Best Change Machine

[Rookie68]

I am tired of fighting my old ROWE change machines. Like everything else they are original from 1989.
I am constantly cleaning them and bringing them to the repair guy.
What Manufactures of Change Machines have you had success with ?
Seems like MEI is the defacto standard for bill acceptors.
I see that there are all sorts of conversion kits for these as well.
Anybody out there use a conversion kit and care to share the end result ?
IE.... is it better ? More reliable ?

 

[Randy]

The best bill changer you can buy is a Hamilton DRS with a Mars validators. https://www.hamiltonmfg.com/product/drs/
If you have a Rowe there is a Standard conversion kit available https://standardchange.com/modular-retrofit-kit/ If the bill changer is in good condition then it might be worth your while to do a conversion.

 

[Rookie68]

The best bill changer you can buy is a Hamilton DRS with a Mars validators. https://www.hamiltonmfg.com/product/drs/
If you have a Rowe there is a Standard conversion kit available https://standardchange.com/modular-retrofit-kit/ If the bill changer is in good condition then it might be worth your while to do a conversion.

Thank you Randy. The outside of mine are pretty rough, but when i look at the cost of a new faceplate plus the conversion kit I may as well just buy a whole new machine....

 

[MEP001]

I converted a Rowe BC1400 to all Hamilton inside. If yours has the flat stainless face and it's not bent up, you can remove it easily and clean it up, replace the decal, and it'll look like new. A Hamilton RNS with a Mars validator would be my choice on a budget. It's just a single changer, the DRS is two changers in one cabinet. I can't tell you how many times having a second side has saved me on a busy day.

 

[STXCW]

RNS is the way to go. One of the units we purchased was an RL if I recall and the controllers run as a master and slave so it defeats the purpose of having dual validators and hoppers. If the master went down so did the slave.

 

[MEP001]

RNS is the way to go. One of the units we purchased was an RL if I recall and the controllers run as a master and slave so it defeats the purpose of having dual validators and hoppers. If the master went down so did the slave.

That's not a RNS, doesn't even sound like a Hamilton. RNS is a Hamilton single changer, one of everything, DRS is two completely separate changers in one cabinet, no master/slave so if one side shuts down for any reason the other isn't affected. Hamilton does make a large cabinet changer with just one bill acceptor and either two or three hoppers, but that only gives you capacity (or the ability to make change in quarters, dimes, and nickels) but not the same reliability.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

STXCW is probably referring to an RL-2 or 3 (2 or 3 being the # of hoppers) Hamilton. I actually had one and also converted all of my DRS to work like an RL-2. I started using dollar coins when they came out in 2000. My start price was $1.50 and it annoyed some people that they would have to insert $2 if they didn't bring some quarters. After talking with Brad Quay about buying RL-2 changers so I could dispense a combination of dollars and quarters, I learned that the only real difference was the main wiring harness. I bought RL-2 harnesses for all of my changers, bought validator jumper harnesses from Jim at Etowah, and I achieved my goal for about $100 per machine. Since the RL uses the same controller, but only one of them, I ended up with several spare controllers as well. Later on, I did actually buy an RL for another wash we bought. As was said earlier, this makes it just one changer, no redundancy. If either hopper goes down, the changer is down.

 

[Randy]

I’ve sold a few of the RL-2 and 3 bill changers over the years, mostly to laundromats. Laundromat operators like to have the large capacity. Like what Pat said if one of the hoppers goes down your changer is down. I like the redundancy of the DRS, if one side of the DRS changer goes down your still in business with the other side. The smaller ER-60 bill changer is a good changer for a low volume car wash, it has $600 capacity hopper instead of the $1200 capacity hopper that the DRS and RNS bill changers have. Most of the parts of the DRS, RNS and ER-60 bill changers are interchangeable, with the exception of trying to put a larger DRS, RNS hopper into an ER-60 changer, it’s a pretty tight fit. Lately I’ve been selling more DRS and ER-60 bill changers.

 

[STXCW]

That's not a RNS, doesn't even sound like a Hamilton. RNS is a Hamilton single changer, one of everything, DRS is two completely separate changers in one cabinet, no master/slave so if one side shuts down for any reason the other isn't affected. Hamilton does make a large cabinet changer with just one bill acceptor and either two or three hoppers, but that only gives you capacity (or the ability to make change in quarters, dimes, and nickels) but not the same reliability.

Forgive me...my dyslexia must have kicked in and mixed up my letters. They are indeed Hamiltons but got the models mixed up.

 

[Rfreeman]

I am tired of fighting my old ROWE change machines. Like everything else they are original from 1989.
I am constantly cleaning them and bringing them to the repair guy.
What Manufactures of Change Machines have you had success with ?
Seems like MEI is the defacto standard for bill acceptors.
I see that there are all sorts of conversion kits for these as well.
Anybody out there use a conversion kit and care to share the end result ?
IE.... is it better ? More reliable ?

Get a DRS and be done with it. Also once you put in the DRS you wont need the in bay bill acceptors you are thinking about in your other thread. I have 3 DRS machines wouldn't try another one and had Standard, Rowe, and American before

 

[Greg Pack]

DRS with MEI acceptors is the best, Standard makes a pretty good machine if the DRS doesn't fit your budget. Friends don't let friends buy American.

 

[Earl Weiss]

Get a DRS and be done with it. Also once you put in the DRS you wont need the in bay bill acceptors you are thinking about in your other thread.

I have 3 Hamilton Changers and added bill acceptor boxes in Bays. Happy I did.

 

[Kar B Kleen]

I have a bunch of MEI acceptors, but if the bills have any dampness to them they will reject them. Try the same damp bill on any of them and they all will reject it. Everybody have the same issue? and is there a fix for it?

 

[Randy]

I have a bunch of MEI acceptors, but if the bills have any dampness to them they will reject them. Try the same damp bill on any of them and they all will reject it. Everybody have the same issue? and is there a fix for it?

How damp are we talking about? How old are these MEI validators? Have you ever had them serviced?

 

[Kar B Kleen]

How damp are we talking about? How old are these MEI validators? Have you ever had them serviced?

They don't have to be very damp at all, just enough to fill a little dampness. Validators are a year and a half old, but this has been an issue since day 1. I do have the dip switch on high acceptance.

 

[Randy]

They don't have to be very damp at all, just enough to fill a little dampness. Validators are a year and a half old, but this has been an issue since day 1. I do have the dip switch on high acceptance.

Send it in under warranty and see if they can figure out the problem is. I've never tried a damp bill, I think I'll have to try a damp bill and see if it will take it.

 

[MEP001]

I was demonstrating how hard it is to jam the MEI acceptor to a customer. I soaked a bill in water, smashed it on the ground like a cigarette, then straightened it out, cleaned it, and ran it through. On the first try it accepted it. The third try it finally accordioned up in the unit and pushed it back out. Just saying, this is not a common issue that you're having.

 

[Overachiever]

@Kar B Kleen
I have the same problem, if it's raining my change machine is basically unusable. Seems like if a bill gets hit by a single drop of water it'll get rejected. My acceptors like 5 years old now but I think it's been happening since day 1 as well. I haven't let it bother me too much cuz most of the people I see it happen to are trying to get laundry money, but please let me know if you are able to fix it.

 

[Kar B Kleen]

@Kar B Kleen
I have the same problem, if it's raining my change machine is basically unusable. Seems like if a bill gets hit by a single drop of water it'll get rejected. My acceptors like 5 years old now but I think it's been happening since day 1 as well. I haven't let it bother me too much cuz most of the people I see it happen to are trying to get laundry money, but please let me know if you are able to fix it.

Exactly..........

 

[Kar B Kleen]

Saw many customers in the bay not being able to use the acceptor in the bay meter then go around to the dual ER60 changers with Etowah Valley MEI conversions and get rejected there as well just because they became a little damp while try to feed the bay meter which possibly had a few drops of water on the mouth. The customer and me are SOL......