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Evil bill validators


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I have 3 perfectly working, older, single priced, drink machines. Over time however the metal bill validators failed.... The kind that connect to a 6800 series coin mechs. I have purchased (and wasted $$$ on) alternative bill validators like MEI and Coinco, but I could never get them to power up.

 

These machines only take coins and they are no better than paper weights to me (I've scrapped 2 so far for their metal value).

 

I see this problem on places like craigslist also... sellers trying to sell their vending machines, but the bill validator never works.

 

- I know the coin mechs communicate to the metal bill validators... the metal bill validators just jam a lot.

- Also, I make sure the coin tubes are filled.

 

 

What are some examples of why bill validators do not power up or communicate with the coin mech?

 

 

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Get a good refurb from az vendor not a supposedly clean and tested one on craigslist

Also Val's and mechs are a consumable item really so it doesn't quite make sense to scrap a machine because the mech or Val is broken, as payment accepotrs wear out at the same rate nomatter if its an old or new machine

also, even if the 30 yr old part wear out and you decide to scrap it tomorrow, you can still reuse the mech and Val's

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I agree with orsd here.  Those machines still have value and you have to understand that the coin mech and validator are largely independent on the rest of the machine.  In fact, on a single price machine, the validator AND the rest of the machine is largely dependent on the coin mech.. so a good coin mech is the key to a good single price machine.

 

As for your validators not powering up, there are several reasons that might happen.  First of all, you mentioned that you have a 6800 coin mech.  Assuming this is a 6800-H coin mech, you have to make absolutely certain that you have the correct harnesses.  On a 6800 H, if I am not mistaken, you need a specific harness to go to each type of harness whether it be a Coinco BA or MAG series, a Mars VFM or VN series, or an ARDAC validator.  If I remember right.. there are some harnesses that do physically connect to the WRONG validators but they won't work, but I might be making that part up as I make sure to use the same harnesses on the same series of validators.  So using the wrong harness or having a bad harness can prevent a validator from working.

 

Also, I have had some coin mechs that simply won't send power to any validators because something is wrong with the coin mech.  I have had to simply turn some machines off and turn them back on to get power to the validators and plenty of other shenanigans that a faulty coin mech can cause but that's usually on old/dirty coinco coin mechs on single price machines.  

 

Obviously bad validators won't power on.. and if it's an ARDAC validator, your best bet is to put a Mars vn 2511 in its place.  All you need is a Mars vn 2511 (or 2501) with the proper harness (single price 6800-H to Mars 110v).  Then, if the validators still don't work, your best bet is to get the 6800-H mechs refurbished.  Lastly, sometimes you need to setup the mars validators to accept dollar bills so you may have to adjust the dip switches but it should work properly by default on a single price machine.

 

The only other things that can cause your validator to "lose power" are things like jammed columns, short circuits, stuck motors, or anything else that prevents the machine from completing the vend cycle.  However, if this were to happen, the machine wouldn't take any money at all.. even coins.

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Yes, I checked the optical sensors... especially on the CoinCO validators. Those seem to gum up the fastest for me.

 

As for the replacement, I am trying to replace a Mars VFM3.

 

The Vending Center in Nashville sold me a CoinCo BA30SA, but then someone told me that is the incorrect validator. The vending center would not take it back... which made me mad and so I promissed myself never to purchase a vaidator from them again.

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Yes, I checked the optical sensors... especially on the CoinCO validators. Those seem to gum up the fastest for me.

 

As for the replacement, I am trying to replace a Mars VFM3.

 

The Vending Center in Nashville sold me a CoinCo BA30SA, but then someone told me that is the incorrect validator. The vending center would not take it back... which made me mad and so I promissed myself never to purchase a vaidator from them again.

The BA30 is one of the worst validators out there.  They knew damned well that they should have sold you a VN2511.  These guys guys should be avoided in the future.

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I don't mind the BA30 but I do believe a Mars VN is superior. Regardless, you needed a BA30B, not a BA30SA. Even then, you need a different harness to hook up a BA30B to a 6800-H than what the Mars VFM used.

Also, a Mars VN 2501 or 2511 is a direct replacement for a VFM and will use the same harness. You might need a power harness though.

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