Redone Personal Vending Machine for Barley Soda and High Fructose Beverages

I used to hit up Target a lot and was somewhat of a hoarder when it comes to Clearance items. I had this Ice 3 Personal vending machine that  I got for like $12.50 and was never used because I didn't like the way it looked but it was cheap so I bought it.
So although I have a refrigerator in the Game Room I figured this would be a nice addition after I make it more my style.

I used the Ice3 but I am sure other ones that are similar or just the same and re badged. I think Heartland sells them for $70 but that would be a total waste of Money, IMHO! They are basically just insulated plastic boxes with a peltier chip,heat-sink and fan, much like low cost wine fridges. It keeps drinks at 32º below ambient room temp.

This Instructable is just how to rip it apart and paint it and give you ideas. The only real modification done to this unit was a 2 pin connecter attached to the fan which was required for the tear down and rebuild.

This is not a replacement for a real vending machine , which if you can get your hands on would be a much more rewarding project, but if you have one of these left over from a dorm room or see one at a yard sale, then go for it, then maybe this will spark some ideas.

Step 1: Supplies

Supplies Required or Recommended:

Base Dispenser Unit
Spray Paint ( Krylon or other Made for Plastic Spray Paint )
News Paper
Painters Tape
Philips Screwdriver
Razor Blade or Craft Knife
Wire Strippers

Optional:
I used 2 pin connector and header for the fan ( ALL ELECTRONICS CAT# CON-242) but you could pull one from an old PC fan or Light. You could just splice the back anyway you like but I utilized what I had

I also used a Syringe with Acetone and a small pry tool to remove badge

Step 2: Remove Badge and Disassemble

Remove Badge
Do not discard Badge as it can be used as a template or even painted for a badge of your liking.

To remove badge I lifted the edge and injected Acetone underneath then just lifted it off after adhesive dissolved. You most likely could use a heat gun or hair dryer as well but I was working on moving some veneer from a table so I had that laying around.

Remove hinges from door and body

Unscrew the 11 screws on back  and gently remove back. The Fan's wire goes through the plastic in the back ( at least on my unit ). I do not understand why they would do that as it would make assembly more difficult then say a connector or even a clip just to hold the wire. Either way cut the wire to the Fan.

You have to unscrew the socket for the power connector. 2 black screws

Unplug power socket from Power Switch

Now you can separate the back from the main body

Step 3: Protecting Electronics Prior to Painting

The insides of the unit are very basic

You have a heat-sink on the back ,4 wires coming from that going to a little controller unit. From the controller unit you have the 2 going to the power socket and 2 that were cut going to the fan.

The controller is screwed unto the body. I removed the unit but this is not necessary.

I put the wires and unit in a zip lock bag. If you are scared about static put it in a foil anti-static bag. But there are no IC's on this and it's pretty basic!

Step 4: Masking the Unit for Paint

Ideally I would take the whole front apart. However the are no visible screws from the inside and I only have 1 donor unit so don't want to risk it.

I do believe that if metal plate panel is removed it would reveal screws but it is also possible that there are clips on the side. I am just letting you know because if you are going to do it right or the metal panel is already damaged it will open up a lot more possibilities and customization. At the end of the Instructable I will post a picture with references to what I  would change .

Masking is pretty straight forward. I used Painters Tape and a razor blade to Mask what I wanted.

Again if I could take it totally apart I would not have to worry about the plastic door at the bottom .

The additional tape on the protective factory mask on front panel is from were the factory mask has tore over the years.

Additional Newspaper was put in dispensing nook prior to taping.

Both side of main body were masked but back of body not critical as far as edges as long as electronics and more importantly the heat-sink is protected then all is good.

Step 5: Painted

Here you can see everything after Painting and masking removed.
Only the front and Body were Painted the back was left natural color which is pretty close to the Cast Iron look I was going for with the rest of the unit.

Painting was done with Krylon Hammered Metal and Black
I orginally was just using the Hammered Metal but it was still to silver forr my tastes. So after I had it coated with Hammered Metal I took the hammered metal sprayed again and immediately did a light coat with black before it dried. The results are very good, IMHO
Flat black might have worked even better but this is the black I had.

However if I had a copper Plastic Paint I would have used that on the back.

Step 6: Re Assemble

Well I did the pin connector deal on the fan and the wires but you can do what ever want although I still don't understand why the had it run through a hole!

After you get the insides all screwed in and hooded up just reassemble in reverse of the take down.

You should always keep a jar or container for your screws and pieces. If it is a complicated piece take images before had. This was very straight forward, black screws for the power round heads for the back , flats for the hinges.

So not a big deal but I also follow the 3 main Guy Rules for Electronic Projects

1) Instructions are not Needed!
2) I can accept the fact that after reassembling items that sometimes projects will gift me extra screws
3) Despite Formal Education and Training, I still Believe that all Electronics are really run by Smoke. Because when any electronic apparatus releases smoke it is usually dead or on it's way out.

Step 7: Reassembled and Done

I am pleased with the overall appearance a great improvement over the original.
If I could have disassembled more I think I could have done a lot more this. wasn't a planned project as usual more of seeing something laying around and wanted to utilize it.

I wanted to change it to be Steampunk and while I am happy with the cast iron look from the paint it still ended up more 30's Sci-Fi or Industrial Art Deco , IMHO. I have no problem with this but figured I would share some thoughts if you aquire such a unit and want to do it up .

A) Spray Paint Copper
B) LED's to light plastic *
C) Paint or Metallic Laminate Copper
D) Paint Buttons and Grind , Drill , or Mill so proper labeling can be put on. *
E) Tortoise Shell in Vinyl Laminate
F) Paint with Stained Glass Spray Paint
G) Brass hinges to replace stock ones

If you have access to Vinyl Laminate then the Body in Burl would look nice as well!

Well hope you find one or gave you Ideas!

Cheers!