How to Hack a Coke Machine

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Hacking a coke machine can dazzle your friends with your technical powers while checking out the profitability of a vending machine route. Most Coke machines built since the late 1990s can be hacked with a simple access code. Once you enter the code, you can find out all kinds of information about the machine's sales. However, please note that this article does not teach you how to steal drinks from drink machines. Stealing is illegal in some countries and morally wrong universally.

Steps

1. 1
   Find a machine that has an LED screen and that is by "Royal Vendors". There should be a label on both sides of the machine. The small screen will typically scroll a message such as "Ice Cold Coca Cola". If the machine's LED display simply displays the price, the steps below may not work.

   
   
2. 2
   Enter the access code by using the drink selection buttons. The default access code is 4, 2, 3, 1, but the buttons aren't numbered. They will either say nothing or have pictures of Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, and other Coca-Cola products on them.
   • If the buttons are in a column, button 1 is the top one. Button 2 is the one to normal mode. Press the select button to exit.

Alternate Instructions

• On machines with two panels of six buttons on each side, the same 4-2-3-1 code will access the Electronic Counter for the machine. After accessing this menu, press 1 to see the total lifetime sales, 2 for the total lifetime items sold, 3 for a breakdown of items sold of each selection, 4 for a breakdown of cash generated for each selection, and 5 for the machine's internal temperature. After a while without input, the machine will return to the normal menu. On some machines, the 6 button will close the menu.

  
  

Tips

• This only works for Coke machines, which may sell products such as Barq's Root Beer, Sprite, Dasani, Evian, Fanta, Fresca, Frutopia, Full Throttle, Powerade, Hi-C, Minute Maid, Nestea, Odwalla, Mr. Pibb, Planet Java, Seagram's Ginger Ale, Simply Orange, Sparkletts, or Tab in addition to Coke and Diet Coke.
• In general, these are the only options you can access without having the door unlocked and open. Different machines may list these options in somewhat different formats, so experiment a bit to learn what each new one does.
• If you need to exit the menu quickly (i.e. when you just can't wait another second to buy an ice cold Coke) press the change (coin return) button. This will normally quit the menu, but on some machines it will display the machine's inner temperature.
• Vending machine owners or service people have the option to change the access sequence from 4231 to some other combination of buttons, but they rarely do. This is probably because having one code makes it easier for anyone to service all the machines along a route. It may also be because the information you can access through the external menu with the door closed is limited and fairly harmless.
• There are several videos available on the Internet that show people using this hack. Many claim to be able to change prices or get a free drink, but the videos don't actually show them doing so.
• In order to get to the same menu in a machine that sells Pepsi products, simply enter 1, 3, 2, 4. All the menu options should be the same. However, keep in mind that this does not work on all Pepsi machines.
• This might also work on some Coke vending machines that have a numeric keypad instead of buttons for specific drinks. Enter in the Coke code as usual, and you may get to the sales menu.
• Some machines may require you to enter the code twice, so don't despair if you don't get to the menu immediately.
• Several machines display a list of more codes, but most have the dispense options disabled.

Warnings

• This will generally be frowned upon by store staff or machine service people, so exercise caution when trying it out, and be sure to follow any applicable laws in your jurisdiction.
• Do not do this if there's a line behind you, as people may get upset waiting for you.
• You might waste your time doing this, as Coca-Cola has distributed new firmware to their vendors that would render these instructions unusable.
• You may be asked to leave or be fined if the owner catches you.
• Do not hack the machine when others are around or in front of a camera.
• This will only work on a Coke vending machine with an LED screen.

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