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Hamilton Autocashier says "Hopper Empty" when it's not empty.

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Hello. I have model ACWV4-23. Serial #0102A9278. It is telling me "Out of Service" "Hopper Empty". Hopper is half full! I used an ohm meter to check micro switch that hopper rests on,it is opening and closing. Also, when I relieve weight of hopper by tilting it up off of switch the token verifier starts humming loudly. We do not accept tokens. On the bill verifier the bottom right segment is lit (flashing)along with the decimal point. Any thoughts? All help is greatly appreciated! Thanks! Chuck.
 

I.B. Washincars

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I have several ACW-4s. What micro switch are you talking about? I've never seen one, other than the payout switch inside the hopper. It is my understanding that the coins complete a circuit between the two metal strips in the bottom of the bowl. Maybe you could try cleaning the strips, checking the wire connections on the back, maybe jumping them to see if the problem goes away. Also, go into the controller and change the "hopper empty" mode to "exact amount only".

The light on the validator is telling you that it is inhibited. In other words, the controller is telling it to not accept money. There's probably nothing wrong with the validator itself.
 

Randy

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Push the Yellow Action button on the controller one time. The Error will come up on the display, push the Yellow action button again and it will clear the error. This will rest the controller. The 2 stainless steel strips compete the empty circuit between the wheel and the 2 strips. They should be clean and coins should be covering them. I did have a Hopper come in last week that one of the wires that connects to one of the strips had come off.
 
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Thanks to both of you for responding! The bowl sits tilted with a hinge(?) at the top and a spring at the bottom that "springs" the weight of the bowl when it is empty. With enough quarters in the bowl,it sags down and rests on a micro switch. The bottom of the bowl rotates to dispense coins. Oddly,lifting the bowl off switch will allow a reset. Issue immediately returns,however. I am reluctant to mess with controller,as I don't know what I'm doing. Could this be a wiring harness issue? Paper work for this unit is long gone. If it is a harness issue, what part number would I need? Thanks again. Chuck.
 

Randy

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You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s an antique Game plan Hopper, kind of looks like a small cement mixer. They went out of production about 1988 I believe. I know parts for the Hoppers are just about nonexistent. The wiring harness might still be available.
 

I.B. Washincars

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Wow, I didn't catch that and I've owned a couple of them. Randy, can't he replace that hopper with a newer style without a lot of trouble?
 
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This car wash is owned, and run solo for 41 yrs, by an 89 yr old man. He was drafted in to WWII specifically to teach the mules how to be stubborn! You should see him shovel out a pit. Anyway,he's my Pop and for the last 35 yrs I have been helping him on week-ends in the winter. Hopefully, this hopper is repairable/replaceable quickly as his idea of "fixing it"is to take the cash in hand and set the wash up manually. I know,most people my age think they're having trouble with their teens! Chuck.
 

MEP001

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They're not really repairable because Hamilton no longer makes parts for them. If you get lucky you might find a distributor that's been in business for more than the 15 years since they stopped making parts for it and still has some NOS parts on the shelf, but replacing it with the new style hopper isn't difficult.

If the hopper still works aside for the empty switch, you could just bypass it and keep an eye on it so it doesn't run out and short-change customers.
 
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Thanks,MEP. I'll try that on Saturday. Won't be busy as we just had our turn at being buried under wet snow! With more on the way!Chuck.
 

Randy

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Chuck, I believe what you’ve got is an old ACW-3 with an ACW- 4 controller installed. If you want to run the Hopper without the Hopper Empty switch, disconnect the “Tan” wire from the switch. Be VERY careful when you do this as there is 110 volts on the switch all the time. If you pull this wire be sure to tape the wire off. I’ve got a few of these old hoppers in the scrap pile if you need a switch let me know.
It’d be almost impossible to put a new style Hopper into an ACW-3 if it's the model with the validator and stacker mounted on the door.
 
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Thank-you,Randy. You are correct. The in-bay automatic was up graded to a Hydro-Spray Classic back around '04. At that time a new decal was affixed to the front of the cabinet. What a pain the door mounted stacker is! I will be sure to shut off the power before I cut any wires. Chuck.
 
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Success! I removed the wires from the switch,but it wouldn't work until I spliced the wires together. Thank-you everyone for the input!
Chuck
 
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