Mars new bill updates you can do yourself

[lag]

I am not trying to step on any toes here, but for the do-it -yourselfer, you may be able to save some jack on your upgrades.

I have done alot of them in the last couple days. 89.95 for unlimited uploads,and very easy to do. No sending them in.

May not work in everyones case,but I have around 125 to do,so working great for us. Good luck,Lag

http://www.happcontrols.com/validators/mei_upgrades_5.htm

 

[vinh]

this is a great post. If it is unlimited flashes, then all one need is 5 mars validator to make it worth while.

 

[DavidM]

This seems to be a new MEI policy. We use Betson (a vending machine sales and service company) and they have the same deal.

Next time around they can simply reprogram the BPM we purchase this time for $25.

It seems that MEI is working to streamline the updating process for new bills. Certainly beats sending acceptors out for upgrades.

I have been complaining about the 30 acceptors we have, I'm glad I don't have 125 to do.

David

 

[Wash-A-Roo]

I never updated my validators the last time...will this cover that too.?? Also, do I have to buy one per each bay...not sure how this works?

 

[DavidM]

As far as I know, when you update it updates everything to current. I believe it reflashes the memory which would completely overwrite anything on it with the new programming.

One BPM will now update as many validators as you want. So you only need to buy one.

David

 

[lag]

They have unlimited flashes,or credits. You will need only to buy one . If you have 24vac ,and 110vac you will need 1 of each.

They come with the standard Mars 9 pin power plug. When doing our Hamilton changers ,I had to pull the validators ,and use a auto teller to hook them up ,and program. Not really to big a deal, I also could have put A regular power cord on the programmer if I needed to, but choose not to because most all the updates I made ,most the equipment had the mars plug.

Over the last 4 days I completed 115 ,or so. takes 5 minutes ,or so per unit. We bought 1 flash programmer 110 volt ,and 1, 24 vac unit .Around $200.00 bucks total ,plus my labor to do them.

They only work on mars 2000 series ,that have flash port capability ( anything built after late 1999), your sticker on the validator will say flash port.

As DavidM pointed out, next time you only need to send your unit in ,and for $25.00 they will reprogram,it for you.

I will add I had 1 unit that would not program for some reason ,and i will have to send it in. It acted as if the number 8 pin,was not working.

I hope this post helped ,and answered all the PM ,and other questions that were posted. Lag

 

[galen]

There is now a BPM that will do both 24 and 110 voltages. A couple of my local friends and I went together and are doing all ours.

 

[ScottP]

How long did it take to get your order from Happ? Their website says it won't be ready to ship until April 12. I ordered mine a week and a half ago and was hoping it would get here sooner. I'm starting to get a lot of new $5 bills.

 

[lag]

We received ours in late February,took only a few days.

 

[Randy]

I've got 3 Mars programmers, 2 are working there way around the US and 1 I use for walk-ins and validators that are sent in. From what I understand the programmers are backordered until the middle of April.

 

[Ben's Car Wash]

Dam, I just scheduled my 5 bays SS MEI MARS , my UNITEC XPT MARS and my bill changers to be upgrade on Monday (forgot about the vending machine). I got a price including trip chagre to my site of $325 for all seven devices ($70 trip, $30 per device and taxes).

Funny thing is I have one old Hamilton from the 1980's that takes the new $5 with now problems!

 

[vinh]

My Hamilton XE validators (v 2.11) are also taking the new fives with 100% acceptance and accuracy. Only time will tell if this will change. For now, I will hold on upgrading the Hamiltons. Mars however is zero percent acceptance.

 

[Kevin James]

Hey Randy am I still on the list to use your hand held Mars programing device. I've only got 3 validators to do.

 

[Greg Pack]

Lag, looking at the .pdf instructions it says the 24V unit will work with MDB only. But this is the one you ordered and it will work with pulse output, right?

 

[Randy]

NO! The 24 volt unit #250077067P1is made for MDB only, vending machines, pop machines etc. The one you should use is 24/110 volt model #BPM5-MEI2000. I?ve don?t hundreds of these downloads at I don?t know how many car washes and the problem I?ve found is every carwash equipment manufacture cuts off the factory MEI/Mars plug and either hard wires the harness into there wiring or they put on another type of plug so the programmer will not plug into the power supply in the coin box. You?ll need to supply your own 24 volt power supply to the programmer. If it?s 110 volt you?ll need a 110 power cord. The only coin boxes that I found that I could plug the programmer directly into were made by Kleen-rite.

Yes Kevin your still on the list. Red Baron, Washaroo, Vinh and Tom C. are in front of you

 

[ScottP]

Let me make sure I ordered the right one. I have 4 Hamilton changers all with Mars acceptors. 1 was installed by Hamilton and 3 I retrofitted. I ordered the 24v programmer, is that the right one I need?

 

[Randy]

Nope, that's not the right programmer

 

[lag]

Let me make sure I ordered the right one. I have 4 Hamilton changers all with Mars acceptors. 1 was installed by Hamilton and 3 I retrofitted. I ordered the 24v programmer, is that the right one I need?

No! I did a bunch of Hamilton's,They are all 110 volt. retros and new ones. As I stated in another post ,I removed them and programmed them in another piece of equipment because , the Hamilton power plug is not a standard 9 pin mars plug. You could however remove the power plug from the 110 volt programmer and easily put in a power cord.

CFW:The 24volt ones we did were all in vending machines. I have no validators in self serve bays to do. You can also order ,as Randy has pointed out ,a Bpm5-MEI 2000 Happ has them as well.

 

[bushlanders]

I was just talking to Ruben at HAPP and he told me that all generation 1 validators with serial# that start with 450 and down cannot be upgraded with their unit but if it is generation 2 with serial# 450 and up can be upgraded wirh their bpm-I looked at my changers which were bought in 2003, and 2006 and 2007 and all the serial# start with 250 and 260 so they tell me their bpm will not upgrade-has anyone dealt with this-Gary

 

[Randy]

If your Mars validators are 2003 and newer you can use a BPM programmer to download the new $5 software into your Mars validator. The easiest way to tell if your Mars validator is downloadable is to look on the side of the Mars validator for the ?MEI FlashPort? logo on the side of the validator, it?s just below the model number on the left side (same side that the switches are on). All 2600 validator are flashport upgradable. I?ve gotten a number of calls and E-mails from operators who have ordered the wrong programmer. There are3 different programmers for the Mars validator and they all do different things. If you have only a few validators to do then I wouldn?t buy a programmer. I've got 2 Mars programmers out now. Most everyone who has used them have been pretty good about forwarding them on with all the nessary cables and power supply that is reqiured.