Care and Maintenance

Congratulations on the acquisition of your Hi-Spy Viewing Machine! Your viewer is built to last many years with a minimum of maintenance required. However, there are a few care and maintenance items listed below that should be performed periodically in order to maximize the uptime and service life of your machine.

All machines (Coin and non-coin)

  • Remove head lock and door lock and spray with WD-40 lubricant or equivalent every 6 months. (3 months in harsh environments).
    Note: do not use a grease based lubricant on door lock.
  • Check all bolts, tighten and adjust as necessary.
  • Lenses:
    • Clean binocular eyepiece lenses with soft dry cloth only. The surfaces of the lenses are coated and can be easily damaged.
    • Clean large outer lenses of head with soft cloth and water. Do not use harsh detergents as this can make them permanently foggy.
    • Note: If moving machine from a cool location to a warmer location the lenses may get temporarily foggy on the outside of the lenses (even with waterproof optics). This is just condensation on the outsides of the lenses and will clear itself as temperatures equalize.
  • Apply anti-seize lubricant on door bolt on the inside of door annually.
  • If removing the viewer or step ring from the base of the machine for any reason, apply anti-seize lubricant to threads before re-assembly.
  • DO NOT use WD-40 on viewing head bearings for up and down movement. These are permanently greased and WD-40 or equivalent will wash away the lubricant that already exists.
  • For units with a highly polished aluminum head use an aluminum polish (from a hardware store) at regular intervals to keep lustre.
  • For units with uncoated aluminum viewing heads, these are polished to a smooth, bright finish when new, but may dullen over time. You may polish it with an aluminum polish to bring back the bright finish it had when it was new (Mother's brand is great).
  • If required use touch-up paint (automotive is best) to cover any nicks or scratches on powder-coated surfaces.

Coin Operated Machines Only

For coin jams on machines with mechanical (twist knob style) coin acceptor:

  1. Unbolt and remove coin access door.
  2. Unplug wire connector from coin acceptor.
  3. Remove 4 socket head cap screws from rear of coin acceptor and pull on knob to remove assembly from tube.
  4. Clean any items that may be jamming coin acceptor.
  5. Replace coin acceptor assembly and re-install the 4 socket head cap screws.
  6. Reconnect wire harness to coin acceptor.
  7. Re-install door.

For all units with rechargeable battery (all coin units may use rechargeable batteries):

  • Recharge battery every 6 months or sooner depending on usage of machine and age of battery. Batteries below 5 volts are probably insufficient.
  • Do not allow rechargeable battery to run down until its dead as this will diminish its life and ability to hold a charge. Coin jams can speed up discharge.

If storing the machine for the winter, or otherwise, disconnect and remove battery.

Care of the Viewing Head

For units with uncoated aluminum viewing heads, these are polished to a smooth, bright finish when new, but may dullen over time. You may polish it with an aluminum polish to bring back the bright finish it had when it was new (Mother’s brand is great).

Be sure to use a non abrasive cloth when washing or polishing the aluminum head.