Cash Counting Machine Not Working? Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Most cash counting machine problems fall into one of four categories:

•        Note prep issues: not fanning the stack, mixed-orientation notes, or damaged notes causing jams and double-feeds.

•        Dirty sensors: dust and polymer residue causing false rejects and inaccurate counts.

•        Wrong counting mode: running a mixed-denomination count in COUNT mode instead of VALUE mode.

•        Genuine hardware faults: roller wear, sensor failure, or a power issue that needs a professional service.

The quick diagnostic table below will point you to the right section. If you’re still stuck after working through the fixes, Cashcom’s repair and maintenance team services machines across Australia — call 0451 353 676.

Symptoms:

•        Notes stop mid-feed and the machine halts.

•        Repeated JAM or FEED ERR on the display.

•        Motor sound without notes moving through.

Likely Causes:

•        Notes not properly fanned before loading — stuck-together notes double-feed and jam.

•        Damaged, wet, or heavily folded notes catching in the transport path.

•        Debris accumulation on the rollers or transport channel.

•        Overloaded hopper — more notes than the rated capacity.

How to Fix It:

•        Open the access panel and carefully remove the jammed note — never pull forcefully, as this can damage the transport rollers.

•        Power the machine off, clear any remaining debris from the transport channel using the supplied brush, then power back on.

•        Re-fan your note stack thoroughly before reloading — bend the stack back and forth several times to fully separate notes.

•        Remove damaged notes: any note that is wet, torn, or sharply folded across its length should be excluded from the counting stack.

•        Do not exceed the hopper capacity — 500 notes for the H110, 600 for the LS-200, 1,000 for the K2. Use ADD mode to accumulate totals across multiple loads.

⚠️ Call for service if: Jams recur immediately after clearing, even with a fresh, well-fanned stack. This indicates roller wear or a transport mechanism fault that needs a qualified service.

Symptoms:

•        No display, no motor sound, no response to the power button.

•        Display lights up briefly then goes dark.

Likely Causes:

•        Loose or damaged power cable.

•        Dead or tripped outlet — particularly common on power boards with overload protection.

•        Blown internal fuse (common after a power surge).

•        Internal power supply fault.

How to Fix It:

•        Check the power cable at both ends — unplug and firmly reseat.

•        Test the outlet with a different device to confirm it’s live. Avoid power boards for cash counting machines; use a direct wall outlet where possible.

•        If the machine was previously working and stopped after a power surge or outage, check whether the model has a user-accessible fuse. Refer to your model’s manual — some Cashcom machines include a fuse at the rear panel.

•        Power cycle: unplug completely, wait 30 seconds, and reconnect.

⚠️ Call for service if: The machine still won’t power on after checking cable, outlet, and fuse. An internal power supply fault needs professional diagnosis — do not attempt to open the machine casing.

Symptoms:

•        Reject pocket filling up with notes you know are genuine.

•        Reject rate significantly higher than normal.

•        Machine flags the same denomination consistently.

Likely Causes:

•        Dirty or contaminated sensors — the most common cause by far. Dust and polymer residue from worn notes accumulate on UV, MG, IR or CIS sensor surfaces and cause false reads.

•        Heavily worn notes with degraded security features that genuinely fall below the machine’s detection threshold.

•        Incorrect currency or denomination settings — particularly relevant if the machine has been used in a multi-currency context.

•        A sensor that has drifted out of calibration over time.

How to Fix It:

•        Clean the sensors: power off, open the sensor housing, and gently wipe sensor surfaces with a dry or lightly damp (not wet) microfibre cloth. Never use solvents or compressed air directly on sensors.

•        Clear debris from the transport path using the supplied brush.

•        Run a cleaning card through the transport path if your model supports it.

•        Verify the machine is set to AUD and current note series — check your model’s settings menu.

•        Inspect the rejected notes manually under UV light. If a note genuinely looks suspicious, treat it as potentially counterfeit and set it aside for bank assessment.

⚠️ Call for service if: Reject rates remain abnormally high after thorough cleaning and you’ve confirmed the notes are genuine. This points to sensor calibration drift or sensor failure requiring professional recalibration.

Symptoms:

•        Count result is consistently higher than the actual note quantity (double-feeds).

•        Count result is lower than expected (notes sticking together not being separated).

•        Value total doesn’t match when you manually verify the stack.

Likely Causes:

•        Double-feeds — two notes passing through the sensors simultaneously, counted as one.

•        Inadequate note fanning — notes sticking together and counted as a single note.

•        Wrong counting mode — running VALUE mode with denomination recognition turned off, or COUNT mode when a value total is needed.

•        Sensor contamination affecting denomination recognition accuracy.

How to Fix It:

•        Re-fan the stack extensively before reloading — this is the fix for the vast majority of inaccurate count results.

•        Confirm the correct counting mode for your task: COUNT for note quantity, VALUE for mixed-denomination dollar total.

•        Run the same stack twice and compare results. A consistent result on both runs points to a genuine stack issue (stuck notes); a different result each time points to a sensor or mechanism issue.

•        Clean the sensor housing per the steps in Problem 3 above.

•        If double-feeding persists, check whether the machine’s anti-double-feed mechanism (present on most commercial models) is functioning — a piece of debris can physically obstruct it.

⚠️ Call for service if: The machine consistently produces different results on the same stack, even after cleaning and re-fanning. Inconsistent counts suggest a sensor or roller fault needing a service.

Symptoms:

•        ERR, ERROR, or a numeric error code showing on the display.

•        Machine stops mid-count and displays a code.

Likely Causes:

•        A jammed note triggering a transport error.

•        A sensor that has detected an out-of-range reading.

•        A hardware component that has flagged a self-test failure.

How to Fix It:

•        ERR / ERROR: power off, wait 10 seconds, power back on. If the error clears, resume with a freshly fanned stack.

•        JAM / FEED ERR: open the access panel, remove the jammed note carefully without pulling hard on it, clear any debris, power cycle, and reload.

•        UV / MG / IR ERR: a note has failed a detection check — remove and manually inspect the rejected note. If the error persists with a verified genuine note, clean the relevant sensor.

•        FULL: the stacker or reject pocket is at capacity — remove notes from the relevant pocket and resume.

•        If an error code appears that isn’t listed in your model’s quick-reference guide, photograph the display and contact Cashcom — the service team can advise remotely in many cases.

⚠️ Call for service if: The same error code recurs immediately after a power cycle and note check, or an unfamiliar code appears that the model guide doesn’t explain. These are indicators of a hardware fault requiring diagnosis.

Symptoms:

•        A note you suspect is counterfeit passed through without being flagged.

•        The reject pocket remains empty even when testing with a known suspect note.

Likely Causes:

•        Detection sensitivity set too low for the operating environment.

•        Sensors contaminated — most commonly the UV or MG sensor surface is dirty, reducing detection accuracy rather than increasing false rejects.

•        An entry-level machine with UV-only detection that wasn’t designed to catch MG or IR-based counterfeits.

•        A genuine but very worn note whose UV features have degraded to borderline levels.

How to Fix It:

•        Clean all sensor surfaces as described in Problem 3.

•        Run a known suspect note through again after cleaning. If it still passes, escalate to a professional service — the machine’s detection sensitivity may need recalibration.

•        Check your detection settings: on machines that support adjustable sensitivity, confirm detection is not set to a lower sensitivity mode.

•        If you’re consistently finding that counterfeits are passing through, the machine may be under-specified for your risk environment — a model with Dual CIS and four-method detection, such as the Cashcom H110, provides significantly deeper coverage than UV-only entry-level counters.

⚠️ Call for service if: After cleaning and checking settings, the machine still fails to reject a note your bank has confirmed is counterfeit. This requires a calibration service — detection accuracy is not something to leave unresolved.

Symptoms:

•        Grinding, rattling, or scraping sounds during operation.

•        Noticeably louder than normal, particularly during note feeding.

Likely Causes:

•        Debris — a small piece of paper, a coin fragment, or a foreign object — caught in the transport channel or around the rollers.

•        A worn or damaged transport roller that is no longer running smoothly.

•        A note fragment from a previous jam lodged in the mechanism.

How to Fix It:

•        Power off immediately — running a machine with a foreign object in the transport can cause further damage.

•        Open the access panel and visually inspect the transport channel and rollers for debris or foreign objects.

•        Use the supplied brush to clear any visible debris. Do not use metal tools inside the machine.

•        Power back on and run a small test stack — if the noise persists, do not continue using the machine.

⚠️ Call for service if: The noise persists after clearing all visible debris. Roller wear or an internal mechanical fault needs a qualified technician — continuing to run the machine can cause secondary damage to the sensor array.

Symptoms:

•        Display screen is completely dark despite the machine being powered on.

•        Some display segments are missing or flickering.

•        Display shows correct information on startup but goes blank during operation.

Likely Causes:

•        Loose internal display connection — sometimes caused by vibration over time.

•        Display component failure.

•        Power supply delivering insufficient voltage to the display.

How to Fix It:

•        Power cycle the machine fully (unplug, wait 30 seconds, reconnect) and observe whether the display initialises correctly on startup.

•        Check that the machine is connected directly to a wall outlet, not a power board — insufficient or inconsistent power can cause display anomalies.

•        If the display shows partial information consistently (certain segments always dark), make a note of the pattern — this helps a technician diagnose whether it’s a display panel or connection issue.

⚠️ Call for service if: The display remains blank or partially functional after a power cycle. Display faults are internal repairs — do not attempt to open the casing. Contact Cashcom’s service team.

The problems above cover the vast majority of issues that can be resolved without a technician: note prep errors, dirty sensors, wrong modes, and recoverable error codes. These fixes are safe, take under five minutes, and resolve most faults businesses encounter day to day.

Where DIY stops making sense: if a problem recurs immediately after you’ve applied the fix, if error codes return on a power cycle, if count accuracy is inconsistent across multiple runs, or if the machine is making mechanical sounds that aren’t clearing after debris removal — these are signs of a hardware fault. Continuing to run a machine with a hardware fault risks making the underlying issue worse and producing inaccurate counts you might not catch.

When you call for a service, a brief log of when the problem started, which error codes appeared, and what you’ve already tried helps the technician diagnose the fault faster — often saving a service call entirely. A note in your till reconciliation book or a shared phone note works fine.