SMC Discussion Areas

Hello
I purchased a vendorlator VF-165 about a month ago and I am having some problems with the coin mech. The first problem I noticed was when I set the machine back to 50 cents and when you put the 50 cents in it the coin mech would charge you 40 cents and give you change back. After some messing around the machine all of a sudden worked at 50 cents. Then after about a week later it started its new problem. Sometimes when you put money in it once the correct value is reached the machine will start dropping all the nickels in the nickel tubes and not stop untill I unplug the coin mech. Here is a video I took of it going nuts. http://s515.photobucket.com/albums/t357/ScaleBowler/?action=view&current=Coinmechproblem.flv  I contacted coinco about it and they said I need to buy a refurbished coin mech from them because they no longer have replacement parts but I would really like to try to fix this one before I have to go and spend as much money as I paid for the machine.
Thanks
Alex

Does anyone know of a good replacement for this coin mech that is not going to cost a ton of money? I was told that a refurbished one would cost $125

I think a member here (Johnie G) has some for sale for about half that in the classifieds section of this site.

It sounds like your coinmechs circuit/logic board that's at fault, probably the zener diode voltage regulator or it's components. I repair these mechs, but I don't know where you are located. ( near me?) Whitelake Michigan

I have one, used, clean and test $40.00 USD out the door, plus shipping.

PM me if interested.

BG

Surf on eBay...I picked up a real nice one that works perfectly for $10 bucks and only $10 to ship.  Be patient and bid often..took me about a month to score a decent one.

What would be easier, find another coin mech or just get some parts and fix the one I have?

I was reading in the manual about some sort of tester that coinco has to test the functions of the coin mech. Is this something I should try to find? Would it be helpful in the long run?

Not unless you are planing to repair coinmechs as a side line, a bench tester can be quite expensive

Does this type of coin mechanism have problems like this a lot or is the one I have just old and worn out?

Not if in good working condition and kept clean. Always a good idea to replace the wiring going into the coin mech. Problems in the harness will fry the mech.
Creighton

Ok so the one I have is just old and not working right. It does not look too good, the board looks good but every thing that was exposed is pretty dirty looking. I think the machine used to be outside at one time because everything especially the bottom area with the condensor and compressor was covered in dirt.

the circuit boards are subjected to the same aging as any other 30year old electronics, mechanically they hold up pretty good, ( baring physical damage from abuse & mishandling ) they are simple to use & maintain, and are still quite popular for these home use machines. once any damaged electronics are replaced, they are good to go for another 10+ years

That is good to know. I do want to get another mech sometime and maybe use the one I have for parts. I think everything else is good except for the logic board. How do you clean out the insides of the slug rejector? That part on my machine is really dirty from years of coins going through it and is making the dimes get stuck sometimes.

Take it out of the mech, and give it a good wash with dish soap and water, then let it dry well.  If you have compressed air, blow it out with that.

Remember to only wash the slug rejector, not the entire "mech" you can also put the slug-rejector in the top rack of a dishwasher, just prop the coin-reject rail ( hinged part that swings out) open with a pencil & let it go through a wash-cycle. 

How do I test to see if a switch is not working? I need to check the switch that is in the payout motor area. I think it tells the logic board when a coin is payed out. They also said that this could be an issue as well.

if you mean the vertical (sliding) switch on the front of the coinmech, that switch is often called the inventory switch all it does is eject the coins from the change tubes ( in your case nickels) but if the payout motor wont run, it usually is because it has no voltage (as it receives it's 12 volts DC from the logic board, also if your logic board has a bad voltage regulator, it will mis-count the change given, or mis-count the coins received ( causing eratic price acceptance, or causing the 'mech to not accept coins at all)  to test the switch you'd need a continuity checker, or an OHM meter, it's no different than checking a light-switch, one way is "on" the other "off ( this switch is a momentary/normally "off" type, so just think of it as a sliding door-bell switch)

Isnt there a switch that is hooked up to the part that dispenses the coins? Sorry I can not post pics I am at home right now and I can't get access to the machine untill around january 10th.

Just a thought instead of dancing around with the coin mech just send it off to Johnie G , he has
done a few of my coin mechs and they work when he is done with them  John has all the stuff plus the coin mech testers believe me it is worth it...

 Johnie's the Man when it comes to the Electric Coin Mechs .He did My Orginial 10 cent for My C-55 and It works Great .Better to have Johnie Fix It Or He can set you up with a New Model Maybe


                                                                       Leonard

Can the slug rejector from a 9800B be put in a 9800A?

Yes, they are interchangable.  It'll fit with no problems.

Correct, they're 100% interchangeable

CoolCool now I can keep my old coin mech and use some parts for spares for when I get a new one.

I have never heard of a zener diode before what does it do?

It's a voltage regulating diode, used in component built ( individually separate component circuits) voltage regulation, it predates the linear style voltage regulators used in more "modern" electronics.