SmartToys Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 Howdy yall, I'd like to ask for your input on something that seems like it may be useful. Do you come across a scenario where you have a machine that is in the field and you have to replace the controller board? If you do that, what do you have to do to get the machine "configured" again? How long does it take? How often does that happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 All you usually have to do is program prices in a snack machine but in Cranes you have to select the default machine type first. In soda machines you program the prices and in some the product depth or package type. No big deal in any of them if you have half a brain - and can follow instructions in manuals when needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmartToys Posted November 8, 2017 Author Share Posted November 8, 2017 Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmartToys Posted November 10, 2017 Author Share Posted November 10, 2017 On 11/7/2017 at 3:23 PM, AZVendor said: All you usually have to do is program prices in a snack machine but in Cranes you have to select the default machine type first. In soda machines you program the prices and in some the product depth or package type. No big deal in any of them if you have half a brain - and can follow instructions in manuals when needed. What about the identifier and "since machine initialization" information in dex? Are those important to maintain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 To answer your initial question... I, like many people, usually only have to worry about the machine configuration when the battery goes dead and loses its programming or when the board fails completely and needs to be replaced. In either scenario, the process depends on the model. On something like an AP 7600, it probably takes all of 15 minutes if you are a very seasoned operator, with most of that time being in the board swap itself. On something such as an AP 113, I would venture to say it can be done slightly faster. On a machine such as DN 501E or Royal 650, I am going to say it takes a little longer just because of the method used to program it just takes more time depending on a few things. Of course, machine testing to verify everything works makes the whole process take probably 30 minutes as it is important to make sure all components are working with the board once everything is reprogrammed. In any event, the original configuration is usually lost when a battery fails or the board itself fails, so the only way to transfer the original configuration, as far as I know, is if you have had the configuration saved somewhere other than the memory in the machine. When I either get a call or find out on-site that a board is bad, I try to replace the board as quickly as possible and I don't fiddle around with the idea of having something like a flash drive to configure the board. It's a nice thought, but with so many different model machines and various prices at various locations... it sounds a bit cumbersome to try to keep track of it all. If everything was stored wirelessly in a cloud, it would make sense but it seems like you would need either a smart phone or a tablet with a USB cable (or something like that) to be able to send it to the machine to configure it. Most machines have no wireless technology except for the card reader, so doing any of this on-site is unrealistic without some kind of computer and a cable to connect to the board. On top of all of that, only newer boards and retrofitted boards have any kind of USB interface where you can configure them in such a manner. Apparently, some card readers allow you to send the configuration remotely through the card reader, but I don't know if that works with all machines and how bullet proof it is. Besides, it would probably still take more time to login to do all of that than to configure it manually AND you would have to have the right configuration particular to the machine stored somewhere. What would be great would be to have a flash drive with some sort of machine-identification link that allows you to store multiple configurations on the same flash drive that only work with the machine with the right identification, ie. machine 324 has its own configuration and only accesses the configuration meant for that machine. Again, it seems like you need a computer for this. I would also believe there is or has been something like this out there for some time but it's just too cumbersome and complicated to use. Programming machines on-site really don't take much time if you know what you are doing, and most of us are only worried about getting the right part on there ASAP and worry about the programming after. It doesn't matter if you have the configuration preset somewhere if you can't get the machine working after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 It happens so rarely for most of us that the solution would probably take more effort than the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orsd Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 22 hours ago, SmartToys said: What about the identifier and "since machine initialization" information in dex? Are those important to maintain? All that stuff is the in the EPROM, which is non volatile and comes burned into the EPROM from the factory. So the new board will have it already set up. If for some odd reason it needs to be changed you just order a new EPROM from the factory with the new firmware on it. There is no other way to do it, as EPROMs must be erased with UV light first before reprogramming. As most people don't have EPROM writers laying around, the cheapest and easiest way is just to get a new one. The only things that we need to set are, as AZ said, prices, Space to sales (connecting soda machine buttons to their columns), and product depth. These settings change often, and I will often erase the volatile memory and reprogram everything when I move machines, just because every location's setup is so different. Newer machines, like the AMS Sensit 3's have everything on Micro SD cards instead of EPROMs, which to me seems like the best way to do it. Simple, cheap, effective, and elegant to not only implement and build, but also to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmartToys Posted November 13, 2017 Author Share Posted November 13, 2017 thanks orsd! If I understand correctly, with the newer machines you take out your SD card from the old controller and put it into the new one, and you're ready to go, right? And do you know if that copies over machine identification and dex counters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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