Stealing time with magnets

[jimbeaux]

I know I read a thread regarding people stealing time by rubbing a magnet across the face plate but after searching I cannot find it. I found out today it is happening at one of our carwashes. Does anyone know of a search term that will work or have a comment on this. All help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[MEP001]

What bay timers and acceptors do you have?

I don't recall a thread about stealing time with a magnet, but there was talk about using a powerful CB radio to trigger coin pulses.

 

[Champion]

try this

http://forum.autocareforum.net/showthread.php?t=846&highlight=magnets

 

[Ghetto Wash]

I assume you have Sensortron acceptors. Send them back to Ginsan and they will convert them to acceptors that won't work with magnets. I don't remember the particulars but they either convert the DC signal to AC within the acceptor itself or AC to DC. They will do it for about $30 each. I did it and it stopped the problem cold. I don't know if Ginsan is still around and can do it though.

I still have a large magnet in my truck that I confiscated and the cops let me keep. The standard Sensortrons are tricked very easily with it.

 

[Randy]

This has gone on for years with the Gin-san Sensortron coin acceptors!! Do you have scratches on the face of your coin boxes? About the only thing you can do to effectively stop it is replace the coin acceptors. Which coin acceptors do you have now?

 

[jimbeaux]

I'm using the IDX MA800 coin acceptors. I had a guy at the tire store call me aside to tell me he witnessed it happening. I asked him 2 questions; did it give the guy free time, and did he get a license number. YES it worked for the time & he could only give me the color of the car. I do have cameras but that particular bay is not working. It will be this week! Thanks for all the responses & help.

 

[Randy]

I'll have to give this a try in the morning. Have you tried it yourself? What kind of timer are you using?

 

[Ghetto Wash]

I'll have to give this a try in the morning. Have you tried it yourself? What kind of timer are you using?

Are you asking me?

I have done it many times at my washes and those of operators in my area. You would be surprises at how many washes I pass that I can turn on. BTW, I don't touch the door, just get close so I don't leave scratches. The magnet I use is larger than a normal speaker magnet.

I have done it with Keltner timers in the equipment rooms, IDX timers in the meter door, Dixmore timers in the meter doors, Ginsan timers in the equipment room, and possibly others. Never been able to turn on a Fragramatics vac even though they use a Sensortron.

I don't think it matters what or where the timer is, the magnet tricks the coin accepter into sending a pulse just like it accepted a coin.

I have done it with my IDX 800 accepters as well as Sensortron.

I first tried Bill's suggestion of a magnetic switch on the coin acceptor and/or timer to turn it off if a magnet is near, but had no luck with it.

Bottom line, change or upgrade your accepters.

 

[pitzerwm]

Getto, I'm curious why you think my idea didn't work. I've never actually needed to do it, but in theory it should work. My thought was that if the magnet opens the circuit to the timer input, no pulses would make it, or you could put it on the "reset" input.

 

[Ghetto Wash]

Getto, I'm curious why you think my idea didn't work. I've never actually needed to do it, but in theory it should work. My thought was that if the magnet opens the circuit to the timer input, no pulses would make it, or you could put it on the "reset" input.

I thought it should work also, thats why I spent many hours trying it. Different switches, different wires (coin acceptor power, coin acceptor common, coin acceptor coin switch, timer power, timer common), different placement of the mag switch. Just could never get it to work. Was always able to turn it on with the magnet.

 

[Kevin Reilly]

We had MA-800's years back when we went to 3 coins and for accountability we used ginsan's gs-255 with a digital counter and a non-reset counter to verify coins in the box. The only shortage problem we had was occasionally the coin that allows the coin to drop into the box after pulsing the timer and it would return the coin (or token) to the customer. One empty-out we showed over 900 pulses (coins) should have been in the box and there was about 15 bucks. The quick-fix problem was to put a washer between the body of the acceptor where it was mounted, or to bend the saw-tooth plate out a little bit so the coin would drop because the sawtooth portion wasn't opening wide enough for the coin to drop through.

The other problem we had was losing its programming and we would have to move the programming button to another position. The magnet problem never showed its ugly face in our area but we still have a lot of MA-800's we pulled out that are surplus and will try the magnet. Eventually we moved everything to SB-3's with the EZ open and they have been fine. We still have dual counts on everything (non-resettable counters and use Dixmor's 2002 digital display timers). Works for us.

 

[Keith Baker]

I have a simalar problem with Slugbuster III

Can Slugbuster III's be cheated any way? I have one bay that the non-resettable counter showed about $1100. more in pulses than there was money last month. I changed counters with the next bay over to see if the counter was stuttering or jumping ahead somehow.
I've been checking both bays for count against money every time I collect and this morning the same bay had over $500. racked up on the counter that didn't have money to go with it. That leads me to suspect the coin acceptor.
The counter and the GS255 timer are in the equipment room. There's no cameras at the wash.
I'll call Parker tomorrow or Tuesday and see if they have any advice. I'm not sure if this is equipment malfunctioning or somene helping themselves to free washes in just one bay.
Any ideas?

 

[Ghetto Wash]

I havn't been able to trick a Slugbuster with magnet.

 

[jimbeaux]

Have an update on the MA800 IDX coin acceptors. Checked with Mike @ IDX & he advised me that the relay on the personality plug (the board with the connection wires) should have a silver relay as opposed to a black relay. The silver relay replaced the black one years ago when this problem was discovered. I have some of each. I could not get the silver relay acceptors to work with the magnet. Looks like a easy & relative cheap fix.
Again, thanks for all the help.

 

[texasbear]

magnets

I see now that there are many posts on this subject. I still do not see the solution. One person says install door alarm breaks and then another says that it doesn't work. Another says that Ginsan sells an add on feature that another says does not work. I have over 80 coin drops in my business. It would be very expensive to just junk them but I have not even read where anybody knows one that does not get tricked. Catching the person is great but he has told twenty and they have each told twenty. I have not seen a post on this for a year. Is there a cure. j

 

[Randy]

I think the best thing you can do would to call Dan Kamsickas at GinSan Industries on Tuesday morning. He can be reached at 1-800-446-7267 or e-mail him at dkamsickas@ginsan.com

 

[Kevin James]

Has this problem been resolved? Or is it on going?

 

[Gabriel]

That is what I would like to know also. Are there any other coin acceptors getting manipulated into free time? I had rather buy the cure than wash free for thieves. Problems like this tend to get spread around among the wrong people and you can become a target attracting the wrong clientele.

 

[pitzerwm]

You put a normally open magnetic reed switch from reset to ground and the minute they put a magnet up to it, it keeps resetting. Or a normally closed to another terminal and it will do the same thing.