Vending Machines
 

I've unintentionally doscovered there are people out there who collect vending machines while I was deciding that I should buy a beer fridge.

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So far it has cleaned up nicely with a pressure wash but it's still got a way to go. The coin acceptor is missing. A bearing on vend column 4 is really stiff, the white opaque paint on the sign has turned to powder and fallen off, the columns literally only dispense half the time because they aren't fully setup right, someone has swiped the bottle opener and ignoring the large number of dents and scratches someone has taken the column shims. I discovered while refilling it that these shims change the width of each column. If they are too wide some cans like to jam up against eachother and regular plastic soda bottles are too large. Also is there something special about 7Up cans? Everything else I've put in the machine so far has dispensed somewhat reliably but 7Up either kept jamming or rupturing and making a sticky mess everywhere.

Also is there a source for new button labels or even a template? I need to make some new ones for the beer I've added. :banana:

Nothing helpful to add, but I notice that the price is labeled "$1.00". I wonder if that machine was in use not that long ago. That's a modern price, heh.

Also, does anyone here know their refrigerants?
I have a number of older devices including this machine that use the now banned R22 but after 30 or 40 years their charge levels are getting pretty low. You can still find small cans to recharge appliances but it's really, really expensive. The modern substitute is RS-44/R424A. It can be added to purged or partially filled R22 systems and you don't have to retrofit anything to use the equipment again.

Problem is that while I can find most other refrigerants and small can form for one or two use recharging I can only find RS-44 in the giant tank format which is really expensive and I'd never need that much refrigerant.

Looks like southern Okanagan, Penticton to Osoyoos area?

Close. Kamloops.

That looks like the same model machine as in this article.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mystery-soda-machine

Good luck getting her going buddy :)

At this point it's running fine. I turned up the thermostat and the refrigeration cycles well enough that it's not using too much energy, the fans are quiet, the lights all work and I've rigged a switch to the coin return so for now I don't need a coin acceptor but it's those damn shims. I need photographs of what the real shims looked like. The ones I made are just too unreliable.

It looks like a 7UP machine I know of in a certain educational institutions' basement.

That looks like a Vendo...some parts may still be available from the mfr. Or...contact your local Pepsi distributor & see what they may have in the junk pile.

Pepsi had nothing. Turns out I was better off sourcing parts from ebay. The columns are no longer jamming anywhere near as bad and I've figured out the adjustments so each column now dispenses one can each time. A replacement Coinco acceptor was found for $120 which isn't bad seeing how everyone else is offering rebuilt units for $400 and up. The lock has turned out to also be a fairly easy to source radial lock plug. A new one with two keys cost $20. What I do not however have is the rest of the lock. I'll have to take a piece of 1/4" steel plate and have something cut.

And the 2016 Bad Packing award goes to....

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Mr. Hands.
Good thing it survived. :thmbsp:

Hold the phone! I know of a worse packaging job this year....A friend bought a Blonder Tongue modulator off the net and it arrived "packed" in nothing more than the shipping label that was applied to the outside of the modulator it's self...Yes it shipped naked with a label pasted onto it.

I kindof know my refrigerants. Are you in Cali? R22 isn't banned in Illinois, or a lot of states. At any rate, it's still a fairly small system, you could just recharge it with R134A. It's cheap and plentiful. It might not work 100%, but better than nothing. You could also use propane, or 'R12 substitute' (aka propane). Again, it'll work. And no, it is not dangerous.

There's a lot of BS about compatibility issues between R22 and R134, and obviously you don't want to mix them, but a good long vacuum will leech the remaining old refrigerant out of the oil in the system.

Once, like a dumbass, I punctured the line on a window AC unit I was cleaning. It used R22. I had some R22, but I didn't feel like hooking it up to the machine. So I researched this stuff, and then just charged the thing with R134. Still going strong 3 years later.

Although, I should mention, aren't vending machine refrigeration systems sealed systems? You know, like modern postwar refrigerators? They almost never leak (not even after 40 years) unless they've been damaged. If they are sealed, any performance issues are most likely gonna be either a filthy condenser or a just-plain-worn-out compressor. Or maybe a fan or something.

But yeah, R134 or propane. Or just buy some R22 somewhere else. (It's a little pricey though.)

Pepsi used to have a machine at our shop that seemed to date from the late 70's, judging by the color/design. (It had been refreshed with new paint but I could tell under the peeling finish that it used to be that baby blue shade.) It was a Dixie Narco; once, it stopped cooling & to my surprise the cooling unit was modular, it just sort of sits in the bottom. The tech had it changed out in something like 10 minutes. I guess quite a lot of machines must use the same basic unit (the replacement did look different).

We were always having trouble with it not taking coins, probably due to it being in a very dusty environment. I finally complained enough & instead of swapping out the mechanism they brought me a late model machine. I've often wondered what became of the old one.

I live in Canada, so the sale and distribution of R22 in official supply chains is banned. You can find it from time to time in places like ebay but it ain't cheap.
This is a removable closed-loop unit so you can buy new refrigeration units but they are quite costly so I want to continue to use mine until the compressor finally fails. These loops however can still leak and I've run into newer devices that slowly leak out due to bad pinch seals. I've had to dispose of two cheap AC units myself where after a year or two they had lost their refrigerant.

Anyways the machine has been relatively well behaved over the winter. I installed a disconnect for the compressor so all winter the fan inside ran but otherwise the machine was silent. I also clipped one of those vintage looking 60W squirrel cage lightbulbs inside the door so the machine didn't totally freeze up when we were dropping below -15c and that kept it around 2-5c. Early on I was finding that some of the beers were slushing up and two cans of Pepsi ruptured. :sigh:
While finding a replacement bottle opener wasn't too hard (I can stock twistless bottles now!) finding the door latch has been. It's a strange mechanism.

http://www.stlvendingparts.biz/image...55-500x500.JPG

I have all the components EXCEPT for that pot metal half-circle which also has a slope on it so that when you lock the door it pulls both the inner and outer doors tightly shut and a bolt slips into a T-slot. I cannot find a substitute part and the only other two I've seen cost around $130 after shipping and I'm not paying that much for a latch. If anyone knows a better source I'd love to hear it because right now my means of holding the door shut is still a tie-down strap. :|

[post edited Apr 9 2017 (new photos)

I totally remembered last night that there was another vending machine hiding away somewhere nearby.
Back in the 90's one of the smaller ski hills closed down. The place was basically boarded up and left to sit. Over a decade ago I wandered through the outbuildings and in one behind the lodge there was a small automat-like machine. Kinda like those refrigerated ones with the carousel that you spin until you see your selection, then insert the required amount, opened the door and pulled your item out, only this one was much more compact and the carousel was coulmns that spun around on an oval looped chain. The whole thing is slightly wider than the Pepsi machine but seems to be otherwise the same height and depth.

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I remembered someone had smashed the front window but it seems in the following years someone though that perhaps 20 years on they might of left money in the machine and did a hell of a job on the door around the latch. This allowed critters in and there was a nest next to the compressor. If the wiring wasn't color coded I'd consider this a total loss but I'm willing to take this as a challenge. Seriously considering my options.

I'm officially nuts. :screwy:

Picked it up on Saturday but did not get a chance to pull the tarp off it and begin the long job of cleaning it out and running an inventory on what needs to be done.

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This would of not happened of the metal screen on the back had not been removed. A Packrat moved in and TRASHED everything in the compressor compartment. Before I can even remove the compressor assembly the entire compartment needs to be cleared of filth. It's immensely disgusting.
This is already going over my head though and without a wiring diagram I'm going to lose my mind trying to rebuild the harness so I've decided to seek help at the KLOV/VAPS forums in the hopes they can dig some more info up.
Once I got most of the lower compartment emptied out it's time to attack it with the paint stripping wheel and sandblaster.

Completed dismantling of the compressor bay and lower door frame earlier this evening. After all that mess I only had two small screws whose heads snapped off. :banana:

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I will have to sandblast the inside before it can have one or two rust holes patched and then the entire thing repainted. Currently hunting around for the wiring diagrams.
While pressure washing the compressor I spotted a sheen which is likely bad news. With the fan motor being totally seized that could only mean there's a hole in the lines somewhere, presumably from the massive amount of corrosion.

While I wait for it to dry I'm sitting here working on the coin acceptor unit. It consists of a Coinco slug rejector and a totalizer mounted in a metal frame with an electromechanical linkage. So far the slug rejector is more brittle than anything.

Inspection of the refrigeration unit has yielded it's dead.

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Corrosion ate through the piping at the lowest points, allowing the freon and lubricant to escape. When the compressor was powered it hummed angrily and the ammeter took off so it's rightfully seized.

Good news is that instead of hacksawing the lines so I can at least salvage the evaporator which is a rather specific fit to the machine there are threaded couplings I can loosen to separate it from the dead assembly. Leaves hope that int he future a new compressor and evaporator can be found.

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Weather finally improved. Had the base of the machine soaking in WD-40 for a few days and almost all the screws came out so I could remove the bottom and get at the worst of the rust.

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I'm using three different discs to clean up the rust and prep for fresh paint. First I'm using a regular grinding wheel to remove the scale and the larger chunks of rust, then I switch in the stripping wheel which brings it completely down to clean metal. From there these areas are sprayed with a rust converter. From there I have a flap sanding disc I will use to clean up the entire cabinet before it is reprimed and painted.

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Need to borrow a sandblaster though to clean the smaller parts and areas I can't reach.

Edited: This is the little fan that was at the bottom of the door. There seems to be a cavity that runs parallel to the doors and blows air over them. I assume to prevent condensation?

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I never plugged the machine in, so the blown coil must of happened years ago. The fan spins freely. Shouldn't be too hard to find a replacement motor.

48 hours later:

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It's really cool how you're able to take an absolute basket case of a vending machine and give it a new lease on life.

Keep posting updates, I'm really curious to see how the finished product turns out. Especially with regards to the cooling unit - I wonder if that hole can be patched, and if the compressor might spring back to life with a little mallet therapy? :D

Because the evaporator assembly and piping has couplers I think it will be easier to find a suitable substitute, plus god knows how many hours this thing had on it before it was unplugged. From what I gather so long as I can match up the tonnage on the replacement compressor and condenser set I should be okay.

Given that it's a commercial unit parts shouldn't be too hard to find. What do you plan to do about the R12?

You are an absolute mad man! Whatcha gonna do with it when you get it running?

When I was a teenager there was one of those type of machines in a hospital. We figured out that you could reach in and get to the latch of the row above and open it. So if you paid for the bottom one you could take everything above it Even though the bottom was always the most expensive it was always a good deal! :-)

Oh man I commend your dedication. I thought my Heathkit GR-370 was rough but now the rebuild doesn't seem so daunting.

As for the compressor, I don't know, maybe one from a fridge would be suitable? As for the condenser, maybe a car heater core would turn the trick.

The modern variant for R12 is R134A.

I have a few ideas on what to do with the machine but I'm keeping those secret for now. In the meantime however I have been overly unsuccessful finding the service documentation. I still need a wiring diagram.
I have now inquired through all the major sources for vending machine parts, supplies and service and either they don't support this machine due to age, they don't respond to my email or in one case, it blocked my emails because it looked like spam...

I wonder if you would be able to trace the wiring, in the event a diagram is unavailable? It looks pretty rough but may be intact enough to figure out where everything goes.

Also, are those screw-in fuses on the bottom right of the machine? I remember seeing something similar on an electric range - each burner had its own fuse. Must be some kind of Canadian safety regulation.

The harness is for the most part color coded so there is a lot that I can piece together but its still a lot of effort. The diagram would at least verify the connections, which I would like as I've still not found something like an isolation or step down transformer. I am starting to wonder if this thing is ACTUALLY 120v in both input AND signalling. Terrifying. Not even 24v AC?

Also yes the two fuses are ye ol screw-in type. One for either side of the AC input and rated for 15 amps. I could keep them in there but I've been holding onto a few of the mini breakers for years now and this would be a great time to use them.

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I can't count how many times I grabbed a sandwich out of one of those machines, working late at university. Very cool to see that one being resurrected. Now all you need is a coffee machine, which drops the cup and then pours a cup of coffee.

I promised myself no more vending machines. TV's and old computers are one thing but Vending machines? Unless I started up an arcade with storefront I'm not going to invest in a row of vending machines.

Anyways, the local surplus shop had a bunch of spraypaint that closely matched the original paint. $2.99 per can. I grabbed six cans of black for the door trim and hinges and 12 cans of olive grey for the main cabinet. All I need to find now is a buttload of cheap primer. :scratch2:

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Put 'em to work! Why not find an office building or strip mall, park a couple of machines there, and rake in some $$$? :thmbsp:

No need for a row of 'em - one or two strategically placed units could be quite profitable.

While the idea has serious merit unfortunately the Pacific Northwest is in the midst of a property crisis. Chinese nationals investing in properties overseas to hide assets in markets propped up by others paying tens of thousands above asking, creating massive bubbles. The result is that even renting a 500 square foot residential suite is about $1500 per month with commercial suites starting at $2500. I'll leave the discussion at that as it can get pretty ugly.
If I owned property then sure but for now I simply cannot think of trying that. :(

That seems to be a global issue. Foreign investors buy property in a country, and in the process jack up the prices and force out the people living there. I've seen this with my own eyes in London, where property is bought up by investors, then left vacant and often allowed to decay.

Back to the vending machines - from what I gather, there's usually just an agreement with the building owner to park your machine on their property in exchange for a portion of the proceeds. So you might be able to avoid the whole rent mess completely if you're lucky.

Surplus Herb’s got in several cases of primer suitable for plastics. It’s not perfect and it is a clear spray, but it IS primer, so I bought 12 cans.

This evening before the winds picked up for the weekend I primed and then put one coat down on the first parts of the machine.

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I also did the bottom plate and the inside of the lower portion of the machine.
I might run out of paint before I finish. I decided the interior parts will only see a prime and one coat of paint. The outside I’m hoping to have two cans reserved for each side and the bottom. There are five more cans left at Herb’s so I’ll have to buy that just in case. The wind at least will be nice so I can sand the exterior in preparation for priming. It doesn’t need to be stripped clean. Just enough to clean any dirt or rough spots.

Heavy smoke means no wind. Perfect time to tackle priming again.
Before I pulled out the sander I did a little uh, mechanical adjustment to bend the one side of the cabinet back in shape. That brought it back nice and level.
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For cleanup I attacked with my large sander. Really all I am trying to remove is any sun damaged or flaking paint. There are some larger scrapes or gouges in the original paint and primer but with at least two coats of primer and paint it shouldn't bee too noticeable. Once I get a side sanded I do a quick wipe and down goes the primer which goes down a slight shade darker so for the first layer at least I can see where I am covering.

https://i.imgur.com/6fP1Fqy.jpg

Once the cabinet is totally primed I will give it a few days to set and then paint the top, reconnect it with the base and then while standing upright complete the last of the painting before rolling it back into the garage so I can start on the door.

Before the wind picked up I cut, painted and reinstalled the base. Take a look at the old panel compared to the new one.

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I also took the moment to drill out the old levelling bolts because once this was upright again I didn't want to tip it back over. Bye-bye went the threads so I think I'll redo that with threaded bolts and a nut because I don't have a tap and die set. Just take two crescent wrenches and spin either the nut or the bolt and raise it the half inch or so you need to level the thing.

I also started reassembling the electronics I already pulled out.

https://i.imgur.com/DXXdXcA.jpg
The panel on the right sat in front of the compressor and was the main power distribution terminal strip. The other piece is the plugboard for setting the door prices and the three ballasts and lamp starters for the lighting.
https://i.imgur.com/3tlWLg5.jpg

The little 15W ballast had to be replaced because it was so badly animal damaged. I had spare ones from a dismantled project at our local makerspace. I painted one black and bolted it in.
The other two ballasts are another story. They are original to when I got the machine with no promises that they still work but because of their odd size and their requirement for starters I didn't have much of a choice but to clean, repaint and reinstall them anyways. They do both likely contain PCB's.

Simply AMAZING restoration - my favorite thread right now.

You and Bob Andersen - miracle workers. :thmbsp::yes:

Nice adjusting! :thmbsp: I'm probably too heavy for such a procedure.