Free play switch question

I am thinking of installing a free play switch on the machine I just purchased, but had a question. Does it hurt the machine if the button is held down for very long? I know this sounds odd, but I want to try something and need to know that about it. Thanks

[johnieG]

That would depend on which type of machine you are applying it to. a VF56 glass-door shelf vendor you'd maybe overheat the vend-soliniod if you leaned on it for a minute or more, it only takes 1/4 of a second to set the vending gate to allow a vend. on late model machines, (say like a Lacross 5 button can vendor), they have a secondary vending relay that "latches"  ie; validates the vend cycle, then resets once the can (soda) passes buy the "vend" switch that comes back to the coinmech on pin #7 of the jones plug. most relay's & soliniods are rated at an intermitant duty-cycle, that is they are "on" (shorter) for a certain amount of time then they are required to be "off" a certain (longer)amount of time. (it's a heat thing!) also I suppose it depends on what you are planing to do with it as well, just remember, you are working on circuts that have 115 Volts AC line voltage across it.

Thanks, I think that helps a bit. I think my machine is something similar to a Cav. 64, but I'm not totally sure.  The reason I was asking was that I was thinking about making a free play switch that instead of a momentary push button, used a key based switch, so that I could control access to the free play activation.

[johnieG]

Well then, just put the Key switch in series with the free-play switch, then you can turn it on or off at you pleasure.