When troubleshooting a mechanical coin acceptor (Beaver) viewer follow these steps every time:

Note: When testing, always listen closely for the noise the shutter makes. This will always tell you something and help in troubleshooting a problem.

Step 1:

IF the shutter is not opening when a coin is cranked though the coin acceptor (no shutter noise at all):

• First: check battery voltage (replace batteries that read below 5.7V). If it’s reading close to zero, it’s probably the batteries not making good contact within the battery holder. Push each battery with your fingers in the direction the spring is trying to push them, and recheck voltage. In some cases you may need to wrap electrical tape tightly around the ends of the battery case to hold the ends of the battery holder against the battery terminals, or try a different battery holder. Reconnect battery pack, and re-test.

• Second: when you open the coin door you will see two sets of connections. One comes from the coin acceptor to the control board, and the other comes from the shutter to the control board. Swap these two sets of connections. Re-test. (If no change, immediately put the connectors back to the way they were previously. The wire colors are meant to match up with each other when plugged in correctly, though there are a few machines out there where this isn’t the case.)

• Third: Try another control board.

Step 2:

IF you hear a noise from the shutter at cycle start, but nothing is moving, then wait for 2 minutes for cycle to time out and watch to see if it opens when the cycle finishes. If it does, reverse the connectors on the shutter wires inside of the head.

Step 3:

IF you hear a noise from the shutter at the start AND end of the cycle, and nothing is moving, then the Servo is probably broken. Replace shutter.

Step 4:

Check the operation of the micro-switch on the coin acceptor. The micro-switch is a little black plastic switch on the back side of the coin acceptor with a lever on it, and two wires coming from it. Press lever with your fingers and see if shutter opens. If the machine works by doing this, but NOT by cranking a coin through it, then the coin acceptor needs to be replaced.