Happy Vending Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I have a royal 660 that currently has a Mars 2000 series MEI 24 volt validator. I need to put in a new validator that accepts 5s. When searching for a new validator, is there anything that I need to be aware of besides the voltage? I am assuming that it would be OK to use a coinco like this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toad Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Just buy a mars 24v it's less than $100 delivered on ebay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Vending Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Just buy a mars 24v it's less than $100 delivered on ebay So the manufacturer does make a difference or do you just prefer mars? Sorry for the ignorance, I have never considered replacing a validator with a different make/model. I am more curious than anything, but if you guys think that I should use mars than Ill just get the mars one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 So the manufacturer does make a difference or do you just prefer mars? Sorry for the ignorance, I have never considered replacing a validator with a different make/model. I am more curious than anything, but if you guys think that I should use mars than Ill just get the mars one. Can't speak for everybody but I think Mars is preferable to Coinco - especially with refurbed units Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toad Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 So the manufacturer does make a difference or do you just prefer mars? Sorry for the ignorance, I have never considered replacing a validator with a different make/model. I am more curious than anything, but if you guys think that I should use mars than Ill just get the mars one. Yes, mars is the favorite. Plus you know the harness works on a mars 24v, why risk the harness or bezel hole not matching up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Vending Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Yes, mars is the favorite. Plus you know the harness works on a mars 24v, why risk the harness or bezel hole not matching up Thanks guys, I will go with a Mars. That was exactly what i was looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 Happy, What problem are you having with your validator? Let's troubleshoot it before spending money on it. You can use a Mars VN2502, 2512 or a Coinco BA32SA, Mag32SA, Mag52SA. Both brands are just good as the other. They will all use the harness connections you currently have in the machine, but there is no reason to switch to Coinco if you want simplicity and familiarity. I can't remember which bezel (front of validator) is needed on your machine (flasher or VFM style), but if you get another Mars then it won't matter what bezel is on the good one or the bad one because you can always take the bezel off the old validator and put it on the new one as they are interchangable. Being in SoCal, why don't you look for a local Authorized Mars service center and just do an exchange for a rebuilt unit. I would trust that more than something unseen off Ebay. A unit locally rebuilt will be returnable or can be exchanged under warranty if it fails too soon. But let's troubleshoot the problem first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Vending Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Happy, What problem are you having with your validator? Let's troubleshoot it before spending money on it. You can use a Mars VN2502, 2512 or a Coinco BA32SA, Mag32SA, Mag52SA. Both brands are just good as the other. They will all use the harness connections you currently have in the machine, but there is no reason to switch to Coinco if you want simplicity and familiarity. I can't remember which bezel (front of validator) is needed on your machine (flasher or VFM style), but if you get another Mars then it won't matter what bezel is on the good one or the bad one because you can always take the bezel off the old validator and put it on the new one as they are interchangable. Being in SoCal, why don't you look for a local Authorized Mars service center and just do an exchange for a rebuilt unit. I would trust that more than something unseen off Ebay. A unit locally rebuilt will be returnable or can be exchanged under warranty if it fails too soon. But let's troubleshoot the problem first. I will have to take a look as I am not with the machine currently. There isn't anything wrong with the validator other that I have been told by AVS (American Vending Services) that it cannot be upgraded to accept 5$ bills. I was just going to go through AVS as opposed to Ebay as they quoted me similar prices to what i have seen on ebay. I really don't have a preference on the manufacturer as I was just curious as to what my options are (which you have clearly defined for me, so thank you). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I have a royal 660 that currently has a Mars 2000 series MEI 24 volt validator. I need to put in a new validator that accepts 5s. When searching for a new validator, is there anything that I need to be aware of besides the voltage? I am assuming that it would be OK to use a coinco like this one? Backing up a little, The first thing I would consider when switching to a validator that takes fives, is what kind of coin mech do you have? Once you get that $5 dollar validator hooked up you'll need to make change. This is going to require a four tube coin mech at least so you can have extra quarters or the hated one dollar coins in there. The other problem with the $5 validators is that you'll need to manually count your bills to separate the fives out unless you've got a pretty fancy bill counter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Vending Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 Backing up a little, The first thing I would consider when switching to a validator that takes fives, is what kind of coin mech do you have? Once you get that $5 dollar validator hooked up you'll need to make change. This is going to require a four tube coin mech at least so you can have extra quarters or the hated one dollar coins in there. The other problem with the $5 validators is that you'll need to manually count your bills to separate the fives out unless you've got a pretty fancy bill counter. Counting isn't a big deal to me. I have 5 machines in total so that might be something to consider if/when I expand a bit more. The coin mech was something that I didn't think about. It only has a single tube for quarters so I guess I would have to replace that as well? The coin mech is a coinco, but I am not onsite so I don't have any more info other than that. This particular site drinks a lot of energy drinks for 2.50 so it would be nice to install a new validator that accepts 5s, but you guys are making it seem like it may be more daunting than it might be worth... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 You probably won't see too much trouble with coin inventory if you only have one high price item. The coin mech will pay change from the highest denomication to the lowest, so you have $32 of change to use up. You should monitor the machine over time and keep an eye on the tube inventories. You should always have coins with you to refill coin mechs anyway so you can do so if the quarters get low. The machine won't stop taking bills until the machine knows it doesn't have enough change to give such as $2.50. It will also take a long time for people to get used to using 5's. You will want to access the "Tube Fill" programming so that you can set an accurate coin count in your tubes. To do this you need to turn power off, remove the c/m and dump the change out. Then reinstall the c/m, turn power on and enter the programming. Go to 'tuFl' and press your enter button (sel. 3). Now you need to drop all the coins you dumped out into the top of the c/m one at a time. The machine will update it's coin inventory as you drop coins in and it counts them into inventory. Once all your change is back in the tubes then the machine knows how much change is truly in the tubes. When finished press sel. 3 (enter) to step back to the previous level of 'tuFl'. Press sel. 3 once more to go to 'rtn' and close your door. The coin count is now saved. In the future, when adding change to the c/m, just enter 'tuFl' and drop the coins through the top of the c/m if you want your coin counts to remain accurate. You will know when the tube is full as it will reject further coins. Now, if you don't encounter a change shortage in the machine then all this detail won't really matter and you can go along as normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Vending Posted March 11, 2013 Author Share Posted March 11, 2013 You probably won't see too much trouble with coin inventory if you only have one high price item. The coin mech will pay change from the highest denomication to the lowest, so you have $32 of change to use up. You should monitor the machine over time and keep an eye on the tube inventories. You should always have coins with you to refill coin mechs anyway so you can do so if the quarters get low. The machine won't stop taking bills until the machine knows it doesn't have enough change to give such as $2.50. It will also take a long time for people to get used to using 5's. You will want to access the "Tube Fill" programming so that you can set an accurate coin count in your tubes. To do this you need to turn power off, remove the c/m and dump the change out. Then reinstall the c/m, turn power on and enter the programming. Go to 'tuFl' and press your enter button (sel. 3). Now you need to drop all the coins you dumped out into the top of the c/m one at a time. The machine will update it's coin inventory as you drop coins in and it counts them into inventory. Once all your change is back in the tubes then the machine knows how much change is truly in the tubes. When finished press sel. 3 (enter) to step back to the previous level of 'tuFl'. Press sel. 3 once more to go to 'rtn' and close your door. The coin count is now saved. In the future, when adding change to the c/m, just enter 'tuFl' and drop the coins through the top of the c/m if you want your coin counts to remain accurate. You will know when the tube is full as it will reject further coins. Now, if you don't encounter a change shortage in the machine then all this detail won't really matter and you can go along as normal. Thanks AZ! To clarify, you don't think that I need to reset the coin mech unless I notice the change is short on my first couple of trips, or do you recommend that I follow those "Tube Fill" steps no matter what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 No, I wouldn't worry about "tube fill" until you see that you might reach a point of change starvation. You can perform that procedure then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walta Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Are you sure you old BA will not accept the current 5 dollar bills? First make sure the dip switch on the BA is set for 5s. If it is find an old 5 and try it. If it takes the old 5 read the label on the BA look for the words “Flash Port” If it is a flash port model you can get the software updated for the new 5. No one wants 4 dollars on quarters in their pocket get the 4 tube mech or don’t waste your time. Walta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Happy, I'm glad Walta called this out. I shouldn't assume that some things like this have been checked before. If the software can be upgraded for new currency it will either have Flash Port as Walta says or it will have a red dot over the i in MEI on the side label. If you don't have either of these markings then the last thing to check is the manufacturing date code. Anything made during or after the 40th week of 1999 can be upgraded. Some validators in late 1999 and early 2000 didn't have the markings but can still be flashed for new currency depending on that date code. So if you don't have the aforementioned markings check the first 3 digits of the serial number. The first 2 digits are the week of manufacture and go from 01 to 52 and the 3rd digit is the last digit of the year of manufacture. So the first 3 digits should be 409 or later. If it appears you can just upgrade the software take it to a Mars repair center and have them flash it to the new currency. Some vending techs like me have the BPM to do this with as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Vending Posted March 12, 2013 Author Share Posted March 12, 2013 Happy, I'm glad Walta called this out. I shouldn't assume that some things like this have been checked before. If the software can be upgraded for new currency it will either have Flash Port as Walta says or it will have a red dot over the i in MEI on the side label. If you don't have either of these markings then the last thing to check is the manufacturing date code. Anything made during or after the 40th week of 1999 can be upgraded. Some validators in late 1999 and early 2000 didn't have the markings but can still be flashed for new currency depending on that date code. So if you don't have the aforementioned markings check the first 3 digits of the serial number. The first 2 digits are the week of manufacture and go from 01 to 52 and the 3rd digit is the last digit of the year of manufacture. So the first 3 digits should be 409 or later. If it appears you can just upgrade the software take it to a Mars repair center and have them flash it to the new currency. Some vending techs like me have the BPM to do this with as well. Yeah, when I called AVS, that was the first thing that they asked me. It doesn't look like it can be upgraded Thanks for the idea though Walta, that will probably come in handy at a later date Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Vending Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 Happy, What problem are you having with your validator? Let's troubleshoot it before spending money on it. You can use a Mars VN2502, 2512 or a Coinco BA32SA, Mag32SA, Mag52SA. Both brands are just good as the other. They will all use the harness connections you currently have in the machine, but there is no reason to switch to Coinco if you want simplicity and familiarity. I can't remember which bezel (front of validator) is needed on your machine (flasher or VFM style), but if you get another Mars then it won't matter what bezel is on the good one or the bad one because you can always take the bezel off the old validator and put it on the new one as they are interchangable. Being in SoCal, why don't you look for a local Authorized Mars service center and just do an exchange for a rebuilt unit. I would trust that more than something unseen off Ebay. A unit locally rebuilt will be returnable or can be exchanged under warranty if it fails too soon. But let's troubleshoot the problem first. AZ, I bought a 2502 and tried to install it this weekend, but it looks like the connector has 9 pins and the molex from the board and coin mech only have 6 pins. Do I need an adapter or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Happy, The 9 pin harness you refer to is not used in your application. Your original validator would have had a MDB harness plugged into it. That harness needs to be transferred to the new validator. Remove any harness that was plugged into the side connection on your older VN validator (it should have used all the pins on this connection). Then remove the 9 pin harness from the side of the new validator (it should have only used a few pins on the bottom of the validator connection). Now plug the old harness into the side of the new validator and install the new validator. Remember that one loose end of the harness from the validator will plug into the machine harness and then the coin mech will plug into the other loose end of the validator harness. This should do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Vending Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 Happy, The 9 pin harness you refer to is not used in your application. Your original validator would have had a MDB harness plugged into it. That harness needs to be transferred to the new validator. Remove any harness that was plugged into the side connection on your older VN validator (it should have used all the pins on this connection). Then remove the 9 pin harness from the side of the new validator (it should have only used a few pins on the bottom of the validator connection). Now plug the old harness into the side of the new validator and install the new validator. Remember that one loose end of the harness from the validator will plug into the machine harness and then the coin mech will plug into the other loose end of the validator harness. This should do the trick. Thanks AZ, I will try again this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Vending Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Got it replaced and it was incredibly (embarrassingly even) easy. Thanks for the help guys (esp. you AZ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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