Introduction

Spaceman Soft Serve machines have built-in protections that may appear on your screen from time to time.  These protection errors are specifically designed to help prevent damage to your Spaceman machine and alert you that something needs to be corrected.  Most of the time, these protection errors are caused by something related to the operation of the machine, and only in rare circumstances are caused by an issue with the machine itself.  The most common two protection errors are the STOP 1 and STOP 2 errors.  This article will examine the STOP 2 error.

STOP 2:  Motor Overload Protection Error

The STOP 2 Motor Overload Protection Error will trigger anytime the machine senses a motor amperage that is too high for the motor and may cause damage.  This error most often occurs when product in the freezing cylinder is over frozen.   If at any time, the machine detects a motor amp draw over a specific setting (varies based on the Model), the machine will automatically place the machine in STOP mode, and display the STOP 2 error, indicating that the motor amperage was too high.

STOP 2 Protection Error Causes

1. The cylinder has too much air, and too little product.  This is the most common cause of the STOP 2 error, and can be caused by several things such as:
   

1. Drawing too large of servings too fast.
   
2. Drawing too many servings too fast.
   
3. Clogged air tube or suction tube
   
4. Running the machine in Low Mix
   
5. Improper Priming of the Machine during initial freeze
   
6. Improper mixing of product before adding to machine (too little sugar / fat)
   

2. The viscosity setting is too high.  This is the second most common cause of the STOP 2 error.
   
3. The drive-train has too much friction.  This is not very common, but can be caused by improper lubrication of the drive shafts, worn out wearable parts, or in very rare cases, an issue with the drive train components.
   

Resolving a STOP 2 Protection Error (All models without a -C in the model name)

1. Allow the machine to sit for 15-20 minutes to allow the product to thaw out
   
2. Gravity machines only:  While allowing the machine to thaw out, clean and sanitize the air tubes, ensure there are no clogs.  
   
3. All machines: Verify the hopper(s) are at least ½ full of product and there is no foam or ice build-up preventing product from freely flowing into the cylinder.
   
4. Press the RESET and then WASH button to try and agitate the product

5. Press the P button until the motor amperage is displayed.  Allow the product to agitate until the motor amperage is below the viscosity setting.
   
6. If possible, attempt to dispense some product to remove the over-frozen product inside the freezing cylinder
   
7. Leave the machine in WASH mode until the motor amperage is below the viscosity setting, and the temperature returns to a normal range.
   
8. Dispense some product (4-8 oz) and allow the machine to remain in WASH mode for 1 minute to allow fresh liquid product to enter the cylinder

9. Press the RESET and then FREEZE button to return to normal operation
   

Resolving a STOP 2 Protection Error (All models ending with a -C in the model name)

1. Gravity machines only:  Clean and sanitize the air tubes, ensure there are no clogs.  
   
2. All machines: Verify the hopper(s) are at least ½ full of product and there is no foam or ice build-up preventing product from freely flowing into the cylinder.
   
3. Press the RESET button, and press and hold the STANDBY button to enter DEFROST mode

4. Press the P button until the temperature is displayed.  Allow the DEFROST cycle to run until the product is thawed and the machine automatically switches to STANDBY mode.

5. Press the RESET and then FREEZE button to return to normal operation
   

Resolving Regular STOP 2 Protection Errors

If your machine is regularly hitting a STOP 2 protection, it is most likely caused by one of the causes noted above.  Below are some steps that are most common to resolving regular STOP 2 protection errors.

1. Refer to the SS: Best Practices article and ensure all steps are being followed.  Clean and sanitize your air tubes or suction tubes regularly throughout the day to prevent clogs.  Depending on the product used, air pump machines may need more frequent cleaning to prevent clogs in the air tube.
   
2. Refer to the Specification Sheet for your particular machine, and ensure that your serving sizes and serving rate are within the specification for your machine.  Most often, STOP 1 errors are caused by serving too large of serving sizes or too many servings too quickly.  Try increasing the amount of time between servings to allow the machine more time to add fresh liquid product to the cylinders.
   
3. Always keep your hoppers 1/2 full or more to prevent the machine from running out of mix
   
4. Lower your viscosity if needed to raise the temperature of your product when frozen.
   
5. Clean your machine more regularly, and replace the tune-up kit and scraper blades at proper intervals.
   
6. Ensure that you are using Spaceman High Performance Food-Grade lubrication, and lubricating parts appropriately.
   
7. If you are using a pre-mixed or custom product, ensure the mixture of water to mix is correct.  Too much water in the mix will cause freeze ups
   

If you are still experiencing STOP 2 errors and have performed all steps above, please contact Spaceman USA Technical Support for further troubleshooting guidance.