Mechanical to Electronic Coin Mech Conversion

[GreatWash]

I have 10 vacuums with various brands of mechanical coin mechanisms and would like to convert to electronic style with the ability to take tokens. I'm sure there are a million ways to do this but just thought I would ask if there was a common solution to this. Is there a preferred style of token for this? I have a HTK pay station and would like to dispense a token to use vacs with top wash package. Thanks

 

[I.B. Washincars]

You will most likely need to add a 24V transformer to power the coin acceptor. There's a chance that some could already have them, but most likely they don't. There are a few brands of acceptors, Microcoin being the most popular.

 

[GreatWash]

None have the 24v transformer so I will need to get those for each vac. What about the timer....will it work with new electronic coin mech or will I need new ones of those as well?

 

[MEP001]

Depends on the coin acceptor you choose. You can't use a Slugbuster because it only runs on and outputs a 24VAC coin pulse. You can use a coin acceptor that has a separate relay output set of wires with a 120V vac timer as long as it has a separate coin input/output.

 

[Randy]

I've done lots of these over the years. What kind of timers do you have? I would convert your control voltage over to 24 volt, install a 24 volt transformer, 24 volt Mercury relay and a good quality multi-coin coin acceptor. The key is to find out out type/model timer you have now. I like to keep it simple and have every vac the same.

 

[mjwalsh]

I've done lots of these over the years. What kind of timers do you have? I would convert your control voltage over to 24 volt, install a 24 volt transformer, 24 volt Mercury relay and a good quality multi-coin coin acceptor. The key is to find out out type/model timer you have now. I like to keep it simple and have every vac the same.

Randy & others make perfect sense in terms of adding a small 24VAC transformer & a mercury relay. I happened to have extra X20s & MA800s that turned out to be not good enough for out in the bays & were too large to update our 32 laundromat washing machines ... so we gambled & put them on our vacuums & they have worked out to be very trouble free in the less wet environment of the vacuums. Hopefully, they will continue to be OK ... not sure if some others did not get as good of service out the IDXs based on some recent comments on the forum???

 

[soapy]

A token programable coin mech will handle most tokens. I use Secure COin and Parker slug buster 3s. A simple door bell transformer for the 24 volts have worked for years in my vacuum applications. I like the secure coin mechs because they have both a 24v and a 120v output.

 

[MEP001]

Aren't doorbell transformers 16VAC?

 

[OurTown]

A standard furnace transformer is 24V so maybe that is what he was referring to?

 

[soapy]

The ones I bought years ago were 24 volt. I got them from a local elecrical supply outlet.

 

[Randy]

I've seen door bell transformers 12vac, 16vac and 24vac. It all depends on the door bell unit it's self.

 

[mjwalsh]

I wonder if some of the better coin mechs & timers will work on a 24VAC transformer or a 24VDC brick style power supply. I know I have some relay coils & LED pilot lights that are capable of both. I found some stocked ones at Digikey:

625mA GS15U-6P1J MEAN WELL USA Inc. | Power Supplies - External/Internal (Off-Board) | DigiKey

750mA VER18US240-JA XP Power | Power Supplies - External/Internal (Off-Board) | DigiKey

 

[MEP001]

You can't just choose DC when something requires AC.

I use these:

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[Carwashking]

You can use a ginsan timer gs403 of kleen rite part TIKR403. This would eliminate transformer for coin acceptor.

 

[MEP001]

You can use a ginsan timer gs403 of kleen rite part TIKR403. This would eliminate transformer for coin acceptor.

You could, but it would be more expensive and less reliable than separate components.

TIKR403: $127.72

Mercury relay: $26.30, TIKR402: $71.76, 24V transformer ~$10 = $108, and that's if he can't re-use the existing timers.

The mercury relays almost never fail and are inexpensive to replace if they do. The timer will have no load on it and will most likely last for decades.

 

[Dan kamsickas]

You can use a ginsan timer gs403 of kleen rite part TIKR403. This would eliminate transformer for coin acceptor.

Maybe. The MicroCoin is a bit of a power hog and would still need a separate transformer because it requires more juice that the internal transformer on the 403 has to give.