Machine Maintenance & Troubleshooting

When machines break down, Mike shares his real-world method to fix issues quickly and keep revenue flowing—without losing hours on-site.

Diagnosing Common Vending Issues

A jammed coin or chewed-up bill? That’s a coin or bill validator jam. A hanging product? That’s a spiral or product motor failure.

If the card reader fails or “transaction failed” shows, the reader is offline. Door or vend sensor issues trigger repeat prompts post-vend.

Cooler problems include readings over 41°F, under 34°F, or a nonstop cycling compressor. A machine marked offline in your dashboard? That’s network loss.

Mike’s 7-Step Field Fix Routine

1. Power cycle—main switch off for 10 seconds, then back. Solves 30% of issues.

2. Clean the cash path—remove jams, wipe sensors with alcohol swab.

3. Fix spiral jams—re-home motor manually and free stuck products.

4. Card reader—reseat dongle, reboot, confirm merchant plan is paid.

5. Vend sensor—wipe IR sensors, clear drop path.

6. Cooler—vacuum condenser, verify door seal, confirm 36–38°F setting.

7. Log and test—run a 1¢ test vend to confirm fix, document all work.

Hard Stops, On-Hand Tools & Logging Systems

Never attempt another reset after two fails—hardware issues like boards, motors, or exposed wiring are tech-only territory.

Mike carries a toolkit: screwdrivers, hex keys, spirals, validator cards, wipes, canned air, fuses. QR codes on machines link to customer issue forms.

He maintains a service log: date, fix, parts, time spent. SLA standards: 24h for jams, same-day for cooler/high-value sites, immediate for outages.

He tapes a cheat sheet inside every door—model, serial, firmware, support contacts, and warranty info.