What's new

Bonus time LED7

Etowah

tdlconceptsllc

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 30, 2013
Messages
1,025
Reaction score
346
Points
83
Location
NC
Merry Xmas guys! I was trying to learn more about bonus time from different operators that have & use it. I was trying to help a guy set this up. Do you use the single bonus or double bonus In the programming setup. I want to give bonus time on $5 bills & $10 bills only when inserted into validator. The instructions are not super clear from dixmor on this feature. Any tips would help. Thank you.Thomas.
 

MEP001

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
16,667
Reaction score
3,933
Points
113
Location
Texas
The bonus time settings in the timer won't do what you want. The timer's bonus settings can either give one single bonus credit when an amount is reached, or can give bonus time for every coin pulse after the bonus amount is reached.

What validators are you using? Hopefully they can be programmed to give more credits for a $5 or $10.
 

tdlconceptsllc

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 30, 2013
Messages
1,025
Reaction score
346
Points
83
Location
NC
The bonus time settings in the timer won't do what you want. The timer's bonus settings can either give one single bonus credit when an amount is reached, or can give bonus time for every coin pulse after the bonus amount is reached.

What validators are you using? Hopefully they can be programmed to give more credits for a $5 or $10.
The validators are MEI Model AE 2612 U3E suppose to take $5, $10 & $20 bills. I just want to give bonus time when a $5 bill is inserted and a $10 bill inserted. Mep your saying I can only choose one & not both right. I was hoping to do both that sucks. Thank you.
 

MEP001

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
16,667
Reaction score
3,933
Points
113
Location
Texas
No, the bonus only activates when you reach a certain amount of pulses. An example, you're $2.00 to start, 30 seconds per coin, you set single credit, 20 pulses to bonus, 10:00 bonus, it doesn't matter whether you deposit a $5 or five $1 bills or 20 quarters, they get a ten minute bonus chunk of time. If it's set to multiple bonus at 0:10 bonus, once 20 pulses are reached every pulse gets an extra ten seconds, 40 seconds instead of 30. It can also do a pulse multiplier bonus through the aux input, but it will give a bonus for singles too, not just $5 or $10.


Call AECO Sales in Tecumseh OK at 800-682-0358. If the validator can be programmed with non-standard pulses, they'll be able to do it.
 

Randy

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
5,625
Reaction score
1,912
Points
113
I checked my MEI validator computer program and there are no provisions for any custom payouts, just the standard 1 and 4 pulse payouts. I think your best bet would be to call Nick at Dixmor and see if what you want to do can be done.
 

chaz

Active member
Joined
Mar 22, 2008
Messages
881
Reaction score
84
Points
28
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
I’ve never done bonus time....just warning tone at 60 seconds. Does bonus time actually result in more income. Almost seems confusing to me....plus why penalize the guy with 10 singles
 

MEP001

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
16,667
Reaction score
3,933
Points
113
Location
Texas
Does bonus time actually result in more income.
I know a guy who advertises the bonus as "unlimited time" after spending $5. Once 20 credits are reached, the time per pulse is doubled. He claims it brings in lots of customers, but he has to explain it a lot. To deter abuse he added a loop sensor in the floor to cancel the time if the vehicle moves.
 

tdlconceptsllc

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 30, 2013
Messages
1,025
Reaction score
346
Points
83
Location
NC
I talked to nick at Dixmor today and he was totally against bonus time. I think I may go another route I didnt know it was going to be this complicated. I see dixmor does not offer random jackpot/bonus time or what I was trying to do with $5 & $10 bills only. It seems like etowah valley and carolina prides proprietary timers are the only ones to do the features I was trying to do which is a bummer bc dixmor repair service and reliability is the best and I thought there timers could do more kind of a let down in reality.
 

Earl Weiss

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
6,184
Reaction score
752
Points
113
I’ve never done bonus time....just warning tone at 60 seconds. Does bonus time actually result in more income. Almost seems confusing to me....plus why penalize the guy with 10 singles
I think it encourages people to put more $ in initially. I will take a phot of my signs that advertise it.
 

MEP001

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
16,667
Reaction score
3,933
Points
113
Location
Texas
I’ve never done bonus time....just warning tone at 60 seconds. Does bonus time actually result in more income. Almost seems confusing to me....plus why penalize the guy with 10 singles
Bonus time is more about rewarding the bigger spenders. On its own, it doesn't result in more income, if anything it directly results in less, but it builds customer loyalty, and the word-of-mouth advertisement will bring you new customers. Also, do you want the customers who deposit the minimum, then dry-brush or hand wash for ten minutes, then deposit the minimum to rinse, or do you want the timer running?
 

MEP001

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
16,667
Reaction score
3,933
Points
113
Location
Texas
I talked to nick at Dixmor today and he was totally against bonus time.
That's just one opinion. I know that rewarding customers is good for your business. I don't offer any sort of bonus, but I routinely walk through the bays and just drop a buck in for people, especially if I'm in the room and hear someone cycling through all the functions trying to get the foam brush on. I'm thinking seriously about selling dollar value tokens from one side of the changer and giving bonus tokens for larger bills. My customers won't understand anything more complicated than that - they won't read anything.

I think I may go another route I didnt know it was going to be this complicated. I see dixmor does not offer random jackpot/bonus time or what I was trying to do with $5 & $10 bills only. It seems like etowah valley and carolina prides proprietary timers are the only ones to do the features I was trying to do which is a bummer bc dixmor repair service and reliability is the best and I thought there timers could do more kind of a let down in reality.
I called AECO and they said the coin pulses can't be changed beyond switching between one and four per dollar. The simplest way I can see to do what you want would be to not accept $1 bills, which I assume is not an option. I played around with my programmable relay software trying to figure out a way to capture the pulses and send them back out with a bonus payout - I haven't worked it out yet, but if the idea might work for you I'll keep trying. The relays are pretty cheap ($130 IIRC), and one could do up to four bays.
 

tdlconceptsllc

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 30, 2013
Messages
1,025
Reaction score
346
Points
83
Location
NC
mep you a good dude. Thank you for doing some research trying to help me I really appriciate it.
 

Earl Weiss

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
6,184
Reaction score
752
Points
113
Bonus time is more about rewarding the bigger spenders. On its own, it doesn't result in more income, if anything it directly results in less
One of the few times we disagree. I think it encourages a bigger spend. My start time is at $2.50 nd $3.00 (Superbay) and Bonus at $5 My signs say "FREE TIME" XXX MINUTES FREE with $5.00 (different for the $2.50 or $3.00 start) so I think it encourages people to put in the extra $. I have had several customers ask about it.
 

cantbreak80

Maybe I need new clubs
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
1,114
Reaction score
555
Points
113
Location
CO
I played around with my programmable relay software trying to figure out a way to capture the pulses and send them back out with a bonus payout - I haven't worked it out yet, but if the idea might work for you I'll keep trying. The relays are pretty cheap ($130 IIRC), and one could do up to four bays.
I programmed a similar idea...BOGO on Sunday mornings
Deposit $2 to start, get $4 worth of wash time.

The PLR program is pretty simple but requires 2 coin pulse wires...to & from the equipment room. Since my PLR was already seeing coin pulses for my boiler/lighting controls, I added it to the program.

For example... between 7:00 & Noon on Sundays (or whatever day(s) and times you desire) the PLR senses coin pulses to start. Once the minimum is deposited, the PLR pulses the timer with the programed number of additional pulses.

2020-12-23.png
 

Mchas

Active member
Joined
Jun 15, 2019
Messages
154
Reaction score
41
Points
28
Why would you want to give bonus time for $5 and $10 bills but not 5x or 10x $1 or coins? That makes no sense.
 

chaz

Active member
Joined
Mar 22, 2008
Messages
881
Reaction score
84
Points
28
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
Why would you want to give bonus time for $5 and $10 bills but not 5x or 10x $1 or coins? That makes no sense.
agree......the only advantage of handling fewer singles I guess would be a bit less wear and tear on the acceptors and less cash to count?!
 

I.B. Washincars

Car Washer Emeritus
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
4,219
Reaction score
1,041
Points
113
Location
SW Indiana melon fields.
PITA to get, sort, or locks you into dollar increment pricing.
Doesn't necessarily lock you into dollar increments. When I switched to dollar coins, my price was $1.50. I converted my dual Hamilton changer to dispense four quarters with any bill.

Payouts went like this:

$1 - 4 quarters
$5 - 4 quarters, 4 dollars
$10 - 4 quarters, 9 dollars
$20 - 4 quarters, 19 dollars
 
Etowah
Top