MEI Bill Validator

[Touchless]

Hi all, I'm looking to replace my vacuum bill validator that just failed. It's a MEI AE2412 UE, I just need it to accept $1 and $5 dollar bills. I had bought 2 on Kleen-Rite about a year ago but now they don't seem to be selling them. Where are you buying them these days?

 

[OurTown]

From what I understand they don't make MEI acceptors anymore and you have to go with Talos. Randy on here can probably rebuild yours though.

 

[Dan kamsickas]

From what I understand they don't make MEI acceptors anymore and you have to go with Talos. Randy on here can probably rebuild yours though.

Correct. Mars obsoleted the AE series a few months ago and the Talos is the replacement......if you can find them. They are having the same supply issues as everyone else.

 

[Randy]

Hi all, I'm looking to replace my vacuum bill validator that just failed. It's a MEI AE2412 UE, I just need it to accept $1 and $5 dollar bills. I had bought 2 on Kleen-Rite about a year ago but now they don't seem to be selling them. Where are you buying them these days?

Mars/MEI validators are just about as scarce as hen’s teeth. Mars discontinued the AE2400 series validator about two years ago. I’ve had the 24 volt MEI Talos are order since April and I got one 110 volt the test.

 

[MEP001]

There aren't any on eBay worth buying right now.

 

[Touchless]

There aren't any on eBay worth buying right now.

Not really, I found a couple used or refurbished ones but not sure I trust that.

 

[MEP001]

Not really, I found a couple used or refurbished ones but not sure I trust that.

The ones I saw were used, not refurbished, and he's asking what they cost new. I used to get them refurbished like new for $125.

 

[bert79]

We have American Changers with the MEI AE validators. Not familiar with Talos at all. Is that an MEI product? Could we just change out to a different system and use the American changer case? Is there a different brand that others recommend?

 

[Randy]

We have American Changers with the MEI AE validators. Not familiar with Talos at all. Is that an MEI product? Could we just change out to a different system and use the American changer case? Is there a different brand that others recommend?

Mars/MEI was bought by Crane vending, it is now called Crane PI and they discontinued the AE series of validators and has come out with the Talos. yes it's made by the same people who made the AE series validator, just a different name and more expensive. They like every manufacture is having upply issues and the Talos validators are hard to come by. I suggest that you just keep getting your AE series repaired as long as you can. Crane PI recently had a 20% increase across the board on parts and validators. The Talos validator should fit in your American changer.

 

[bert79]

Mars/MEI was bought by Crane vending, it is now called Crane PI and they discontinued the AE series of validators and has come out with the Talos. yes it's made by the same people who made the AE series validator, just a different name and more expensive. They like every manufacture is having upply issues and the Talos validators are hard to come by. I suggest that you just keep getting your AE series repaired as long as you can. Crane PI recently had a 20% increase across the board on parts and validators. The Talos validator should fit in your American changer.

Thank you Randy that was very helpful!

 

[mjwalsh]

Mars/MEI was bought by Crane vending, it is now called Crane PI and they discontinued the AE series of validators and has come out with the Talos. yes it's made by the same people who made the AE series validator, just a different name and more expensive. They like every manufacture is having upply issues and the Talos validators are hard to come by. I suggest that you just keep getting your AE series repaired as long as you can. Crane PI recently had a 20% increase across the board on parts and validators. The Talos validator should fit in your American changer.

Randy,

Correct me if I am wrong ... but it seems like based on what you stated above ... this could have implications for bill changer companies who came up with their upgrades using Mars-MEI???

 

[Roz]

I just installed a new dual system American Changer with MEI/Talos acceptors. They look the same as the AE series

 

[Randy]

I just installed a new dual system American Changer with MEI/Talos acceptors. They look the same as the AE series

There are a number of differences between the AE2000 series validators and the Talos validators. The LED lights on the bezel are a lot brighter. There aren’t any switches on the side of the validator to change any of the settings, it’s done now with a programming coupon. The Red LED status light on the back of the validator is no longer there, now you have to look at the LED lights on the front of the validator. The lower LED board that always got corroded is gone, in its place is a reflector assembly with white rollers. On the plus side the bill boxes are still the same so you can use a bill box from a AE2000 series validator on the Talos validator. Bill acceptance and escrowing the bill are a few seconds faster.

 

[Roz]

There are a number of differences between the AE2000 series validators and the Talos validators. The LED lights on the bezel are a lot brighter. There aren’t any switches on the side of the validator to change any of the settings, it’s done now with a programming coupon. The Red LED status light on the back of the validator is no longer there, now you have to look at the LED lights on the front of the validator. The lower LED board that always got corroded is gone, in its place is a reflector assembly with white rollers. On the plus side the bill boxes are still the same so you can use a bill box from a AE2000 series validator on the Talos validator. Bill acceptance and escrowing the bill are a few seconds faster.

appreciate the Detailed analysis! As long as it works out of the box I am happy but will note the changes for when something goes sideways.

one clarification, how do you see a blinking LED if not on the side of the money holder? Or did I misread the note?

 

[Randy]

appreciate the Detailed analysis! As long as it works out of the box I am happy but will note the changes for when something goes sideways.

one clarification, how do you see a blinking LED if not on the side of the money holder? Or did I misread the note?

Nope you didn't missread it. There is no Red status light on the back of the validator, you have to look at the blinking LED lights on the front of the validator to check the validator status.

 

[TSchmitz]

We have 2019 Hamilton HTks. Bill acceptance has been an issue, our AE2600 series have been really picky on both machines. Ive sent different kinds of cleaning bills thru them with no luck. Is the new Talos plug and play? Anyone have experience updating their pay stations/changers?

 

[Randy]

We have 2019 Hamilton HTks. Bill acceptance has been an issue, our AE2600 series have been really picky on both machines. Ive sent different kinds of cleaning bills thru them with no luck. Is the new Talos plug and play? Anyone have experience updating their pay stations/changers?

Cleaning cards do nothing but degrade or shorten the life of the belts. A 3 year old validator is about due for a tune up. Yes the Talso is a plug and play validator if you order it with a VFM bezel and have it programmed to your spec.

 

[TSchmitz]

Cleaning cards do nothing but degrade or shorten the life of the belts. A 3 year old validator is about due for a tune up. Yes the Talso is a plug and play validator if you order it with a VFM bezel and have it programmed to your spec.

Gotcha, good to know about the cleaning cards. To have them tuned up, I'd probably need a spare to juggle them around for no down time. Rebuild or buy new? After a rebuild, does the bill acceptance rate significantly increase noticeably? It probably declines 10-20% of bills currently. Thank you

 

[MEP001]

Try cleaning them with a dampened cloth towel. Pull out the lower sensor assembly and clean the windows and rollers. These are optical readers, and as mentioned the cleaning cards do nothing. I have the same bill acceptors in my changer and they're 99% or better at accepting bills. Check eBay for used AE26xx models, you might pay $300 for a refurbished model but that's less than half a new Talos. I just bought one from seller vendingmachineparts and it was like new.

 

[TSchmitz]

Try cleaning them with a dampened cloth towel. Pull out the lower sensor assembly and clean the windows and rollers. These are optical readers, and as mentioned the cleaning cards do nothing. I have the same bill acceptors in my changer and they're 99% or better at accepting bills. Check eBay for used AE26xx models, you might pay $300 for a refurbished model but that's less than half a new Talos. I just bought one from seller vendingmachineparts and it was like new.

Sounds like a plan, thank you.