Would changing from coin to bill and adding plastic to the payment method be possible with this machine be possible? How costly would it be?

[jub2k3]

I am going to pick up my first machine tomorrow and I don't know much about it but I wanna add bill and plastic payment methods. Like in the title I would like to know if this is feasible and how expensive would a project like this cost?

Thanks for the help any input is greatly appreciated.

I don't know what kind of machine it is but fully functional for 100 bux I think I should jump on the deal.

[jub2k3]

Please Can some mods help my blackberry playbook started freaking out and posted the same topic over and over I am sorry but can I get some help here?

[Sparta_Automation]

Without knowing which machine you are looking at, it is impossible to tell you if it can take credit card readers. However as a generic answer....if it's an MDB protocol machine, then....yes it can be retro'd for creditcards.

Travis

[mission vending]

Took care of the problem.

[jub2k3]

Thank you so much mission vending you are a god amongst vending machine guys.

Does anyone have any experience with this machine or knows who the manufacturer is ?

[Sparta_Automation]

What machine.....can you post picture or anything?

[jub2k3]

Here we are this is the picture I was reffering to .

[Sparta_Automation]

I would have to say....no, as it sits, it would not be able to take credit cards. however for $100....if everything works, I would probably buy it for a smaller acct.

[jub2k3]

Would it be too costly to modify it to accept bills and credit cards or is the addition of only the credit card function the expensive one?

[jub2k3]

Have you ever seen one ? Who makes this machine? Could I change it accept bills?

[AZVendor]

The machine in your picture is an AP500, I believe and it likely has a relatively simple 4 price or 10 price coin mech in it. You might have a multiprice coin mech but the key here is that the coin mech in each case is the brains of the machine. This machine doesn't have a computer control board in it that you could use to communicate with a credit card reader. As Sparta mentioned, in order to connect a credit card reader to any machine the machine must be able to communicate with the card reader through an interface protocol called MDB. The fact that you have no bill acceptor installed and no credit display on the door tells me that you only have one of the 3 coin mechs I stated and that this machine has not been converted to any other form of coinage.

The only thing you can do to update this machine is to add a bill acceptor. That would be done at considerable expense in parts. You will need a conversion kit that includes a new control board with either 4 prices, 10 prices or multiple prices depending on the way your machine was built. Then you will need a bill acceptor and a harness to connect to the new board. You will also need a dummy coin mech now that the new board will be the brains of the machine. If you add up all the parts for this conversion you will be spending upwards of $550 to $600 and still not be able to take credit cards.

I would not recommend this kind of investment because this machine is from the 1980's and uses problematic vend motors.

If you need credit card capability you would be money ahead if you bought a late model machine that has a factory control board with bill validator installed. Then, depending on the model of the machine, you could use the MDB interface it was built with or for about $200 you could convert it to use MDB. Once the machine use MDB then you can add a card reader to it.

[TKK]

I see these a lot could b good in a slower laundry room wbill changers

[moondog]

Here we are this is the picture I was reffering to .

As usual, AZ is correct, this is an AP5000. It was a very good machine in it's day and still a good deal at $100 but it's a long way from something that will take credit cards.

However, Vendors Exchange does make the Revision Door for this machine. The RD comes with a new control board that will accept CC readers, DEX, etc. and the Sensit system. Unfortunately, you'd be looking at 2K by the time you got the door, coin mech, bill validator and card reader - but you would have a completely "up to date" machine for less than half of what a new one would run.

[Walta]

Moondog I do not think the revision door can work with the motors in an AP 500 as there are 110VAC.

This is from VE web site. AP 6000XL, AP 7000, AP 113 and Nat 147. all use 24 VDC motors.

Walta

[TKK]

This isn't an ap5000 m buying a 5000 it has a bv

[Walta]

Often AP 5000 have DBA add as after market kits. No factory DBA for AP 5000.

Walta

[moondog]

Moondog I do not think the revision door can work with the motors in an AP 500 as there are 110VAC.

This is from VE web site. AP 6000XL, AP 7000, AP 113 and Nat 147. all use 24 VDC motors.

Walta

Hmmm,

That's funny - when I first looked at them they listed everything from the 4000 through the 113. I've got several 7600s and all but one uses the 24v motors - the one that doesn't uses the 4000 motor (must be an older version).

Maybe they switched the lineup since I last looked at their site ( probably due to the 24v issue ) Note: I can't access the VE site anymore as my virus blocker won't allow it to load.

Thanks Walter. I was about to order a couple of the doors but one of them would have been for my older 7600. That would have been a costly mistake.

Ps. I could make it work with a series of 24v to 120v contactors (did this on my hot tub switching ) but that would cost about $800 more for the contacters - ouch!

[mission vending]

Thank you so much mission vending you are a god amongst vending machine guys.

Far from it, I just do the best I can.

I would not recommend this kind of investment because this machine is from the 1980's and uses problematic vend motors.

Could not agree more. Put it in a low volume account and make a few bucks with it before you get rid of it.

[TKK]

That's crazy the one here looks older its a snacckshop 5000 model 5500. It has a bv

[venddoctor]

Hmmm,

That's funny - when I first looked at them they listed everything from the 4000 through the 113. I've got several 7600s and all but one uses the 24v motors - the one that doesn't uses the 4000 motor (must be an older version).

All AP 7000 use the same motor - in fact the motors are the same in the 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000 and 110 series machines. The early 4000 motors did look slightly different though.

[AZVendor]

The machine in the picture is from the generation prior to the AP4000/5000. The pictured machine is from the AP425/430/435/500 series and was built before AP put any logic boards in their machines. It was sold in the 1980's when Rowe still had their model 490/491 series and National had the 140 series. None of these machines had control boards, the brain of each machine was the coin mech. The next generation from all 3 manufacturers was when the first logic boards were put into snack machines and this was still before bill validators were used in vending.

The AP425/430/435/500 all had 24V motors but they are metal. The 24V vend circuit was run through the coin mech and all pricing was done with the coin mech or a Coinco M300 changer and a pricing board. The weakest link in these machines, especially as old as they are now, are the motor switches. Though the machine can be upgraded with an aftermarket pricing board, a logic mech and a bill validator, you will still have the problematic motors and switches.

As far as the revision door goes, it is designed to work on machines such as AP6000/7000, National 147 and AP113. They come with a replacement for the original factory logic boards.

[moondog]

All AP 7000 use the same motor - in fact the motors are the same in the 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000 and 110 series machines. The early 4000 motors did look slightly different though.

Hey Venddoctor - glad you chimed in here.

Re: the AP7600 motors - most of my 7600s use a motor that mounts via a "pop - lock" system that uses no screws. These are 24v (i've got one here so I checked it after Walta's post) However, I do have a 7600 that uses the screw in type motors like the 4600 model. I have one 4600 but it's on location so I haven't checked that one yet.

When I first saw the Revision Door advertised, I'm sure that it was designed to retrofit any AP4000 through AP113 plus the 4 wides (5000 and 6600). Now I see that it's only designed for the AP 7600, 6600 and 113 models plus the National 147.

Unless there's some fundamental dimensional difference between the 4600/5000 and the 7600/6600, why wouldn't the Revision Door work on all listed models?

While I'm not about to drop $1,200 to upgrade my 4600, I had planned on using the RD on my 7600 that uses the older motors.

Any thoughts?

[AZVendor]

Moondog, I, too will chime in here to help you. The original motors in AP4/5K and AP6/7K machines were mounted with screws. When the AP113 series of machines came out they had the same physical motor as the two prior generations, but it was snapped in place. AP also made sure the new motors were backwards compatible with the prior models by putting screw holes in them and therefore stopped producing the motor with holes only. The snap in pieces (the two legs and one latch) on the new motors can be snapped off with pliers and then the motor can be used for the older machines as well.

I believe that if you are able to snap a motor in place in any of these models, it will be in the AP113 series only. If you have a machine with pop in motors, then it is likely an AP113.

I don't remember if VE offered the revision door for the AP4600 or not, but if they did, they probably realized that as old as that model is, most of them have been retired and there would not be enough of a market for RDs on that model. They may have also had issues with coin chute alignment as well. Another problem they would have had to overcome on the 4600 is the original logic board mounted in the door and the harnesses associated with it.

Go ahead and put the new door on your 7600, it should look real sharp afterward. You should show us a picture when it's done.

[reel]

Thats an ancient AP machine, as most said its only good for a small account and not worthy of spending extra money on it at all. When your able upgrade to something newer and relocate to a higher volume account!.

[moondog]

Moondog, I, too will chime in here to help you. The original motors in AP4/5K and AP6/7K machines were mounted with screws. When the AP113 series of machines came out they had the same physical motor as the two prior generations, but it was snapped in place. AP also made sure the new motors were backwards compatible with the prior models by putting screw holes in them and therefore stopped producing the motor with holes only. The snap in pieces (the two legs and one latch) on the new motors can be snapped off with pliers and then the motor can be used for the older machines as well.

I believe that if you are able to snap a motor in place in any of these models, it will be in the AP113 series only. If you have a machine with pop in motors, then it is likely an AP113.

I don't remember if VE offered the revision door for the AP4600 or not, but if they did, they probably realized that as old as that model is, most of them have been retired and there would not be enough of a market for RDs on that model. They may have also had issues with coin chute alignment as well. Another problem they would have had to overcome on the 4600 is the original logic board mounted in the door and the harnesses associated with it.

Go ahead and put the new door on your 7600, it should look real sharp afterward. You should show us a picture when it's done.

Thanks AZ - that all makes perfect sense (especially the part about dropping the RDs for the older models) I do have about 8, 7600s with the snap in motors but I prefer the screw in system so being able to pop those tabs off will be a big plus if and when I replace those motors in the future. I may have to make a template to add some screw holes to the trays.

I'm currently refurbishing the 7600 in my shop right now which will replace the older one on site, so it's going to be awhile before we see any pictures of the final product. I still have to order the two Revision Doors as well (now that I know they'll work)

As you probably figured out, I got the AP500 confused with the AP5000. What threw me was the frame around the key pad which is similar to the 7600 but that embossed upper panel should have been a dead giveaway. The AP500 is definitely not worth upgrading.