Your vending machine won’t take money. It rejects cards. It’s not dispensing the right products when people enter their code. Now, they want a refund, and your clients are coming to you with complaints. You need to find a solution, fast.
It’s time to reset your vending machine.
There are a lot of problems you can run into with vending machines, whether it’s not accepting bills or not functioning properly -cooling food and drinks. Resetting can be a quick way to correct a lot of problems with vending machines. Turning your phone or computer off and on again when it’s acting up? The same goes for vending machines.
In this guide, we’ll look more closely at vending machine parts, common issues they experience, and how to fix them with a hard reset.
Vending Machine Parts
Taking time to know your vending machine and how it works will pay you in kind when it starts having issues. When you understand the parts of vending machines, you can easily troubleshoot and find solutions without having to spend hours reading up on various mechanics.
We’ll look at each of the major parts more closely, along with the most common issues people encounter with them. These also happen to be the problems that need fixed most often. Knowing them now will help you handle any future issues with your vending machines.
Bill Acceptors
The bill acceptor reads paper bills, tickets, or other applicable vouchers and scans them for validity. It then sends an I/O signal to an output connector to record the transaction. If the acceptor doesn’t work, people will frequently have their bills spit back out every time they insert them.
Coin Mechanism
A lot of people don’t pay with bills and use change to pay for their products. The coin mechanism uses a specialized sensor to measure different coins and determine their value. When it’s broken, the money will either not register correctly, or it will be returned to the user.
Credit Relays
Many modern vending machines accept card payments, which require a specialized card reader to work. The relay reads the card and sends a charge before dispensing a person’s selected item(s). You need a credit relay working to process any cashless transactions.
Keypad and Display
Your keypad allows users to make a selection by entering a code, and the display tells people what they’ve chosen and how much it costs. In addition to revealing prices, a vending machine display can also tell people when items are out of stock.
It’s important to ensure your keypad is functioning properly, e.g. not dispensing the wrong item when people enter a code. If the display is broken, then it will either display the incorrect amount or show nothing at all.
Trays
Your vending machine trays hold products in place. A broken tray will cause products to fall to the bottom of the machine.
Refrigeration Decks
If you sell perishable food items, then you need refrigeration decks to maintain a safe temperature inside vending machines. When they go haywire, you can not only lose all your inventory but also put people’s health at risk.
Vend Motors
When someone selects an item from a vending machine, the vend motors activate coils and raise a tray to dispense the item. Faulty vend motors can cause a transaction to stop halfway through, fail to reach the drop point, or never start to begin with.
Pick-up Box With Drop Sensor
How does a vending machine know when to drop a product? That’s thanks to the drop sensor built into the machine. Sensors register purchases, releasing the item and allowing someone to pick it up from the box at the bottom of the machine.
Security Measures
You have to keep your vending machine safe from thieves, which means you need security measures that lock your machine from being opened. Without good security measures, anyone could rob your machine’s inventory or steal the money other people have used to pay for items.
How to Reset a Vending Machine
When you need to reset your vending machine, the first step is to identify whether the problem is technical or mechanical. In many cases, the sensors and technology that power a vending machine can be thrown-off, and resetting can fix the issue without further intervention required.
Mechanical issues are more of a challenge because they require physically repairing or, in some cases, replacing a part of vending machines. The good news is that most vending machines that are well cared for don’t experience many mechanical problems.
Resetting a machine is incredibly straightforward. Technical vending machine problems can often be resolved by unplugging the vending machine, leaving it off for a few minutes, and plugging it back in again. That’s it!
Before you reset your vending machine, read the owner’s manual. They may have specific instructions and troubleshooting guides for common problems.
We’ve covered resetting the vending machine itself, but what about specific components? You actually don’t need to shut off the entire vending machine to reset parts of it.
How to Reset Vending Machine Card Reader
- Press and hold the two black buttons on the top of the card reader until the vending machine’s display turns off.
- Press and hold the two red and yellow buttons at the bottom of the vending machine card reader to manually reset it.
This is the most common way to reset a vending machine card reader, but it won’t work for every model. Check your owner’s manual or the manufacturer’s guide for detailed instructions. If there’s a customer service line you can reach out to, give them a call.
Use an Override Code
Some vending machine models have unique override codes that you can use to reset the vending machine without powering it down entirely. If you can activate the machine’s administrator mode, you’ll be able to use the code to reset it without having to unplug.
Recommended Reading:
When do you need to reset a vending machine card reader?
There are a lot of problems that are frustrating for vending machine owners and customers alike. The good news is that they’re easily resolved just by resetting the card reader. It may be time to reset a vending machine card reader if it causes any of these issues:
The Magnetic Stripe Reader Doesn’t Work
Card readers use a magnetic stripe to read cards and record transactions. Because it’s exposed to the elements, it can easily collect a lot of dust and dirt. Even a little bit can throw off the stripe’s sensor and cause the card reader to malfunction.
The easiest solution is to clean it off with a dry, microfiber cloth. Just wiping it off can make it work like new in some cases.
If your magnetic stripe is clean but it still won’t read cards, consider a factory reset.
Transactions Fail
A vending machine card reader translates information from a person’s card, sends it to their bank, and processes a transaction. There are a lot of underlying codes involved, and sometimes, they glitch out. When this happens, a person’s transaction can fail at any time during a purchase.
The vending machine card reader may simply reject a card straight away; it could fail to process a card halfway through. It could even record a transaction and charge someone without actually delivering information to the vending machine, which leaves the person without their item.
A lot of issues with the transaction processing system can be rectified with a simple hardware reset.
Machine Won’t Take Any Cards
If one card doesn’t work, it could be a problem with the card itself. If multiple cards receive the same error message or cause the same issue, the trouble likely lurks with your vending machine’s card reader.
Resetting the reader is the fastest way to determine whether it’s just a glitch or there’s a bigger issue with the device.
Payment System Not Working Properly
Whether it’s not changing people or taking money without following through with a transaction, issues with the card reader can often be fixed if you reset a vending machine. We highly suggest resetting the vending machine card reader if you’ve recently bought a new vending machine, acquired a used one, or are moving it to a new location.
Authentication Errors
You may see error messages like “connection timeout” on a vending machine when its authentication process is taking too long. Sometimes, card reader issues come from a problem with the bank’s side of things. All you can do is wait it out.
However, if you’re not certain that the bank is to blame, resetting the card readers can easily help test the theory.
Vending Machine Will Only Take Cash
Connection issues can cause the vending machine to only accept cash and as result, your vending machine refuses card payments. There could also be underlying problems with the machine’s settings if it's not properly connected. Is the card reader new? Did you recently buy the machine and install it in a new location?
Resetting the card reader is usually the solution to this problem.
Any of these issues can stem from a problem with your vending machine card reader. When it comes to the magnetic stripe, the easiest thing to do is first dust it off with a dry, microfiber cloth. Because it’s always exposed, it can easily collect a lot of dust that makes it hard for the card reader to operate.
Sometimes, all you need to do is clean off the card reader and it will work like new.
Other machine's issues are technical in nature, so resetting the card reader according to manufacturer instructions is the best course of action.
The system should reset when you hold the two upper black buttons, wait for the display to shut off, then hold the red and yellow buttons at the bottom. In a few seconds, the card reader should turn back on, only now it will be restored to its original factory settings.
Recommended Reading: How to Use Card Readers for Vending Machines
What if the problem persists?
Sometimes, a reset may not resolve your troubles with a card reader. It’s frustrating, but at least you’re one step closer to finding the right solution! You’ll want to unplug your machine and thoroughly clean a bill receptor and coils if they aren’t properly. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of elbow grease and TLC to get your vending machine running smoothly again.
Contact Your Banking Partners
If you have issues with the vending machine card readers, call the bank to see if there are connection issues impacting your vending machine. If a perfectly good machine is suddenly requesting cash-only payments or not reading cards, there is likely a problem that it's not properly connected.
Also, make sure you’ve paid your banking fees on time. If you haven’t the bank will cut off connection to your vending machine, so it won’t process any card payments.
Check the Coin Mechanism
If your vending machine won’t give change, it could be out. Check inside and see whether it has enough coins to effectively process transactions. A quick refill could be the answer to all your problems.
While you’re in there, make sure to tidy up and remove any dust and debris that’s built up inside the vending machine as well. Older vending machines are especially prone to trouble if they have any dirt in their sensors.
Call for Technical Help
Whether it’s with your card reader or the machine itself, check the owner’s manual for customer service. There is likely a number you can call or email you can reach out to for further assistance.
You can also contact a vending machine repair technician near you to further troubleshoot a problem and make any necessary fixes.
Clean the Bill Acceptor
If your vending machine is dead set on spitting out any dollar bills you insert, it may be time for a good cleaning.
Follow your manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning your dollar validators aka bill acceptor's.
It’s best to disconnect all power sources beforehand to avoid electrocution. Check every power source. Never insert water or anything wet into a vending machine when it’s plugged in. For added safety, you can wear electrical gloves and rubber shoes.
Update Outdated Parts
An old coin mechanism or bill acceptor may not read or validate newer currencies. For example, a newly minted coin or bill could be rejected by an older machine despite being completely valid. Vending machine card readers could also fail to work with newer cards that rely on technology your card reader doesn’t support (like contactless payment).
If your vending machine’s mechanisms are old (10+ years), it’s probably best to upgrade them to newer models.
Perform Routine Maintenance
To keep your vending machine in working order, make sure you regularly clean it. Whenever you restock the inventory, clean the coils and trays and regularly use compressed air to clean dirt and dust from the coil condenser. Currency can introduce a lot of grease and grime into your coin mechanism and bill acceptor; routine cleanings are the easiest way to prevent errors from reading currency in the future.
Conclusion
Vending machine problems are annoying, but most are easily fixable with a good, old-fashioned reset. If unplugging the machine and plugging it back in doesn’t work, you can start to troubleshoot specific mechanisms within the vending machine.
In some cases, upgrading parts of your vending machine (like its coin mechanism or card reader) can clear up any issues and extend its life.
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