• Card Reader Kit (Kit Part #: CR-02-xxx-08)
  The board type MUST be a "Compass Serial" card reader board (Part #: ASSY-02-02-02):
  
  
  
• Reader Wiring Harness (Part #: 02-06-50):
  
  
  For Hybrid Coin+Card installations only,
  you will also receive a secondary Coin Drop Harness (Part #: 02-06-99):
  
  
  
  

1. Before proceeding, you should assign numbers to each of the machines in the laundry room/building. It is highly recommended that you place number labels on each washer and dryer machine.
   
   
2. Set the machine type and number using the DIP switch on the reader circuit board:
   
   
   See our: Reader DIP Switch settings article for detailed instructions on configuring DIP Switch positions for specific machine types (washers/dryers) and reader numbers.
   This must be done prior to installing the readers on the machines
   
   
3. Turn machine power OFF!
   
   
4. Remove the coin drop if present (For Card Only Installs)
   
   
5. Connect the reader's wiring harness to the RS-232 connector on the machine's control
   

   

   IMPORTANT: the orientation of the connector MUST be correct;
   note that orientation is different between Compass and Compass Pro controls

First generation Compass:



Compass Pro and Clarus Vibe

Important Note for Clarus Vibe touch screen washers;
on current installations (March 2025 newer), unless you have been given specific instructions that the Laundroworks Card Reader has been load with special firmware, you must:
 - set the machine's Card Reader Installed setting set to DISABLED (ironically)
 - and set the machine's Coin Value setting set to "0.00" in the washer settings menu:


You will also want to ensure that the firmware version of the Washer itself, has been upgraded to version 9 or higher
This will ensure that our card reader is able to communicate with the machine's control board directly.

On the Laundroworks Card Reader side of things, the card reader itself must be running a firmware version higher than 5.048:


If you're card reader is running 5.048 or below, contact our support team in order to get it updated to a newer firmware version.

For Hybrid Coin + Card Installations;
you will also need to connect the card reader's 3-wire Coin Drop harness to the coin drop directly.
Review the Hybrid Coin+Card Installation (Coin Signal Connection) section below for the specifics on this connection.

7. Activate reader, using the activation card for this specific store location.

Hybrid Coin+Card Installation (Coin Signal Connection)

Setting Vend Prices

Set vend prices via the Laundro Portal directly.

See our Configuring Vend Prices article for more detailed instructions.

The Vend price settings available on the Laundro Portal will look like this:


The Laundro Portal receives information on the Program#s from the machine, not the names of the actual cycle option being used by that Program#.

If you need to determine which Program# corresponds to a specific base cycle option, it is recommend to use 1 machine as a tester, and change all program #s to a different price (e.g. Program1 = $1, Program2 = $2, Program3 = $3, Program12 = $12, etc.);

then cycle through each program on the machine directly to determine which Program# corresponds to a specific cycle option.
It is often the case that not all programs are being use by the machine; if that's the case, you only need to program the actual program #s being used (though there is no harm in setting a price for a Program# that is not in use, and is generally recommend incase you do end up adding a program down the line).

All of the Add-on cycle options, if enabled on the machine itself, will simply add to the base cycle price of the initial program that's selected.

Troubleshooting

Below are problems commonly encountered during installation of readers on C-series Dexter machines. For more general reader troubleshooting, see  Reader Support Process

Issue	Explanation and resolution
Washer says "START NOT ALLOWED" when attempting to start the washer	The laundry card must be placed on the card reader when you press the START knob.
Unable to change cycle after starting (regret)	Regret is a concept on compass control washers that allows customers to change a cycle shortly after starting the machine (e.g. go from Hot to Cold). This reader's firmware must be V4.193 or greater to allow cycle price changes after payment has been made. If you need this functionality, contact Laundroworks support and request a firmware update (older readers might not be remotely updatable)