Making a New Faceplate Assembly

[ALMO]

So, my original electronics are acting up and I've tried to fix as best I can without success. So, I am ready to build new ones. My original ones do not have timers or horns so I am going to be getting those. So, I have put a list together of what I want to purchase. I just need your advice whether the items are good or not and if I am missing anything....

My current setup is a Futura system that I have has been having endless problems with.

Ok, here we go...

1) Dixmor Timer LED6 model.
http://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-30540-dixmor-led-6-vacbay-timer.aspx

2) Dixmor Horn
http://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-7579-horn-for-dixmor-timer-1224-vdc.aspx

3) Coin acceptor--GinSan 2'' Sensortron
http://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-1213-ginsan-2-sensortron.aspx

4) Rotary Switch
http://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-1728-rotary-switches-8-position-2-stack-metal.aspx

5) Faceplate
http://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-376-specialty-rejector-2-long-drop-retrofit-faceplate.aspx

So, what am I missing? I already have the cam style locks. Do I need a wiring harness for the timer?

Thanks

 

[MEP001]

The timer should come with a harness but won't come with a protective Lexan piece which you really should use.

The faceplate you listed looks like it's made for the LED-7, not the 6:
http://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-1453-dixmor-timer-model-led7.aspx

I'd recommend going with a multi-coin acceptor. Sensortrons are good, but GinSan doesn't repair them out of warranty. The news is that they're finally going to stop making the $1 bill and dumping billions of dollar coins into circulation. If you get a multi-coin acceptor, don't get the Slugbuster II. It can't distinguish between a quarter and a dollar coin.

 

[Earl Weiss]

The news is that they're finally going to stop making the $1 bill and dumping billions of dollar coins into circulation. .

Where did you see this? Saw lots of stories where it was discussed but never decided.

 

[mac]

If you have the original Futura coin boxes, the ones that are about 10" square, I would chunk them and put all new meter boxes in. You can get an impressive new one with the shell from Etowah with multi coin and bill acceptor, credit card, visual timer and it talks to you in English or Spanish. Yes I sell them. I sell them because they are really good.

 

[ALMO]

Thanks for the heads up on the LED6 vs. LED7. Is the LED7 a better unit? It is a little cheaper, which helps!! Kleen rite is selling a harness for the LED7. Do I need it?

Do I need the remote control to program these timers??

I just want to get everything up and running by the end of the week.

Thanks for the help.

 

[ALMO]

If you have the original Futura coin boxes, the ones that are about 10" square, I would chunk them and put all new meter boxes in. You can get an impressive new one with the shell from Etowah with multi coin and bill acceptor, credit card, visual timer and it talks to you in English or Spanish. Yes I sell them. I sell them because they are really good.

Thanks but I am trying to keep costs as low as possible. The area where my car wash is in won't need credit cards because of the income level of the people there.

I'm curious to know what the cost is though. Please PM me and let me know.

Thanks

 

[MEP001]

Is the LED7 a better unit?

My comment wasn't about one being better than the other, it was about which will fit on the door that you linked. Call Kleen-Rite before you order - they can tell you which timer the door is made for.

Kleen rite is selling a harness for the LED7. Do I need it?

Yes, you need it. As I said above, it should come with the new timer. Check with Kleen-Rite before you order to be sure.

Do I need the remote control to program these timers??

No, in fact IMO it's harder to program the timer with the remote than with the buttons on the back unless you're changing the messages. The remote comes in handy for washing down the bays because you can turn the bay on and off with it.

The area where my car wash is in won't need credit cards because of the income level of the people there.

You'd be surprised how many people in a low-income area have credit cards and will use them for the convenience.

 

[MEP001]

Where did you see this? Saw lots of stories where it was discussed but never decided.

I haven't seen anything definite either, but it sounds like it may go through. Regardless, I wouldn't choose a Sensortron single-coin acceptor if only for the reason that Ginsan won't repair them after the 1-year warranty is up. I've had very few problems with the IDX MA-800 (that only costs $43 more than the Sensortron) and the few I've had go bad never cost more than $40 to repair.

 

[Dan kamsickas]

I haven't seen anything definite either, but it sounds like it may go through. Regardless, I wouldn't choose a Sensortron single-coin acceptor if only for the reason that Ginsan won't repair them after the 1-year warranty is up. I've had very few problems with the IDX MA-800 (that only costs $43 more than the Sensortron) and the few I've had go bad never cost more than $40 to repair.

I have seen this posted several times and it is not correct.

The Sensortron has a 2 year warranty and they can be repaired out of warranty. The issue is the cost. The minimum repair charge is $35 plus shipping both ways. That is approaching half the cost of a new insert. What I recommend is waiting until you have a few before contacting us for a return authorization. One other thing to keep in mind is that about 90% of the time they just need to be cleaned. The cleaning instructions can be located on the web at:

http://www.ginsan.com/techspecs/tg-283 - Sensorton with Cleaning Instructions.pdf

 

[MEP001]

When I worked for a distributor we were instructed not to return out-of-warranty Sensortrons because they would not be repaired. Either policy has changed or we were told incorrectly.

 

[Dan kamsickas]

When I worked for a distributor we were instructed not to return out-of-warranty Sensortrons because they would not be repaired. Either policy has changed or we were told incorrectly.

That must have been quite some time ago. The policy I use has been in place for several years. Keep in mind that as the cost of the units has increased it is more cost effective to repair the units. Years ago the units were less expensive.

 

[mjwalsh]

I'd recommend going with a multi-coin acceptor. Sensortrons are good, but GinSan doesn't repair them out of warranty. The news is that they're finally going to stop making the $1 bill and dumping billions of dollar coins into circulation. If you get a multi-coin acceptor, don't get the Slugbuster II. It can't distinguish between a quarter and a dollar coin.

Mep, Dan, Earl, Almo & others,

We have (within a year or so) purchased both Mars & Vantage bill acceptors - as in 13 of them. We still think & feel long term wise it is a positive if they do proceed with the one dollar bill replacement with the one dollar coin & hopefully eventually also a 2 dollar coin. Based on that, Mep's advice for going multi-coin is wise. Below is a link to an article pointing out the need to partner with the government & general quality of life (on a win-win-win basis) on this specific issue & to me clearly shows that the USA is at least 15 years overdue. Keep in mind that the $5 bill is worth what a $1 bill was in 1973 according to the Fed Reserve inflation index --- so it is not as if my almost brand new bill acceptors will be obsolete --- when it comes to the $5s & even larger bills.

http://www.bnd.com/2011/10/23/1910871/the-time-has-come-for-a-dollar.html

Dan Kamsickas,

If enough quality support comes in for this or a similar bill --- it should pass --- & at that point manufacturers should be prepared to meet the possible much greater demand for multi coin acceptors. A scientifically based independent recent poll by the Coin Laundry Association(CLA) shows that around 95% of that industry aside from the car wash industry --- means that some of the car wash coin mech manufacturers like GinSan & IDX could tap into that market as well. Credit card acceptance in the coin op laundry industry is less practical for 75-150 payment interfaces required vs the 5-15 more likely in the car wash industry. The point is the Washington DC decisionmakers should look at potential increased employment in the multi coin manufacturing sector once the uncertainty of the availability of the dollar coins is completely removed like Canada wisely chose about 25 years ago. Keep in mind that we are almost 10 times the population of Canada.

mike walsh king koin of bismarck

 

[mjwalsh]

My current setup is a Futura system that I have has been having endless problems with.
Thanks

Almo,

As long as your topic is related to custom faceplates --- I will add that we are in the process of using 3 Dixmors Led7s with 3 multi coin acceptors within car wash coin boxes from KleenRite on a semi secret laundromat coin project that we are nearing completion on --- it has some similarities to updating our Futura boxes like yours. From our experience with our in house (over 3 years in the making) dog wash --- there are advantages to having the manufacturer do your wire harnesses for you as Mep suggests --- considering the over $250 crimper cost alone required to do the harness properly in house.

mike walsh king koin of bismarck

 

[Jimmy Buffett]

The first thing I would do would be to call Randy Nix...

 

[ALMO]

The first thing I would do would be to call Randy Nix...

Got off the phone with him about 2 hours ago!!

 

[Earl Weiss]

Mep, Dan, Earl, Almo & others,

Below is a link to an article pointing out the need to partner with the government & general quality of life (on a win-win-win basis) on this specific issue & mike walsh king koin of bismarck

Color me lost on the quality of life issue.

Going to the bank with 1000 dollar bills weighs slightly over 2lbs.

A dollar coin weighs 8.1 Grams. 1000 dollar coins weighs almost 17.85lbs.

My quality of life suggests I carry much the lighter load.

 

[mjwalsh]

Culmination of better reasoning vs the lesser reasons

Color me lost on the quality of life issue.

Going to the bank with 1000 dollar bills weighs slightly over 2lbs.

A dollar coin weighs 8.1 Grams. 1000 dollar coins weighs almost 17.85lbs.

My quality of life suggests I carry much the lighter load.

Earl, Almo & others,

Likewise --- I am lost when some of my fellow self service operators paint a picture of less problems with bill acceptors & soggy bills etc & fewer problems with bill counters than with multi coin acceptors & sorter/counters etc. I trust my coin mechs in the bays for the smaller transaction at the one dollar level more than the bill acceptors for the same specific denomination. The bill acceptors will still be good for larger bills & serve their redundancy purpose that way. Yes --- it is easier for the customer to put in a $5 bill than five $1's. Yes --- it is easier to put in five dollar coins than the 2 handed requirement of the five one dollar bills.

From my perspective --- it is much more credible to testify against taxes in general & especially against the more unfair taxes --- if a person or group shows a history of trying to assist government at every level in conserving the tax dollars --- especially with so little trade off. To me that is more of a "quality of life" than the lesser issue of weight. Besides I believe for the majority of us the weight --- is much more of an issue when 4 times as many quarters are needed for the same monetary value. 4x the 17.5 #s you refer too --- now that is a problem for those sometimes dainty tellers at the bank that I get together with fairly often. Very few of us allow the dollar coin only portions of our deposits of dollar coins to reach the weights that you suggest. Although it could eventually create an urgency for the 2 dollar coin similar to what Canada wisely chose over 15 years ago.

To get back to Almo's topic --- I do think it was wise for Mep to try to steer Almo to use foresight in the process of getting the multi coin acceptors rather than the single coin acceptors --- for his brand new faceplates. Especially for when the 2 dollar coin shows up!

mike walsh king koin of bismarck

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Very few of us allow the dollar coin only portions of our deposits of dollar coins to reach the weights that you suggest.

You're kidding, you actually have to deposit dollar coins? In my 11 yrs of dispensing them I have yet to deposit a single one. It's always been a one-way street. Where does your surplus come from???

 

[mjwalsh]

You're kidding, you actually have to deposit dollar coins? In my 11 yrs of dispensing them I have yet to deposit a single one. It's always been a one-way street. Where does your surplus come from???

Sorry I.B. Washin,

Thank you for catching that!

I must have been dreaming or alluding to --- about the day when that could be a possibility with the hopeful replacement of the dollar bill --- it was a reference in relation to the extra heavy quarters --- instead of me hauling dollar coins from the bank --- only to see most of the customers taking them home collecting them or whatever --- in my still not totally completed changeover to dollar coin acceptance on every piece of equipment at our laundromat, car n dog wash facility.

It seems almost with all the photo ops with the politicians when they were being promoted & the US Mint's appearance of marketing for collecting rather than having the emphasis on helping the greater economy ---- does have an effect on the collecting & hoarding of them.

I feel real sheepish but the fact that you clarified my projection into the possible future given the proper level playing field. Your observation makes it even more unlikely for Earl's scenario of handling horrifically heavy bags of dollar coins vs the variety of dollar bills &/or the 4x quarters.

Since you have probably as much or more experience with tokens than most on this forum --- are tokens way lighter than the dollar coins to fill in your hoppers? --- do the customers prefer them more than the more universally accepted dollar coins?

mike walsh king koin of bismarck

 

[I.B. Washincars]

My tokens are about the same size as a dollar coin. No, the customer do not like tokens better than the dollar coins. Even when they get extra tokens with 10 and $20 bills it's not even close. My changers have many times more large bills than the token dispensers.