Mono Rail Self Serve Manual or knowledge

[Drepiv4]

Hello- We purchased an old car wash facility with a 4 bay mono rail system that is close to 20 years old and has the moth boards with dip SWITCHES mounted in the control boxes for each bay inside the equipment room. Does anyone have knowledge, a manual or diagram of the mother boards? We are having an issue with two of the SS bays dropping time after the required number of quarters are inserted, we also have two of the 4 LED displays on the meter boxes are bad and trying to find replacements for these or someone who can repair. Many thanjs for anyones help.

 

[MEP001]

What kind of timers are they? If there's no name, post a picture.

I doubt there will be a manual available, but you can most likely remove these motherboards. I might be able to draw a diagram that explains well enough how it works to let you do that.

 

[Drepiv4]

Thank you, will take some pictures today or Sat and post them. Greatly appreciate your assistance.

 

[mac]

Bite the bullet and just replace that junk. Their boxes really date the wash. Put in new ones. Your customers will notice it.

 

[Randy]

Like Mac said replace the coin boxes. You’ll be doing yourself a huge favor. Just about everything about their coin boxes was bad, timer, display and the coin acceptor. I’d go with a Dixmor LED-7 timer, Micro-coin coin acceptor and Cryptopay credit card.

 

[mjwalsh]

Like Mac said replace the coin boxes. You’ll be doing yourself a huge favor. Just about everything about their coin boxes was bad, timer, display and the coin acceptor. I’d go with a Dixmor LED-7 timer, Micro-coin coin acceptor and Cryptopay credit card.

Hmmm.... I agree with Randy .... but since it appears you are from Winchester, England ... you probably can buy an ATM that can give out high denomination coin(s). If you have trouble with the OEM ATM's coin hopper(s) replace with Standard Changer 100% reliable hoppers! Maybe skip a Bill Changer & just give out highest denomination coins available via a profit making ATM. Program the totally reliable Aussie MicroCoin QL for the higher value coin or coins acceptance.

Yes ... I am serious ... based on actual experience! Not all my fellow USA self serve car wash operators agree with me ... but if your customers are happy & you have sustainable income with fewest possible breakdowns ... that is what matters the most IMHO!

Mike

 

[JGinther]

Mjwalsh, No offense... But an FYI... If I were a customer, I would have left your car wash without credit card acceptance. I use cards because the transactions are downloadable and then able to be categorized for accounting and business purposes - which washing a car is for many people. On top of that, I have never used an ATM in my life... 1. They are 'profit making', 2. I have a car wash...

 

[Eric H]

.... but since it appears you are from Winchester, England ...

I'm going to guess Winchester, Massachusetts, and if I'm correct you have equipment installed by my mentor Bob Hughes.

Unfortunately, both Bob and Monorail are long gone. I did have some of the Monorail MDC timers (thats what you have) and some digital displays but I sent them to someone on this forum almost exactly a year ago. I just sent them a message asking if he has any usable parts left.
In any case you'd be smart to replace the meter boxes, as others have suggested.
PM me if I can help you in any way.
Good Luck

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I agree that those boxes are dinosaurs, but some of you guys act like replacing them is as easy as spinning off a wing nut and plugging in a new box. Replacing bay boxes is usually a biga$$ deal. Help the guy get things lined out first so he can replace them when it works best for him.

 

[MEP001]

Does anyone have knowledge and/or images of these boxes? Would it be feasible to make a replacement door for it instead of replacing the whole box?

 

[OurTown]

Is this one of those systems that has just a few wires communicating back and forth? If so converting to a normal system would require pulling a new larger wire bundle. It might be easy at some washes but others not so much.

 

[Drepiv4]

Thanks to everyone. I am from Winchester, VA. Car Wash is in Stephens City, VA. I have attached two pictures. If anyone can assist me with info or details on the DIP switches so we can make sure we have the correct settings for $3 for 4 minutes in the Self Serve Wash Bays. Right now when a customer drops in $3 the bay display drops all the time after last quarter is inserted.

 

[Drepiv4]

I'm going to guess Winchester, Massachusetts, and if I'm correct you have equipment installed by my mentor Bob Hughes.

Unfortunately, both Bob and Monorail are long gone. I did have some of the Monorail MDC timers (thats what you have) and some digital displays but I sent them to someone on this forum almost exactly a year ago. I just sent them a message asking if he has any usable parts left.
In any case you'd be smart to replace the meter boxes, as others have suggested.
PM me if I can help you in any way.
Good Luck

Thanks for looking into the parts. Appreciate your assistance.

 

[MEP001]

Thanks to everyone. I am from Winchester, VA. Car Wash is in Stephens City, VA. I have attached two pictures. If anyone can assist me with info or details on the DIP switches so we can make sure we have the correct settings for $3 for 4 minutes in the Self Serve Wash Bays. Right now when a customer drops in $3 the bay display drops all the time after last quarter is inserted.

Just taking a guess at things, the upper set of DIP switches (if they're binary) would be 248, pretty close to 4 minutes, so that's probably your time to start. The lower one would come to 32 which matches neither start amount nor time. They might select which functions are high pressure. I see some jumpers to the left, maybe that's the start amount.

IMO your best bet is going to be a rewire and new timers. It sounds like you already have one bad that can't be repaired.

Some pictures of the meter box (inside and out) would be helpful.

 

[Randy]

It's been a longtime since I even thought about the Monorail coin boxes much less seen one that was still in use.Do you have the round face plate on the front of your coin boxes? I know the "R2D2" vacuums that had had a round coin face plate. We bought some years ago, I think from Dixmor that had a cut out for a Dixmor timer and a short drop Slugbuster 2 coin acceptor. It took some doing but we got them installed.

 

[JGinther]

If the timer is shutting off after minimum is met, the problem could be a shorted output. Some electronics will self protect and reboot. I don't know monorail bays, only their vacs. But I would disconnect the timed load wire or put the selection to 'off' in the bay and see if the timer still 'reboots'.
Are you trying to get a closed down wash running again? If that's the goal, I would find a good car wash guy and upgrade like every single other person advised. Can you get one or 2 bays going at any price so you are open while upgrading the others???

 

[Eric H]

Took me a couple of days to track down the original 8 page retrofit manual.
If you PM me your address I’ll drop a hard copy in the mail.

 

[MEP001]

Very odd, so the second set of DIP switches is binary but it's nickels instead of coin pulses.