Alliance - Serial Controls (Non-touch controls)

This article covers installation and troubleshooting of readers installed on Alliance equipment (Speed-Queen, Huebsch).

The content covers MDC, Quantum/Centurion, ACA, Titanium control class (see the MDC vs ACA control section at the bottom for more details).

Sample machine photos

    

This article is NOT for Quantum/Midas Touch models (Alliance machines equipped with a touch screen)
See our: Alliance: Quantum/Midas Touch article for installation instructions for these models

Required parts

1. Card Reader Kit (CR-10-xxx-00 for Serial Control machines, or CR-10-xxx-12 for Pulse control machines (usually MDC dryers) - these will have Generic Serial (part #: ASSY-02-02-10) card reader boards installed:
   
   
   
2. Card Reader Wiring harness
   ACA/Titanium model machines use Part #: 02-06-32C (which is part #: 02-06-31 with Part #: 02-06-85 pre-attached):
   
   
   MDC model machines use Part #: 02-06-30:
   
   
   
3. Jumper Wire/Connector (generally used for MDC WASHER models only):
   
   
   
4. Card Reader Mounting hardware (heavily dependent on machine model)
   
   

Installation Steps

Step 1: Turn Machine Power Off

Step 2: Remove Coin Drop (for Card Only installs)

Skip this step if the machine is "card-ready", or if this is a new coin-op machine without a coin drop installed.

Remove the coin-drop, and for small-chassis machines, also remove the coin-boxes.
For larger machines, it's recommended to leave the coin-boxes in places to avoid leaving a big hole.

The Card Reader's will mount to the section where the coin-drop has been removed/is normally installed.

Step 3: Number the Card Reader using the reader's DIP switches

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 installing the Card Readers onto the machines, as accessing the back of the card reader is required.

Step 4: Enable serial communication mode on washer/dryer

Enabling serial communication mode is done differently depending on the type of control inside the washer or dryer. 

Below is a table showing the different types on control:

Control Board Type Inside Machine	How to set Washer/Dryer to Serial Mode
MDC/Centurion (older models) These Control Boards will have a spot for a serial jumper to be installed:	Install Jumper (only for Washers if this is a laundromat) Note: If this is a Hybrid (Coin + Card) Install: Do NOT install the Jumper on Washers OR Dryers Hybrid installs require Pulse communication to allow the coin drop functionality to be unaffected
ACA These Control Boards will have 8 Dip Switches on the Control Board itself:	Set the Machine's DIP Switch #3 to the ON position (for Washers and Dryers)
Titanium (aka Quantum Gold Pro small chassis). This is a variant of ACA, and the Control Boards typically look like this:	Serial Communication mode is set through the machine's programming menu, NOT on the control board itself. Inside machine's menu, enable both CArd and CArdEn. (Washers and Dryers) There's no DIP switch used to set serial communication on these control boards.
Quantum/Midas Touch These models will have a Touch Screen equipped, and DO NOT follow these instructions	Serial Communication is set through the machine's programming menu. Follow our: Alliance: Quantum/Midas Touch installation article for these machines

NOTE for MDC DRYERS in Laundromats!!

If this is a laundromat installation (vs apartment laundry room install), readers intended for dryers are usually pre-configured to use Pulse communication and NOT serial communication.

In this case, all MDC Dryers should NOT be set to serial communication mode (do NOT install the Jumper).

Readers configured for Pulse mode will have the words "Pulse mode" in the packaging description. They will also have a suffix "-12" in the part number, e.g. CR-10-150-12.

Ensure you understand the types of readers you have. If you install readers, that are in Pulse mode, onto washers (which you configured for serial communication), things will not work!

Note for Dryers using Hybrid Coin+Card Payments
If you're installed a reader for Hybrid payments, and it's an MDC control machine (Washer OR Dryers);

the reader you receive will be set for PULSE communication, so do NOT installed the jumper on these machines
You want all MDC machines set for PULSE communication so that both the card reader and coin drop will work

MDC/Centurion Control Boards

For setting MDC/Centurion control board to Serial Communication mode

insert the provided Jumper on the machine's control board, and then power cycle the machine.

Below are a few examples of where this jumper header is location on various MDC control board configurations:

    

MDC or Centurion board - Enabling Serial communication using a jumper

ACA Control Boards

For machines with ACA controls,
locate the DIP switches on the machine's control board (this is NOT the reader's dip switches):

 - Set Dip Switch #3 to ON

Do NOT adjust any of the other 7 machine DIP switches for Card Reader installation purposes.
All other machine Dip Switches should be left in their current configuration (unless you are adjusting them for other reasons).
Only Dip Switch #3 is related to the card reader's serial communication; we do not have any documentation on what the other Dip switches are for.

Below are a few examples of the machine's Dip Switch position on various ACA control boards:

    
ACA control board - Enabling Serial communication using DIP switch #3

Titanium/Quantum Gold Pro Control Boards

For new Alliance Quantum Gold Pro machines, with Titanium controls, there's no jumper header or DIP switches used to set serial communication mode.
On these machines, you'll need to set the machine to Card Mode, using the machine's programming menus.

Below are a few examples of these types of control boards:
    

Instructions from the Alliance Titanium Manual showing how to enable the "CArd" and "CArdEn" settings:

After enabling the above 2 settings, it usually takes about a minute before the machine starts communicating with the card reader.

If it's still not communicating after waiting 2 minutes, power cycle the machine.

If you're working on a Quantum Gold/Titanium control machine, and you do NOT have the 2 settings listed above;

it's possible this machine uses a control board more similar to an ACA control board.

This will mean that there should be Dip Switches on the machine's control board.

If this is the case, you'll following the notes in this article for ACA boards, and turn on Dip Switch #3 on the machine's control board, to put it into serial communication mode.

Then just power cycle the machine (leave off for 30 seconds); turn the machine back ON and it should now be in serial communication mode.

Note: Power Cycle the Machine after putting it into serial communication mode
regardless of the type of control your machine is using, once you've set the machine to serial communication mode, it's usually necessary to power cycle the machine before it switches to using serial communication mode. When power cycling, leave the machine powered OFF for a good 30 seconds.

Step 5: Connect signal connector

Connect the signal connector to the 7-pin header on the control board.

For MDC, Quantum, or ACA controls, the 7-pin header is found on the machine's control 

For Titanium controls, Alliance uses a separate I/O board 

Step 6: Connect the Card Reader's Power connector

There are two options.

Option 1: 12Vdc connector (for ACA models only)

Note that your cable must have the small extension/adaptor connected in order to use this 12Vdc connector.

There may already be a connector plugged in here, this is usually to power a digital coin drop.

If there is something plugged in here, it can be unplugged, and the harnesses extension cable can be connected in it's place:

 

Option 2: 24Vac transformer

There should be a 24Vac transformer inside the machine with 2-pin plug.
Connect it to the mating 2-pin connector on the harness. The 2-pin plug is different between MDC and ACA models. 

ACA model connection

  
MDC model connection

Step 7: Mount the reader

For Coin-operated machines (Card only install):

Remove the coin-drop and mount in its place. Use the provided washers/nuts (or mounting bolt) to secure the reader in place. The coin-box can stay in place.  No drilling is required.

For Hybrid (Coin + Card) install:

Drill holes on the front panel and mount the reader on the front panel (for small-chassis rear-control machines the reader mounts on top of the meter case)

Step 8: Activate the reader

Power On the machine. The reader display should say "Not Activated".

Place this specific location's Activation Card on the card reader for a few seconds to activate it to the location.

Note: you MUST use the Activation card for THIS SPECIFIC LOCATION,
or else the card reader will not appear on the Laundro Portal for this location

This will activate the reader and programs the reader with the location's specific Support and Location IDs.

The Card Reader should automatically connect to VAC01's wireless networked and should be visible on the Laundro Portal where you can configure vend prices:

Once a Serial Communication card reader is activated, it will take over machine prices.

In these cases, especially on Washers, you'll normally notice the machine's price change to a default price of $2, or $4.

This is a good sign that the Card Reader is communicating with the machine correctly, and prices can be corrected via the Laundro Portal directly.

     

Setting Card Reader/Machine Vend Prices

Pricing is controlled by the Card Reader and is configured through the Laundro Portal.

Dryer Pricing

For more details on setting vend pricing, review the Alliance section from our: Configuring Card Reader/Machine Vend Prices

Notes about Pulse vs Serial communication:

1. For Dryers in Pulse Mode
   you need to set both the time and price on both the reader and the machine separately
   
   
2. For Dryers in Serial mode,
   you just need to set the full-cycle dry time on the machine directly.
   The cycle pricing and the top-off time can be set on the reader via the Laundro Portal
   

Washer Pricing

You can configure up to nine base cycle prices (from combination of Temperature and Cycle settings) and up to two Modifier prices, which are extra adders to the base cycle amount, typically from $0.25 to $1.00. 

Below are some examples of buttons as they relate to the price settings on the web Portal.  The base cycles are inside the  red  rectangle while the modifier section is inside the  green  rectangle. 

Huebsch Galaxy control:

Speed-Queen control:

In this the "Light" Modifier button has no corresponding setting in the Portal. It is assumed to be $0, which effectively means that there's no Modifier enabled.

Troubleshooting

Below are problems commonly encountered during installation of readers on Alliance serial machines. For more general reader troubleshooting, see  Reader Support

The most common issue installers face during installation is related to the serial or pulse communication with the machine. The reader and the machine need to be using the SAME communication scheme; if machine is set to serial, the reader should be using serial; if the machine 

Machine (Washer/Dryer) display	Reader display	Explanation and what to do
Machine looks normal -  displays price and/or time.	Shows No Comm with Machine	Machine and reader are out of sync - t he machine is set to Pulse but reader is trying to use Serial. In most cases it is better to use serial. Enable Serial communication on the machine. NOTE: In ACA controls, ensure ensure you have fully clicked-in the DIP switch#3 into position on the machine. From experience, these switches can be stubborn. Switch #3 may appear to be ON but is actually not! Also, you may need to power off the machine for a couple of minutes after changing the DIP switch! The only exception is when you have a dryer with  MDC control in a Laundromat setting. In this case, it is more convenient to use Pulse. So change the Control Type on the reader to setting 12 (Coin Dryer).
Washer/Dryer showing EC19	Reader looks normal - shows Place Card Above	EC19 means the machine is configured for serial communication mode, but there's no communication with the reader. Machine and reader are out of sync - t he machine is set to Serial but reader is trying to use Pulse In most cases it is better to use Serial.  Change the reader Control Type to setting 00 (Alliance serial). The only exception is when you have a dryer with  MDC control in a Laundromat setting. In this case, it is more convenient to use Pulse. So change DISABLE serial communications on the dryer
Washer/Dryer showing EC19	Shows  No Comm with Machine	The machine and reader are both trying to use serial communication but are unable to establish communications. It's possible there could be a problem with hardware or a cable harness. Do a reader swap with a working set to see if the problem follows the reader or stays with the machine.

Other potential issues...

Issue	Explanation and resolution
Reader display " Unknown State" or "Machine Error"	This usually means there's some issue with the machine. Check the machine's display for any error codes.
Dryer adding incorrect amount of time	For dryers in Pulse Mode, this is set on, and completely controlled by, the machine For dryers in Serial Mode, the initial time that is added when the dryer first starts (the full cycle) is set on, and completely controlled by, the machine. This is NOT the "Top-off" time parameter that is controlled by the reader. So if a machine initially starts with an undesired amount of dry time, you need to change this setting on the machine directly.
Prices not changing on machine	If the prices configured for the reader using the Portal are not reflecting on the actual reader or machine, check the serial number of the machine. If it starts with 2001, 2002, or 2003 (as shown below), then these models DO NOT ALLOW the reader to control the pricing (Alliance disabled this during production models in Q1 2020); you'll need to configure pricing directly on the washer/dryer.

MDC vs ACA control

Older Alliance equipment uses MDC/Quantum control board. Newer equipment uses the ACA control board. Our reader is universal and supports both controls. The only differences are in the cable harness and in the method of setting the machine to serial communication mode. You can easily identify ACA controls easily because are housed inside a black plastic enclosure like this (can differ in size):

The pin-outs on the cable harness is the same but the connector form-factor is slightly different:

• Related Articles

• Alliance: Quantum/Galaxy Touch

  This installation note covers Alliance's touch washers and dryers (Quantum Touch for Speed-Queen, Galaxy Touch for Huebsch). The reader uses serial communication with these machines. Currently, vend price configuration is done through the machine's ...

• Emerald Controls

  This article covers installation of readers on Wascomat washers with Emerald controls (like E620 SU655E). The readers use pulse control Required parts Reader (model CR-11-118-04. The board inside the reader must be "Generic Relay") Cable harness 12V ...

• Maytag: Gen2 Serial

  Maytag Gen2 machines are those with "PR" or "PD" in the model number, such as MDE22PRBZW or MFR80PD. The known exceptions are MLG3xPD and MLG4xPD stack dryers, which use Gen1 (non serial) controls. Primus washers also use Gen2 serial controls. ...

• Alliance: EDC and DX4 Dryers

  This installation covers Alliance dryers with EDC or DX4 controls. These are older, pulse-based dryers. Common model numbers include JT0300, ST0300, HTT30NEC. Parts Reader (with Generic Relay board) Cable harness 12V power supply (for DX4 and EDC ...

• Dexter X-Series (Touch control) - washers and dryers

  This article covers installation of readers on Dexter X-series (Touch controls) washers and dryers. The readers use serial communication and supports advanced features like multi-vend pricing, full-cycle dryer pricing, status reporting an more. ...