If you are moving a Card Reader, from one store location to another store location, you will need to factory reset the reader so that it can be re-activated to the new store's Support ID and Location ID.
Note: you do NOT need to factory reset a reader if you are just moving the reader from 1 machine, to a different machine, in the same store location.
When a reader boots up, from being powered OFF, it will run through some self test messages;
one of the first test screens will indicate what Location ID the reader's currently activated to, as well as what firmware version is currently loaded on the reader:
If the location ID of the reader is not the same location ID of the store's it's installed in, then it's been activated to the incorrect store, and will need to be factory reset so it can be re-activated to the correct store/location ID, using that store's Activation Card
Note: The self test screens will only shows the Location ID the reader's been activated to.
It's possible the reader's been activated to the correct Location ID, but incorrect Support ID (which you will NOT be able to tell from the self test messages).
If you suspect a reader may be activated to a different Support ID (reader was originally used in a store owned by a completely different owner), it's recommended to factory reset the reader, so you can re-activate it to the correct Support and Location ID.
As a side note, if you know what store location a Card Reader is already activated to, you can create a Deactivation Card, using the VACs from that store location; in order to deactivate the Card Reader instead of Factory Resetting.
Factory Reset Procedure
Step 1: Access the back of the Card Reader Board
You need to remove the Card Reader from the machine so that you can access the back of the Card Reader board itself:
Once you've taken the reader off of the machine, on some readers, there may also be a back plate that you need to remove in order to gain full access to the Card Reader's control board.
Step 2: Locate the Red Reset Button
First locate the Red Reset Button on the back of the Card Reader's control board:
The Card Reader will need to remain connected to power during the next steps.
If you've unplugged the reader's harness in order to locate the reset button, you need to reconnect the reader's harness, and let the reader fully boot back up before moving on to the next step.
Step 3: Press and Hold button sequence
Press and HOLD the Red Reset button for 10 full seconds
then release the button (for about 1 second)
then press and HOLD the button again until you see the "Factory Default Rebooting..." message (approx. 8 to 10 seconds):
Note: if you held the reset button and nothing happened (reader display didn't react at all during the 2nd hold of the button; it could be the initial button press wasn't registered, or maybe it wasn't held for long enough the first time.
Try power cycling the reader (unplug reader connector for 2 seconds, then plug it back in), let the reader fully boot back up, and then try the factory reset procedure again to see if it works correctly the 2nd or 3rd time.
Try varying the amount of time you hold the button for the first hold.
For the 2nd hold, you should continue holding the button until you see the Card Reader's display change (hold it for a maximum of 15 seconds, if it hasn't changed by then, try the power cycling the reader and start over.
If pressing the Red Reset button causes the message "Overiding DIP switch" to be displayed:
Or if after releasing the Red Reset button, you see the message "Button Disabled" displayed:
You will NOT be able to Factory Reset this Card Reader using the Red Reset button; see the Factory Reset Issues section of this article for more information
Step 4: Reader has been reset to factory default settings
Once the reader has finished rebooting, it will be in a deactivated state, and can now be re-activated with any location's Activation Card.
You will know that the reader has been factory reset successfully when you see "Not Activated" on the reader's display:
To re-activate this reader, simply place the Activation Card (from the correct store location) onto the card reader until you see the message "Activated LocID:#######":
Once you see this message on the Card Reader's display, you can remove the Activation Card and let the reader finish activating itself (usually takes approx. 30 seconds to a minute to complete).
If you do not have the Activation Card for the specific store the reader needs to be activated to, you can use the LaundroPortal to create a new Activation Card for the store.
Factory Reset Issues
While trying to Factory Reset a Card Reader, there are 2 issues you may run into:
The Card Reader's Red Reset button is defective
The Card Reader's Red Reset button has been manually deactivated
In both of the above cases, in order to Factory Reset a Card Reader that has a Red Reset button that is not functioning, you will need to use a Deactivation Card to deactivate this Card Reader.
A Deactivation Card, that will work to deactivate this reader, can only be created by a VAC kiosk that's activated to the specific store location that this Card Reader is currently activated to.
If you have a Card Reader that's had it's Red Reset button manually disabled, it is possible for our support team to re-enable the button if needed.
If at any point, when pressing the Red Reset button, you see either the messages:
Overiding DIP switch
Button Disabled
These messages indicates the Factory Reset button has been disabled on this specific Card Reader (which usually happens because the button was spontaneously triggering itself causing the reader to factory reboot on it's own).
In order for our support team to be able to re-enable the Red Reset button, the Card Reader needs to be brought back to the store it's currently activated to, so that it appears online in order for our team can adjust the reader's internal settings.
However, it's usually easier to simply create a Deactivation Card from the store it's activated to, as opposed to re-enabling the Red Reset button.