Soda machine "hack" yields extra beverages

C'mon, we've all wondered just what it'd take to nab an extra snack or soft drink from that soulless, computerized vending machine, right? Even if you haven't pondered such mischievous thoughts, you've probably muttered to yourself more than once how the robo-fridge took your money and didn't give you a tasty treat. So this "hack" goes out to you with a bone to pick, here's how to turn the tables on those carbonated money snatchers. In a video documentary shot by two (intelligently) undisclosed individuals, they trick one of those fancy conveyor belt-equipped pop boxes into thinking it has failed at dispersing the requested beverage. Once it believes that you're fuming mad and only moments away from striking the machine, it simply returns your money while the drink remains on the belt. If you haven't figured out the rest, you simply reinsert your recently refunded coinage, and repeat the process until the belt runs out of room (or you hear someone coming). While this one may not be not founded on more idealistic principles, we can bet it sure feels good to know if we really wanted to be, we could finally be on the duping end of the ever-dubious soda machine confrontation -- now, somebody give this a whirl on one of those iPod / digicam vending machines. [Read link possibly NSFW.]

[Thanks, RedBull Runner]

[Sweetdelight @ Sep 19th 2006 5:07AM]

This would suck because then itll register as empty and screw out any other thirsty nerds/nerdettes :(

[titancow @ Mar 10th 2008 4:37PM]

A much easier way is to say that the machine ate your change.

[PJK @ Sep 19th 2006 5:11AM]

I'm not exactly Dudley Do-right but aren't you advocating, and supplying instructions for, theft?

Isn't this a little irresponsible for a reputable technology blog?

[UK Mike @ Sep 19th 2006 5:12AM]

totally agree

[UK Mike @ Sep 19th 2006 5:12AM]

test message

[Lloyd Medley @ Sep 19th 2006 5:37AM]

shut up, lol, o/j btw. its not stealing :P well it is but lets be fair how many times are we going 2 do this? a couple at the most, and whats a couple of bottles really? anyway, id only do it to show off to my mates lol. i think its neat but i suppose some people clearly have a stronger conciense than me ;)

[James @ Sep 19th 2006 5:53AM]

we have been doing this at school for yearrrs!

[Mike @ Sep 19th 2006 6:06AM]

Exactly how do you do this trick? Does it work on a normal vending machine and if not what does a "conveyor belt machine" look like?

[Noam M @ Sep 19th 2006 6:33AM]

Mike, this trick works on Coke vending machines that have that big green bottle-shaped opening in the front, and a conveyor belt that moves up and down, bringing the soda bottle to it's opening as soon as it has fallen onto the belt.
The video explains exaclty how to do it. It requires blocking the small trapdoor that the bottles come out through.
The only minus in this "hack" is that the beverage you block automatically appears as "sold out".
Smart hack, stupid machine design.

[K Saleh @ Sep 19th 2006 6:13AM]

holy crap! 1 dollar 25?
It costs around 25cents where I come from for a coke MAX!!
(I come from Qatar.)

[Danny @ Sep 20th 2006 7:55PM]

We do not have Coke Max or Pepsi Max in the US. But, i did try the coke max in thailand while i was there, it tastes the same...i wonder why they put max behind it

[Mank @ Sep 19th 2006 6:38AM]

NSFW? Someone explain?

[funetik @ Sep 19th 2006 7:01AM]

NSFW - Not Safe For Work

If you're asking how the link might be, I dunno.

[Rynth @ Sep 19th 2006 7:01AM]

Lol, old trick, the best ones are the machines that work by "gates" some plastic retainers that open and shut quickly to let the drinks out, just shake the buggers and presto! the gates arnt strong enough, and you get about 30 free drinks. Ahh, the joys of the old days, then theres always the snack machine hacks.

[Anon @ Sep 19th 2006 7:08AM]

Yeah. How is it NSFW?

[me @ Sep 19th 2006 7:11AM]

Only in America. Awesome. This is why humans rule the planet.

[Dino @ Sep 19th 2006 7:23AM]

Only in the USA?

HAH! i shall try it in my school tomorrow!

- in singapore

[Paul Hildebrandt @ Sep 19th 2006 9:33AM]

Good idea, steal stuff in Singapore.

Enjoy the caning.

[Kei @ Sep 19th 2006 7:36AM]

it's NSFW because of the advert ontop of the video.

[RacetrackOwner @ Sep 19th 2006 7:48AM]

Nice. Coke adds a feature which attempts to ensure you don't get screwed out of your fee, and this manchild abuses it for the purposes of petty theft. With any luck, Coke will sue the hell out of Engadget.

[blackout @ Sep 19th 2006 7:49AM]

people will have a feild day with this.

:]


people as in me

[Harvey @ Sep 19th 2006 7:58AM]

Sad! I've enjoyed Engadget's edgy look at technology, but if I wanted discourse from petty thieves, I could hang out at the local crack den. Grow up!

[MMagic @ Sep 19th 2006 8:42AM]

holy mackerel 1.25 ours is only .50 with that price i would be doing 3 or 4 bottles at a time , what a repoff from coke. its a damn school for heaven sake

[csnoke @ Sep 19th 2006 8:53AM]

This knwoledge exists... Engadget is making it PUBLIC knowledge, which is the only way the problem will vever be fixed.

Now excuse me while a I go next door and bump my neighbors' locks.

[PJK @ Sep 19th 2006 8:58AM]

I must be getting old to be on this side of the argument but the tone of the article definitely doesn't suggest they are doing this to inform Coke of a design flaw.

[Mrfreezie @ Sep 19th 2006 8:58AM]

Wow, that is cool... But it does screw others over. I mean, no one can get sprite now.

[bp @ Sep 19th 2006 9:16AM]

it is petty to steal a pop; however, by the comments from people in other countries is sounds like in the US we are getting ripped off anyway.

On the other side, if pop was cheaper we would just be even heavier.

[A-Dog @ Sep 19th 2006 9:16AM]

Some people really need to chill out....paying a buck and a quarter for one soda is a complete rip off...I could probably take 10 and coke would still make money...I'm not gonna shed any tears for them

[mannequin23 @ Sep 19th 2006 9:33AM]

this is a fun little trick unless you work at a place that has one of these machines. Coke has programmed ours (b/c they are well aware of the trick) to shut the machine down if it doesn't dispense. these machines don't break normally, so whenever the desired beverage does not exit the conveyor, the machine simply stops working. I was calling Coke to come fix the machine 3X a day b/c kids were trying this and finally switched machines b/c this thing is a nightmare and having to re-imburse customers for this sucks. but go ahead a try, if you hate the store that is housing the machine. but if you frequently shop at the store that has such a machine, do them a favor and don't do this trick. you will save them a lot of irritation and money.

[FlawedHero @ Mar 9th 2008 5:05PM]

At major concert/sporting events CocaCola can cost $3 a bottle. Disney and SixFlags, other amusement parks, Coke is$3-4 from what I've seen.

[PiNPOiNT @ Sep 19th 2006 9:36AM]

In some places in canada, they have the odacity to charge us $2 or ever $2.50 for a bottle of coke from those machines if your near any type of touristy area.

Usually $1.50 though

If i want pop for a quarter, i have to go with a good old Royal Crown :)

[tiuk @ Sep 19th 2006 11:52AM]

Yeah, the vending machines at my University (where I pay thousands of dollars of tuition) cost $2. I usually just walk to the 7-11 across the street.

[B from TX @ Sep 19th 2006 9:42AM]

Access to this web page is restricted.
Reason:
The Websense category "Sex" is filtered.
URL:
http://poststuff2.entensity.net/091506/media.php?media=steal.wmv

[tidiman07 @ Sep 19th 2006 9:48AM]

wow, that is a nice hack, but why are we so bent on destroying things that help us. We made vending machines for conviniece, and here we are destroying them; humans may rule the planet, but they are not the brightest!

[Brandon Hays @ Sep 19th 2006 9:49AM]

"In a video documentary shot by two (intelligently) undisclosed individuals..."

They actually gave their names in the credits: Stephen Kyle and Stephen Grieve. I question the level of intelligence in that. Do I smell a lawsuit?

What is amazing to me is I imagine that if there is a lawsuit, Coke will drag the DMCA into this somehow.

[Michael @ Sep 19th 2006 10:42AM]

This http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/prod_development/new_specs/downloads/vend_machines/P1010130.jpg vending machine is even easier to hack. We had one at my school. You reach your hand inside the dispensing flap and reach to the back where you hold a flap. The drink comes down and when the door never opens, never triggering a sensor it thinks that the item is sold out giving your money back. Let go of the door and you have your free drink! The only catch is that the system thinks that the row is sold out now.

[Tomy G @ Sep 19th 2006 10:43AM]

This was on digg like 3 weeks ago. And it doesn't work on all machines, even if they look the same as the one in the video.

[T-Will @ Sep 19th 2006 11:04AM]

I've never seen one of those conveyor-belt vending machines in California (maybe I don't get out enough).

[Grant Burnes @ Sep 19th 2006 12:04PM]

Well, they did not say how to get the machine to actually get tricked into thinking there was a malfunction. So, they couldn't be sued because they are simply telling a story and not telling how.

[Quaddw @ Sep 19th 2006 12:12PM]

This can also be used with the WaWa brand vending machines (for those of us on the east coast). Simply open the area where the drink falls down to and hold hte flap that allows the soda to drop to the dispensing compartment. Once you order ur soda simply wait a few seconds and hti hte coin return. (Helps ot have two people it cna be a long reach)

[Michael Chastain @ Sep 19th 2006 12:16PM]

I might try this a time or two. Considering the 3,876 times in my life I've gotten screwed by a vending machine I won't feel too guilty about it.

[jim @ Sep 19th 2006 12:31PM]

hmm my school they have some sort of infrared device (on the food vending machine) so if it doesnt see it falling it will open the next one up until one does fall. so once i had a candy bar come halfway out, it detected that so it opened it again, so two bars came out =) dunno how one can trick it, maybe with lasers or something

[Matt @ Sep 19th 2006 1:09PM]

I don't think I've ever seen a vending machine like the one in the video. Just the ones where the pop comes out toward the bottom. Can you do something simillar with those? Probably not. I have had a pop get stuck behind the flap a few times on one vending machine. I enentually got them out, but it was annoying.

[CianC @ Sep 19th 2006 2:05PM]

we had one at school..al we did though is use a ruler to knock the bottles out

[Aaron @ Sep 19th 2006 2:45PM]

Meh.. petty theft. The "it's too expensive" excuse doesn't fly for me.. go buy a cheaper brand then at less convenience you dirty commies!!!

[ultraelite @ Sep 19th 2006 3:06PM]

okay so forget the mirror our site is back up if an admin could fix the link it points to a far better article
http://justinhazen.com/poptrick/

[ultraelite @ Sep 19th 2006 3:05PM]

give credit where credit is due (I'm the guy in the video) you should link to our site http://justinhazen.com/poptrick/
wait shit it's down well when it gets back up
so mirror to full site
http://www.duggmirror.com/tech_news/How_To_Pop_Machine_Hack/

[PPC @ Sep 19th 2006 3:25PM]

Been doing this at work since the new machines got in.

[Alan @ Sep 19th 2006 5:22PM]

i tried this today, it did not refund my dollar even after i held the door and the bottle stayed on the belt.
i ended up having to pay $2 for 2 bottles!
is it required to put extra money in like in the video?

[someone @ Sep 19th 2006 7:26PM]

these corporations enough money anyway