Old School IDX Controls - Part 1

[TomT]

I've resurrected the mechanical on this 1995 Southern Pride Self Serve. Don't ask me why I thought the 25 year old controls would be OK to get it going.
IDX AT402 Timers
BT800A Displays
4 bays
Symptoms - in no particular order - for one bay anyway - I haven't investigated the others yet but they appear to be the same which is interesting as they are independent of each other - I think:

Car Wash has been inoperative for sometime (1 year plus?) but controls/power have been on the whole time
Intermittently work OK - then goe wacky. Turning off the control power resets and they work for a cycle or two - more often just one
Wacky includes :00 seconds stays on display at end of cycle - doesn't display the message - power off will reset the message, etc
No matter where you set the "seconds per coin" wee little dials/numbers, a coin only adds 40 seconds
Intermittently add a coin and no beep but it takes - adds time. Display says 00, add coins (6 quarters in this case - for now) and it will function - has 240 seconds in it's head somewhere.

Do not have the RC800 Remote Control / Programmer

I'm trying to get this car wash going as cheap as possible until it makes some money.

I've worked on a lot of stuff in more years than I want to admit. I'm by no means an electrician/control expert but can get by if its rather simple which I think this is. Counting this one, I've worked on one
Can I fix this with an RC800 and new timers as needed?
Calling in the Car Wash maintenance/repair cavalry costs probably $300 just for the service call only.

Thanks
Tom

 

[cantbreak80]

Well...
You have obsolete electronics from IDX. They've been discontinued for several years.
New Dixmor LED6 or LED7 coin box timers cost less than $250 each. Everything is one box...timer and display. The Dixmor remote is less than $60.

The Southern Pride pumping station should provide another 30 years or more of reliable operation.

 

[MEP001]

Do not have the RC800 Remote Control / Programmer

This might be a real problem as the last I checked IDX had none and had no idea when they would have more.

 

[Randy]

Tom, rip all those crap IDX garbage timers out and replace it with Dixmor timers. If you’ve got IDX coin acceptors they also belong in the dumpster. Do it right and be done with it.

 

[MudMoney]

Try replacing the base plate that 402 plugs into.Had this problem last month,plate was 20 years old and hair line crack.

 

[TomT]

Do the timers and displays work independent of each other?
- If you change a setting on the timer, do you have to change/program the display at the same time for the new timer settings to take/work?
The BC800 programmer manual doesn't really definitively say.
And it looks like Kleen-Rite has BC800's in stock.

Others messed with the settings before I did. Maybe it's all in a funk now ????

1. Can't believe all 4 went bad at the same time
2. new, fancy controls- card readers, maybe - likely but I'd like to get it going first

 

[celica]

Tom, I also have a separate bt800 display with a external (ginsan) timer. Both the timer and display need to be set up with the same program. You will need a bc800 programmer to go into the bt800 display's program and match it with the timer that you have. The "00" bt800 lockup occurs when the bt800 display counts down to zero, but the timer at402 isn't at zero. the bt880 display uses the timed "hot" from the at402 to force a reset to zero normally. But sometimes this rest doesn't occur and thus a double zero lockup. You can solve this by putting a 100 ohm resister between the 24 volt common and the timed load. Idx equipment is junk. I have made mine work as best as I can. As they die, I will be replacing them with the dixmor led9 retrofit kit. It saves you money by reusing the case of the idx. It combines the timer and display into one unit, which is really the proper way to go. People like me added on a display thinking it would work perfectly in conjunction with the existing
timer, but found out that they don't. Go to 1 timer and display combined.

 

[Greg Pack]

I've been satisfied with IDX for the most part- I'm replacing some timers now that were built in 2003. Seventeen year lifespan for electronics housed in a hot vacuum housing in full sun is not bad IMO. But if you send those old timers into to IDX for repair, you're going to spend a bit of money ($200?)to repair that 17 year old board. It will work, but how long will it be before another component goes bad?

Once the BTT displays go bad and the timer is that age the best option is likely the Dixmor retrofit. They have a replacement timer/display for less than $400 each that will likely retrofit into your BTT housing. In addition, they are cryptopay ready for count up cash. Randy can get you set up.

 

[TomT]

This might be a real problem as the last I checked IDX had none and had no idea when they would have more.

MEP001, you speakith the truth - the RC800 is not available and it sounds like it won't be available for some time.
Does anyone have one they want to sell or rent ?

After replies here and talking with IDX, I'm confident that the timers and displays are on different pages.