Coin and bill acceptor care

Coin and bill acceptors are mechanical devices that handle money in often-dusty venues. They're surprisingly reliable but they do need occasional attention. This article covers routine care.

Who this is for: Operators with payment hardware on their booth.

How often to clean

  • Heavy (event venue). Once a month
  • Medium (steady). Every 2-3 months
  • Light. Twice a year
  • After a jam. Immediately, before the next customer

Common problems

Coin acceptor jams

A coin gets stuck inside the acceptor and either blocks the slot or causes the device to ignore further coins.

Symptoms:

  • Customer says the coin slot is blocked
  • Coins don't register even though customer is inserting them
  • Acceptor reports an error in the PCB diagnostics

Fix:

  1. Take the booth out of customer service (Free Play mode).
  2. Locate the coin acceptor's service door (often a hinged panel near the coin slot).
  3. Open it carefully.
  4. Look for a stuck coin and remove it gently.
  5. Close the door.
  6. Test by inserting a coin and watching the credit balance update.

If you can't see or reach the jammed coin, contact support. Don't force anything.

Bill acceptor jams

A bill gets stuck inside the acceptor partway. Worst case, the customer's bill is partially eaten.

Symptoms:

  • Bill slot won't accept new bills
  • A bill is visible sticking out of the slot
  • Bill acceptor reports an error

Fix:

  1. Take the booth out of customer service.
  2. Locate the bill acceptor's service door.
  3. Open it. Many bill acceptors have a release button or lever to free a stuck bill.
  4. Carefully pull out the stuck bill.
  5. Inspect the bill. If it's the customer's, return it to them. If it's been damaged, you may need to compensate.
  6. Close the service door.
  7. Test by inserting a fresh bill.

If the bill acceptor jams repeatedly, the internals may need cleaning or service. Contact support.

Coin acceptor rejects every coin

The acceptor isn't actually broken. It might be:

  • Calibrated for the wrong currency. Acceptors are programmed for a specific currency. If your venue suddenly has international visitors with foreign coins, those will be rejected.
  • Dirty optical sensors inside. Dust on the optical sensors confuses the acceptor's coin recognition.
  • Mechanical wear. Old acceptors lose calibration over time.

Fix:

  1. Try several clean local-currency coins. If they're all rejected, the acceptor needs service.
  2. If only some coins are rejected, the acceptor is being picky. Clean it (next section) and recalibrate if you have access to the calibration controls.
  3. Persistent rejection = contact support.

Cleaning routine

Coin acceptor

  1. Take the booth out of service.
  2. Open the coin acceptor's service door.
  3. Inside you'll see the coin path. A series of channels and rollers.
  4. Use a soft brush or dry compressed air to remove dust from the channels.
  5. Wipe the optical sensors (small lens-like windows) with a dry microfiber cloth.
  6. Don't use liquid cleaners unless the manufacturer's manual says it's OK.
  7. Close the service door.
  8. Test with several coins.

Bill acceptor

  1. Take the booth out of service.
  2. Open the bill acceptor's service door.
  3. The bill path will have rollers and possibly a vertical sensor strip.
  4. Use dry compressed air to clear dust.
  5. Wipe the rollers with a slightly damp microfiber cloth (not soaking).
  6. Wipe the sensor strip with a dry microfiber cloth.
  7. Close the service door.
  8. Test with several bills.

What NOT to do

  • Don't use water to clean either device. It can short electronics
  • Don't spray cleaner directly on any component
  • Don't force a stuck coin or bill. You'll damage the rollers
  • Don't stick metal objects into the slots to dislodge things
  • Don't open the device internals beyond the service door
  • Don't rewire or modify the acceptor

Programming and calibration

Most coin and bill acceptors have a programming mode for accepting specific denominations. This is manufacturer-specific and is usually set up at the factory to match your local currency.

If you need to add new denominations (e.g. you're moving from a country with $1 coins to one with $1 bills), contact support for instructions.

Cash collection

Whoever is responsible for cash collection should:

  1. Open the cash box (separate from the acceptor itself, usually a locked compartment inside the kiosk).
  2. Take the cash.
  3. Compare against the Sales tab revenue for the period. The cash should match within rounding (allowing for any manual credit adds you did during the period).
  4. Reset the cash box.

The acceptor itself doesn't store the money. It routes accepted coins/bills into a dedicated cash box behind it. The booth's audit trail (Sales tab + Credits tab history) is the source of truth for revenue.

Verify it worked

The payment device is healthy when:

  • The PCB pill in admin is green
  • Coins / bills are accepted reliably (no random rejections)
  • A test customer session in Coin Operated mode credits correctly
  • The device hasn't jammed in your last few sessions

When to call support

  • The acceptor jams repeatedly even after cleaning
  • The acceptor rejects local-currency coins consistently
  • The acceptor has visible damage
  • You need to recalibrate or change accepted denominations
  • The cash box lock is broken

Next steps

  • Payment not registering (coming soon). When the device isn't working.
  • Diagnostics tab. Where you check PCB status.