IDX X-20 & MA800 Climate Issues?

[mjwalsh]

Our bays are up in North Dakota which means overhead doors tend to be more shut & more moisture tends to get in our coin boxes than when the overhead doors are open like further south. People use our Vacs surprisingly in even below zero outside.

Since we have to upgrade very soon to the tune of at least 12 coin mechs & timers that will take both dollar coins & quarters we are a little nervous about putting in new coin mechs & timers that are more for dryer & warmer weather conditions.

So the question is: Are some coin mechs more suitable for wetter & colder conditions?

Since we will also be updating our TIMERS: Are some timers more affected by wetter & colder conditions than others?

Are IDX X-20 & the MA800 basically the exact same coin mech?

Our existing are 23 year old Slugbuster 1s & Sensortrons which are both single coin only ----no significant problems with our wetter than most bays --- but from I have gathered ---- any single coin is less troublesome than multicoin.

 

[ken-pro]

We've been using IDX MA800 coin mechs in our customer's bays and vacuums for many years. They stand up well in the cold and wet Canadian climate - Similar to your climate in North Dakota. Coin box heaters are a must for any electronic coin mech. The only problems we have ever had with IDX acceptors is that they are sensitive to incoming voltage - It is critical that all wire connections are good, and that voltage is at least 24 volts AC under load.

 

[Twodose]

I tried the IDX x-10's in 3 bays, they were the worst out of the different ones I tried, they rust and corrode terrible, and became unusable after only a couple years, I removed all of them.

They are a good acceptor, and I think they would be ok in a vendor or something that is in a dry location, but not in the bays.

I have used secure coin, they are ok, but I now use SB3's and like them the best so far.

 

[mjwalsh]

coin box heaters?

We've been using IDX MA800 coin mechs in our customer's bays and vacuums for many years. They stand up well in the cold and wet Canadian climate - Similar to your climate in North Dakota. Coin box heaters are a must for any electronic coin mech. The only problems we have ever had with IDX acceptors is that they are sensitive to incoming voltage - It is critical that all wire connections are good, and that voltage is at least 24 volts AC under load.

ken-pro,

Can you set the coin box heater's thermostats to about 40 degrees so during days where the overhead doors are open & there is a breeze they are not on unnecessarily?

 

[ken-pro]

The Can-Am / Exacta meter boxes that I use include a thermostat for the heater. Otherwise, I usually just supply manual switches and have the customer shut them off in the spring. The heaters are helpful even in 40oF weather in keeping moisture away. Most box heaters are only 25 Watt, so they really don't draw that much power. Typically my customers just shut them off on April 1st.

 

[MEP001]

All our acceptors are MA800's. I haven't had any issues with rust ever getting bad enough that they had to be replaced, but it would sure be nice if that one big piece of metal was stainless. We don't have much cold weather so I can't say how they hold up to that, but I've only replaced one in the bays in 6 1/2 years. Some of them have never had "proper voltage" since the equipment was built with 240 to 24V transformers but the incoming power is only 208.

I've heard SecureCoin acceptors are good but have never tried one.

 

[coincarwash.ca]

I originally had MA800's in all of my bays....I was having problems in the winter and added extra heaters in the coin boxes....it fixed the problem....but on the coldest days the bays that the coin boxes were near the side of the customers car got over spray and started to not accept all the coins. Also I had to program all the Canadian coins and the coins are a little different from year to year. Some I had to program as two different coins for different years.......It got to be a real pain....I ripped them all out and changed them over to Magikist acceptors from Canada.
I still use them in my vacs, they work ok there.
The Magikist acceptors are excellent from day one.