Replacing the Card Dispenser's RFID Reader Board

Replacing the Card Dispenser's RFID Reader Board


Step 1:
Power off the VAC


Step 2:
Locate the Reader board for the Card Dispenser.
If you have a back access door VAC, your reader can be seen behind the card Dispenser stacker as shown below:




Step 3:
Remove the 5 Pin Connector from the Board:




Step 4:
Remove the board by unscrewing the nuts securing it to the white plastic card dispenser mount (orange box in picture below).
There is nothing underneath the white plastic mount that holds the bolts in place, so once the nuts are removed, the bolts will fall to the bottom of the VAC cabinet.
Before completely removing a nut, use a finger to hold the bolt in place so it doesn't fall.
To make it easier to fit you fingers underneath, you can loosen one of the screws (red boxes below) that holds the plastic mount to the card dispenser, and then completely remove the other mounting screw, so that you can lift up the plastic mount to easily fit your fingers underneath it:




Step 5: 
Secure the new board to the Card dispenser by fastening the 2 nuts and bolts from step 4.
Then re-connect the 5 Pin connector, from step 3, to the new board.

In some cases, it may be necessary to drill new holes into the white plastic mounting plate, as new NFC/RFID card readers may have their mounting holes positioned in a slightly different orientation.
Drill the new holes, into the plastic mount, so that the new RFID board sits in the same position that the old RFID board was previously mounted in.
You'll want to make sure the antenna area of the new RFID board is centered over the area that the cards travel through, on their way out of the dispenser.




Depending on the card dispenser model installed in your VAC, the final mounting position of the card reader board should look like one of the pictures below:




Step 6:
Turn on the VAC and wait for it to completely reboot back to the main home/idle screen.
When an NFC/RFID card reader is initially connected to power, it's green LED light will flash twice quickly.

To test the card reader, once the VAC is fully booted back up, place a working laundry card on top of the card reader from the inside of the VAC.
You will know the NFC card reader is working because you will see the Green LED light on the board come ON, as shown below, and if the card is left there for an extended period of time, the VAC kiosk may also start beeping:




If you do not see the green LED light come on, when a working laundry card is placed near the card reader, check the connection of the 5Pin connector to make sure it's secure, and follow that harness back to the VAC control board to make sure that it is secured on the control board side as well.
The harness should be plugged into the connector labeled #5 in the picture below:


If both connections look secure, try unplugging the 5PIN connector harness (on the VAC control board side, or from the card reader directly), and then plugging it back in and check to see if the green LED light flashes twice once the connector is plugged back in. (this light will flash twice very quickly, and then turn off, as soon as power is connected)

If you do see the green LED come on, when a laundry card is place on top of it, this board is working and you can test out the card dispenser by dispensing a card from the VAC.

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