working!!

The only thing on the machine that isn't working the way it should is the coin-op.   The person who had it before me, put a free vend switch on it.   When you do this, does that mean it won't accept coins at all?  Most of the time when I put coins in it, they just fall through.   Some times, they go into the little slots, but it never registers it as money received, or releases a can.