Paw-Paw's Machine...but what is it?

[Termite]

Hi everybody!

Yes, I'm another nOOb, in need of some assistance.

Now before I get hammered let me state, that I *have* tried, and tried, and tried,  to find this information on my own, but came up short.
So, I decided to call in the experts; you.


Also, I realize that this is *probably* not the most desirable machine, nor the most sought-after, most efficient, or anything of that nature, however, it holds a sentimental value for me because it's a machine that my Grandfather had in his shop and I *finally* managed to convince my uncle that he should send it to a good home...mine.

He had used it for a cooler in his garage, up until about 15+ years ago where he replaced it with a refrigerator, and it just sat in his garage collecting dust, and getting in his way (<-my sales pitch. Heh!).  At any rate, I assured him that it was going to be put back into service and that I wasn't asking for it to resell, so he agreed.

Anyway, I get it home and blow all of the dust off of it, check the cord and while it's seen its better days, the insulation was still on the wires, so I plugged it in. The thing fired right up. The compressor hummed, normally and the thing cools down to the upper thirties (F°). Yay!
Here's my question(s);

-Apparently, one of my cousins had taken the coin mechanism out of the machine and it's nowhere to be found.
 So, I'd like to find a replacement, if possible...
--are there any models that use the same coin changer mechanism?

(but the biggie is..I don't know what kind of machine this is...)

- Also, the ID plate has disappeared and I don't know what model this is and after going through the various manufacturers list/models, I cannot find this particular machine anywhere.

I did manage to fine some similar machines, but the number of available products was different...(which I gather is the reason for the model number followed by the "-x" where x=number of products?).
The machine that I could find, which was closest in resemblance, was a Vendo V-92. (V-92-1; V-92-3)

Funny thing is; I could only find it in a 1 product, or a 3-product unit, and not a 4-product unit like this one.
So could it be a Vendo-92-4?

(Adding to the confusion is that I was under the impression that Vendo only made machines for Coca~Cola, am I mistaken?)

At any rate, I'm including some images in hopes that someone might be able to shed some light on what kind and model machine this might be?

*Also adding to my constant state of confusion is that on the lower right of the machine, just above the grille, there's a Vendorlator decal...


Well, here she is...

H e l p !




And then on the inside of the machine, someone wrote what I am assuming is the model number and serial numbers...but I was unable to find anything about that model. (and, of course, the chalk-outline from the crime scene of what's left of the stolen coin mechanism)




So there it is discussion groupies, my; "what the heck is it", post.


I thank you, in advance for any assistance.

Best wishes,
Bug

.

.

[johnieG]

It says right above the coinmech in marker, it's a Vendorlator (VMC) VF 100-4 ( they have the model no. backwards) VMC made all flavors & generics except Coke

[Termite]

Thank you for the reply, johnieG....but, I've tried that, and I've just re-tried that model number
and I am *still* unable to find any information on it.

I promise, I'm not trying to be difficult. I'm just kinda stuck here...

Could you possibly point me and my search into the right direction, please?

Thank you for taking the time, just the same. I do appreciate that.

Regards,
Bug
 

[Jim]

Bug,
First, Welcome to SMC ! ! !

and I am *still* unable to find any information on it.

Although Soda-Machines.Com has an extensive library of manufacturers/models, it is a daunting task to locate info on every machine produced...
With hundreds of models manufactured, if not more, it can be difficult to locate information on a particular machine/model...
With that said, I have to ask: what information are you seeking?  The reason the question, well, it is the number one question I get asked day in and day out...  And many times, there just isn't an answer...
I am not being condescending, just pointing out general information may not be available...
We do our best to aid in dating and placing values on any particular cooler/machine provided photos are posted...

[Termite]

Thank you, Jim, for the welcome and the reply.

To answer the question, what it is that I am looking for, I suppose, is a two-part answer.

First, I guess, would have to be along the lines of affirming that, "it's not just me, then",
with regard to not being able to hunt down the info. on this machine.
(Whew! I was beginning to think that my mad-mad, search skills were starting to slip a little.  Haha!)

But in all seriousness,  I was primarily looking for information on the machine so I could see what all is needed to get the, (missing), coin mechanism functioning again.

I figured if I could find an image, or something, that would start me down the road to hunt down the various parts I'd need. Then, perhaps, I could do a little homework and see if any other machines might employ the same type or a similar type mechanism that I could get to work for this oddball.

As it stands now, I have no idea what all is missing, nor do I have any idea, how it's supposed to go back together. I'm pretty sure I could figure it out, but with little to nothing to go off of, I'm just looking for any assistance or any leads.


And, please don't think for a second that I don't appreciate your efforts and your taking the time to help me out, because I genuinely do. I've done a lot of digging and have seen some of the questions you guys receive...most of which, could be answered with just a brief and simple search, and honestly,  I've got to give you guys a tip-of-the-hat, because you have far more patience than I would, in dealing with the continual and repetatjve questions. I just tried to do as much research on my own, as I could and, well, I came up short. So that's why I thought I'd dip into this vast pool of knowledge and ask the people who have probably forgotten more about these machines than I'll ever know. So thanks angain one and all for your efforts as well as the assistance. You guys probably don't hear it enough, but it IS appreciated. Seriously. It is.

Kindest regards,
Bug

[ajf5577]

Have you tried to put bottles or cans in it to see if it will vend? It appears that the wiring may have been modified so maybe it's set for free vend. That is where I would start.

You can find coin mech's on eBay or from one of the vendors in this chat. They are universal with a seven pin plug.

[MoonDawg]

      That is correct, your mech. has been removed and replaced with a free play switch.
      Follow the wire coming off that 9 pin Jones plug, I'll bet cousin Eddie added a button in front. 
      Any 9 pin coin mechanism will work in your machine, most of us prefer the S-75 series.

[ajf5577]

I mis quoted... 9 pin. I have a bunch of them around here. You think I'd stop and think before I write?

[Termite]

Have you tried to put bottles or cans in it to see if it will vend? It appears that the wiring may have been modified so maybe it's set for free vend. That is where I would start.

You can find coin mech's on eBay or from one of the vendors in this chat. They are universal with a seven pin plug.

No sir, I have not. I will, though. Thank you for the assist!

I mis quoted... 9 pin. I have a bunch of them around here. You think I'd stop and think before I write?

Where's the fun in that? Heck, some of my best quotes come from not having the filter engaged from my bug brain to my bug mouth!

 

  That is correct, your mech. has been removed and replaced with a free play switch.
      Follow the wire coming off that 9 pin Jones plug, I'll bet cousin Eddie added a button in front.  Cool
      Any 9 pin coin mechanism will work in your machine, most of us prefer the S-75 series.

Outstanding! I will look into that just as soon as I can come up with an excuse to slip away from here and get into the shop.

This whole work thing sure interferes with my goofing off.

Thank you all, gentlemen!

The drinks are on me!




Regards,
Bug

[johnieG]

Thank you for the reply, johnieG....but, I've tried that, and I've just re-tried that model number
and I am *still* unable to find any information on it.
I promise, I'm not trying to be difficult. I'm just kinda stuck here...
Could you possibly point me and my search into the right direction, please?
Thank you for taking the time, just the same. I do appreciate that.

Regards,
Bug



The site doesn't have any pictures of these round-buttoned vendors, but It's functionally the same as the square button model, I've owed a few from an Rc Cola to a Vernors ginger-ale, it's a VMC or a rebranded Vendo.  
 

[BeaYoung]

Love the Dr. Pepper green!!!! Did you machine work on free vend??

[Termite]

Well, BEA, in short, not really.

Someone has cut some of the wires on that 9-pin harness,

 ( I had to clean it all up because, when they cut into the harness, they spliced three entirely different colored wires into it and I was scratching my bug head for a minute trying to figure out what was going on because they wrapped all of that nonsense up with electrical tape....which, if you've ever messed with old electrical tape and how much fun that nasty, gummy, slime that it leaves behind.......yeah. Good times),

Anyway, here's what I have...




....and the 3 wires that they didn't cut, (Y/B/P), run up to a switch that was zip-tied up by the coin return lever..





At first, I was hopeful that it might be the "free-vend", switch that ajf5577, and MoonDawg, had mentioned,  but when triggered, all it does is activate the "Credit Relay", which I'm assuming, would be the coin return function...but the relay just clicks and buzzes because there's no coin mechanism in the thing.


Oh well, just like Wile E. Coyote, it's back to the drawing board for this ol' bug.

I went and bought some Dr Pepper in the retro-looking, 12 oz bottles, and moved the shims in the racks around to accommodate them, and I'm determined to drink one ONLY after the machine dispenses it; either using the free-vend switch, (until I can get the coin mech), or via coins if I find one pretty quick.   


**Might anyone have any suggestions as to which wires I could connect to a switch so as to get it to dispense a cold, bottled Dr Pepper?**

I hate feeling like I'm being so darned, 'needy', but I can't find any info on this machine, nor do I know what other machines I could use as a guide..so I'm kinda stuck.

I certainly don't mean to be a pest.

...but, then again, I am a bug. Heh!


Thanks guys and have a great weekend!

Bug

[ajf5577]

I am seeing the 9 pin Jones plug "plugged" into the proper receptacle on the machine. It appears that the little switch should be a free vend switch. When you pull out the plug, the wires that correspond with terminals 1 and 3 should be connected to the switch that you showed. When tripped, the credit relay should trip, which should activate the vend mechanism.
You could also remove that cover from the female side of the plug, and find the corresponding wires from terminals 1 and 3. They should lead to whichever relay communicates with the vending mech.
If you've completed these tasks and still no workie, Perhaps you have other issues in the wiring and that's why they abandoned the machine for the other fridge.

[Ltransam]

Shouldn't the can stacks at least have 6-8 cans in them before the switch is activated ??

But I don't know as I SUCK on electric  

[johnieG]

Shouldn't the can stacks at least have 6-8 cans in them before the switch is activated ??

But I don't know as I SUCK on electric  

Yes, you need to have a mininum number of cans / bottles in ALL of the columns before the machine will allow a vend from any selection, at least as high as the sold out switches

[ajf5577]

What Johnie said....
Look in each column and find the sold outside switch in each one. Make sure that there is enough product in each to depress the switches.
Then try it.

[Termite]

(was about to ask that very question...LoL!)

Well peeps, we're making progress!

Everything looked original, untouched, and intact back behind the receptacle for the Jones plug.


But, I did find one of the white wires (in the harness from the selection panel) had been cut also. It was a little tough to find because it was
inside the rubberized wire loom amongst, and behind, all of the other (14,634+  Heh!),  white wires in that group.

But I found it by accident because I saw a little incision on the back side of the rubber harness and being that the harness is clamped-down, there was no way it was cut by anything other than someone with intent. So, I got lucky and just soldered/heat shrunk it back together, and
now we've got actuators, actuating! Yay!, (when the 'free vend' switch and the selection button are pressed/held simultaneously).

Which makes for a happy bug! Huge thanks, again, ajf5577!

I'm guessing that I've got a loading issue because even though the actuator was cycling,
and the cog-wheel was advancing,  I couldn't get the bottles to drop.

But, I only was only using one, of the four stacks

Ltransam, Thank you for that suggestion and Johnny for your confirming that.

*edit to thank ajf5577, again! who posted whilst I was replying,  Heh!


Well, I'mma' go try loading up the other slots, and see where that leads me.

But not before I ask a bug-brained question.

Since the machine was set-up for cans, would it make any difference if I left some of the stacks cans,
or do I need to change them all over to bottles?

Can cans and bottles be mixed in the vend? (Each in their own stack, of course. Bottles, and only bottles, stacked in one, Cans, and only cans, in their own different stack). Cuz if they can't, I'mma have to run to the grocery store and pick up some more bottles.



Thanks guys!

Hope everybody is enjoying the weekend!


Regards,
Bug

(as he heads out, singing...)

"I'm a Pepper, he's a Pepper, she's a Pepper, we're a Pepper wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?
be a Pepper drink, Dr Pepper..."

*chuckles because that jingle is now stuck in the heads of 86,67% of the people that just sang it. Haha!


  

[ajf5577]

One step at a time and now it's working, wtg!

As long as each column individually has the shim or block that directs the product length, you should be able to mix cans and bottles. There is one way to find out..........

[Fire708]

Nice machine! Congrats. 

[Termite]

Well, fellas, as great as that plan sounded, things didn't quite work out that way.

I made it as far as buying the sodas, but upon returning from the store, Lady bug stepped-in
and  put a squash to all of it. Needless to say, I spent a glorious weekend, being a good bug and playing
fix-up around her parents house. (I didn't once bring up the fact that her brother, who stil lives there
never even bothered to assist. Grrrr!!).  I *did* pop-off and tell her that if she wasn't so darned pretty, and if she didn't have so many endearing qualities that I adore so much, that she'd be outta' there with a quickness!

She rolled her eyes.....
Hrmmph!!

So, hopefully this evening, I'll have a chance to follow through with all of this.

So tune in later for another exciting episode of Bug's World.
Haha!

Regards,
Love Bug

Heh!

[Termite]

Welp, I loaded the stacks and gave it a shot, and the actuators/solenoids are functioning, and the pawl is lifting from the cogged wheels (same thing on all four racks), but the wheels don't advance; they just sit there. (sads)


So I'm going to do a little information digging here in the various threads in the forums, but any suggestions would certainly be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Bug