This article covers Alliance E-mech top-load small chassis washers and dryers. The integration uses pulse control.
The article covers the old models and the newer production models
Required Parts
Card Reader Kit
The reader board type MUST be "Generic Relay" - Part #: ASSY-02-02-11):
Card Reader Wiring Harness
Part #: 02-06-58:
Installation Summary
"Generic Relay" Card Reader board type must be used
Plug-in Card Reader wiring harness (some splicing may be required)
Machine Side settings: Configure the machine to start from 1 pulse
Installation Steps
Step 0: Number the machines in the location
Before proceeding, it is recommended that you assign numbers and labels to each machines in the laundry room/building.
Step 1: Turn Machine Power OFF
It is always recommended to power the machine off before install the card readers.
Step 2: Number the reader using the DIP switches
In order to configure a Card Reader to report as a specific Washer or Dryer number, you need to set the reader's DIP Switches to specific positions. These DIP Switches ONLY affect what the reader will display as for it's machine type (Washer/Dryer) and it's machine number:
Review our: Reader DIP Switch settings article for details on how to set the Card Reader's Machine Type, and Reader Number.
You need to do this BEFORE mounting the Card Readers onto the machines, as accessing the back of the card reader is required.
Step 3: Card Reader Power and Pulse Connections
For Newer Models
If you see a control in a black plastic enclosure, these are considered new models. (click to expand)
If you see a control in a black plastic enclosure, these are considered new models. (click to expand)
For the Start/Pulse signal,
inside the machine, disconnect the two spade connectors from the switch and connect them to the male spade connectors on the reader wiring harness:
For Card Reader power:
splice the RED Card Reader harness wire to the RED wire at H2-4 on the machine
splice the BLUE Card Reader harness wire to the WHITE wire at H2-5 on the machine (as shown below):
IMPORTANT: The reader does not use a busy signal feedback on the Newer models.
The Card Reader's Control Type should be set to "[22] - Single Pulse No Busy"
For Older Models
Old models have a control board shown below are are NOT housed in a plastic enclosure (click to expand)
Old models have a control board shown below are are NOT housed in a plastic enclosure (click to expand)
Disconnect the two spade connectors from the switch:
Unscrew the two screws (shown below) that secure the controller board to the machine bracket and lift out the board:
Disconnect the white connector, shown in red circle below, from the board:
In its place, connect the white connector (with the 4 wires in it) from the reader cable harness:
Connect the machine connector you disconnected two steps ago into the reader cable harness other white connector (the harness acts like a splitter):
Connect the "Busy signal" connector to the board:
Connect the spade connectors from the cable harness to the female spades in the machine.
Step 4: Mounting the Card Reader
If you ordered Card-Only reader kits, follow this general guide.
If you ordered Hybrid (Coin + Card) reader kits, follow this general guide.
Step 5: Activate the Card Reader
Proceed to secure the reader to the machine and then Activate the card reader using the Activation Card for this specific location:
Note: you MUST use the Activation Card for THIS SPECIFIC LOCATION,
or else the card reader will not appear on the LaundroPortal for this location.
This will activate the reader and programs the reader with the location's specific Support and Location IDs.
The Card Reader will then automatically connect to VAC01's wireless network and once connected, will be visible on the LaundroPortal where you can configure it's vend prices
Setting Vend Prices
Configure the vend price on the LaundroPortal.
The reader sends one pulse to the machine's control board to trigger it to start, so you'll need to configure the machine to start from just one pulse (1 "coin").
In most cases, this is achieved by changing the machine's Coin Value setting so that it's equal to the full vend price of the machine (the machine's coin value is likely currently set to $0.25 to function with the coin drop.
Alternatively, you could also change the machine's vend price to $0.25 (instead of it's coin value setting), as customers are charged the price displayed on the Card Reader NOT whatever is displayed on the machine's display.
For additional information about machine vend pricing, review our Configuring Card Reader/Machine Vend Prices article.
Troubleshooting
Below are problems commonly encountered during installation of readers on these machines.
For more general card reader troubleshooting, see the Card Reader Troubleshoot section of our Help Center.
Issue | Explanation and resolution |
Reader taking money but machine doesn't start | The Card Reader will only sends ONE pulse to the machine, so ensure that the machine is configured to start off of one pulse. If the machine is only deducting 25cents from its displayed vend price, when a Laundry Card is used, then the Card Reader is installed correctly, but the machine side settings need to be configured so it starts from 1 pulse (the machine is currently registering the pulse, but only as a 25cents payment instead of the entire vend price). Therefore, inside the MACHINE's configuration settings, you can either:
In either case, the one pulse from the reader would satisfy the machine's vend price and trigger the machine to start it's cycle. |
The machine starts, but once the cycle is over the Card Reader continues to display "Busy" | The Card Reader's Cycle Time (mins) setting is out of sync with the machine actual cycle time of the machine: 
Pulse communication Card Readers are NOT communicating with the machine directly, so the only way the Card Reader knows how long a wash cycle lasts for is based on the amount of time programmed into the Card Reader's Cycle Time (mins) setting.
Regardless of what's actually happening with the machine, once the reader takes a payment, it starts a timer based on this setting, and the reader will display "Busy" until it's internal time has expired. |