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Xeptor Tech Support Center |
Edge & Center
Metal Measurement
 The
unique small inductive sensor of IDX Xeptors (only 0.3" in diameter)
allow them to separately measure both the edge and center alloys of
the coin. This is not possible with the large inductive sensor coils
found in most competitive products. This is an important security
feature and reliability feature that should not be lightly discarded.
Governments, carwashes and casinos have gone out of their way to
produce bi-metal coins and tokens for added visual security from
counterfeits. However, where the security is needed most is in the
unattended carwash, slot machine or vending machines where
counterfeiters can work unnoticed. Having a separate signature of the
edge and center metal alloys prevents counterfeiters from making slugs
of some alloy which reads the same as the single reading from less
sophisticated coin acceptors. Additionally, most mints have problems
bonding the outer and inner metal parts together in a repeatable
manner, which causes the metal reading to vary somewhat when sensor
coils take their reading over this metal seam, as do the less
sophisticated coin acceptors with large sense coils. IDX Xeptors avoid
the metal seam by taking measurements on the edge and center. Avoiding
taking readings on the seam provides for tighter discrimination
windows because there is inherently less variation in reading from
coin to coin.
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Optical
Diameter Measurement
 The
right hand side quarter has had about 0.040" shaved off its diameter
in order to trick the machine into ejecting coins form the hopper
without counting them. Most casinos have fallen victim to this scheme
for emptying the slot's hopper without know it was happening. The
change in coin diameter is small enough to escape casual visual
detection. Inductive comparison type coin acceptors cannot distinguish
such slight coin diameter changes and can be tricked into accepting
shaved coins by "slamming" them. Shaved coins go in for credit and
come out free.The best way to stop this is to
prevent shaved coins from entering your machines in the first place.
IDX Xeptors have advanced diameter detection optics that precisely
measure the diameter of each coin, typically to within +/- 0.005". In
order to accept the coin, it must fall within a +/- 0.015" window of
the average diameter of the sample set of coins used in the training
session to learn this coin type. The result is that if George or any
other of your tokens gets a shave, IDX Xeptors will cleanly and
reliably reject them, thus preventing your profits from being shaved
as well.
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X-Mark
Code Reading
 A
fist full of lead slugs is neither a welcome sight for honest
customers nor for a carwash or casino management. In spite of the well
known nearly identical inductive alloy signature between common lead
and nickel-silver alloy tokens, many carwash and casino properties
continue to use this alloy (see upper left token) leaving their
machines open to garage-shop counterfeiters who produced lead slugs as
pictured in the right hand column and found in the hoppers of slot
machines throughout the industry.
X-Mark tokens have a machine readable
optical mark minted into the surface of the token in a circular band
near its periphery. The reflective requirements and angular geometry
of the X-Mark tokens prevents them from being easily duplicated in a
garage-shop by pressing a real X-Mark token into soft metal, pouring
lead into crude molds, or by cutting surface grooves with a lathe.
Over 250,000,000 X-Mark tokens have been sold based on its proven
ability to eliminate troublesome slugging and the back-room costs of
separating tokens when crossplay
between tokens is not prevented.
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Bad-Coin-Count Self Defense
The Bad-Coin-Count Self Defense feature of
Xeptors provides a means to defend against slugs that are pretty good,
but not perfect. It works by keeping track of the acceptability of
recently deposited coins by maintaining a "BadCoinCout" which counts
up 2 for every rejected coin, and down 1 for every accepted coin. The
count is limited to values from 0 to 8. If the count ever reaches 8,
an internal flag is set to indicate that the Xeptor is possibly under
attack with slugs. This flag causes the operation of the Xeptor to be
changed in two ways. 1st, the tolerances are tightened a bit on all
sensed coin parameters in an attempt to better ward off a possible
slug attack while only slightly (if at all) affecting the acceptance
of good coins. 2nd, any time a coin is rejected when the flag is set,
the Xeptor will Self Inhibit for the time set by the TiltTime
parameter (see Serial
Port Protocol for setting this
parameter.) The idea is that if a slugger has a fist full of slugs,
and one is rejected, then for a few seconds (as he is inserting other
slugs) the Xeptor will self inhibit and reject all of the coins
inserted so that not even a good slug un the batch will be accepted.
Typically about 3 seconds (TiltTime = 9) is recommended for best
performance. By significantly reducing
the acceptance rate of slugs that are marginally pretty good, the
slugger is likely to get up and go to another venue to try his luck
with his slugs there. By the time he leaves, the Self Inhibit TiltTime
will have expired and the Xeptor will be ready to accept coins again.
When the BadCoinCount goes down to 0 after sufficient good coins have
been deposited, the flag is cleared and the defenses are brought back
down to normal. The algorithm of this counter allows the flag to be
set with 4 bad coins in a row, or alternatively, if the coins are
mixed good/bad, in order to not set the flag, on average, at least 2/3
of the coins must be accepted. See Tilt Timer for
more details.
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Tilt Timer, Tilt
Output, & Self Inhibit
The Tilt Timer and Self Inhibit functions
are activated by any of the following: 1.) slow or struck coin, 2.)
reverse direction coin, 3.) BadCoinCount Defense,
4.) high pressure water forced down the Xeptor, or 5.) other system
function problem. The purpose of this defense is to reject anything a
perpetrator does for a short period of time once he has triggered the
timer. In this way, if he once fails for an instant at doing his stunt
perfectly, the unit trip into Self Inhibit until the Tilt Time has
expired. For any activity detected during this period, the Tilt Timer
will be set back up to the full Tilt Time value so that continued
attempts are always rejected. The Tilt Time value is set using the P
command of the Serial Port Protocol.
Typically about 3 seconds (TiltTime = 9) is recommended for best
performance. By the time the perpetrator leaves, the Self Inhibit
TiltTime will have expired and the Xeptor will be ready to accept
coins again from an honest customer. Electrical specifications for the
Tilt Output can be found on the Personality Plug
page.
There are some special rules/features associated
with the Tilt Output that may impact your choice of setting depending
on the needs of the machine receiving the signal. These rules are as
follows.
| Tilt Time = Odd |
Tilt Output will pulse 6 times per second
for duration of Tilt Time. |
| Tilt Time = Even |
Tilt Output will remain on solid for
duration of Tilt Time. |
| No Credit Optics |
Tilt Output will comes on for BadCoinCount
Defense |
| Credit Optics Installed |
Tilt Output will not come on for
BadCoinCount Defense |
| Tilt Time > BF |
If the Tilt Output is triggered by a reverse or
slow coin, but not by BadCoinCount Defense the Tilt Output will
latch on until the power to the Xeptor is cycled. This is
available starting with version 3.0r firmware. |
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Diverter
Output
Xeptors can be manufactured with a diverter
output option which is controlled coin-by-coin- by the most
significant bit of the Option Byte for each coin. The default
configuration is for Coin Memory 1, 2, and 3, to have the Divert Bit
clear, and for Coin Memory 4, 5, and 6 to have the Divert Bit set. If
a deposited coin matches the profile of a Coin Memory with the Divert
Bit set, the diverter output will actuate according to the parameters
set with the P command (see Serial Protocol)
for the Diverter Delay and Pulse times. As shown in the example below,
these parameters are 10 and 50 respectively. Keep in mind that these
are hexadecimal numbers which are 16ms and 80ms in decimal
respectively. The timing starts at the same time the gate relay is
activated to accept the coin. In this case, the Xeptor will wait 16ms
after activating the accept gate relay before activating the diverter
output, and then will keep the diverter output activated for an
additional 80ms.
Xeptor 30 (d) ID#: 1F5E
Coin Memory: 01 02 03 04 05 06
Coin Pulses: 0D 01 00 01 00 00
Token Code: 00 00 00 03
00 00
E-Metal S: 26 24 00
24 00 00
E-Metal A: 2E 2C 00
2C 00 00
C-Metal A: 2E 2C 00
2C 00 00
Diameter: D9
DA 00 DC 00 00
Options:
01 01 00 81 00 00
Thresholds: 05 07 03 06
03 05 08 00
00
Tank Calib: 47
Tank Now: 47 51
Sys Config: 08
Tilt Time 1/3 sec: 09
Credit ms: 20
Divert Dly/Pls ms: 10 50
The diverter output is an optically isolated AC/DC
switch rated for a maximum of 400mA and 60V. The output is protected
from over voltage spikes with a 47V MOV. It is intended for operation
with 12V or 24V AC or DC devices. For example, it can be made to work
directly with the "hopper full diverter" found in slot machines to
always divert promotional tokens directly to the vault, or in carwash
applications the IDX MA19-R or MA19-DR faceplate mounting bracket has
a diverter option attachment for separating deposited coins and tokens
to two separate vaults.
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Credit Optics
Option
Xeptors can be manufactured with or without built in
Credit Optics. The Credit Optics are located just above and below the
gate relay rake. If they are installed, the holes in the frame just
above and below the gate relay rake will have reflective periscope
type optical elements installed in them which receive light from an
LED from across the coin chute, and bend the light around through the
plastic optics to send it back across the coin chute to a
phototransistor adjacent to the LED. If either light path in the coin
chute is blocked, the light fails to return to the phototransistor and
thus the coin presence is detected. When the Credit Optics are
installed and properly operating, the LED will be green when the
rotary switch is in position 8. (see Built In
Field Test) If one of them is blocked, the LED will be red. If the
Credit Optics are not installed, the LED will flash amber when the
rotary switch is in position 8 to signal that they have not been
detected by the processor. When the Credit
Optics are installed, the Credit Output Pulse will not be transmitted
unless the coin parameters sensed are correct and the coin has been
successfully tracked in sequence past the upper and lower Credit
Optics. If the coin has not completed the sequence within the expected
time frame, an error condition occurs, a Tilt Output is generated and
the Xeptor will self inhibit for the period time set by the Tilt Time
(see Tilt Timer) parameter with the P command. (see
Serial Protocol) If at any time the Credit Optics are
blocked out of sequence, such as for a coin on a string or Plexiglas
stick being pulled back up after acceptance, the Xeptor will generate
an error condition and a Tilt Output is generated and the Xeptor will
self inhibit for the period time set by the Tilt Time parameter.
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Sensor Automatic Gain Control
Each of the optical sensors for diameter reading and
the credit sensor have built in automatic gain control that provides
them with the ability to track changes in light transmission that may
be caused by dirt or film build up in the coin chute, or by aging of
the LEDs over time. This design feature assures you care-free reliable
sensing under normal and abnormal circumstances. Field experience in
tens of thousands of installations have demonstrated the care free
stability of this design over years of operation.
The sensor calibration information shown on the System
Report is only there for technical troubleshooting, but shows an
indication of the relative signal strength of the optical beams as
determined on a regular interval while the Xeptor is in idle mode. The
information is then used when coins are deposited to adjust circuit
gain and timing algorithms to keep readings consistent over a very
broad range of operation.
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LED Status Indicator Color
Codes
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No light probably means no power. Duuhh!
Plug it in, check your wires, check your power supply. Verify your
Personality Plug. |
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Solid green is good. It means normal operation
for either switch position 0 (Run) or switch positions 7 to F
(Field Test). |
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Green with short red flash means the unit is
normally operating and is Secured from coin programming without
using the X-Key. This is available starting with V3.0r firmware. |
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Solid red is normal in switch positions 1-6 for
coin programming. A red flash during coin acceptance indicates
credit has issued. |
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Alternating red-green means that the unit has
detected some sort of malfunction. See
Field Test to diagnose. |
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Blinking yellow means Inhibit. It is inhibited
from acceptance in switch position 0 ,inhibited from coin
programming in switch positions 1-6, and Credit Optics not
available in switch position 8. |
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Temperature Compensated
Sensing
The IDX Xeptors have been designed to incorporate
temperature sensing capability to compensate the inductive metal
sensors over a broad range of temperatures. All metal, including the
sensor coils, and other electronic components in electronic circuits
have inherent property variations over temperature. To ensure
stability over a broad range of operating temperatures, the Xeptor
circuits have been carefully characterized and corresponding
algorithms have been put in place to compensate for the temperature
characteristics of the circuits and result in metal alloy readings
that are consistent at any temperature. Having consistency over
temperature is fundamentally important to maintaining both a high
acceptance rate and high security over the span of operating
temperatures.
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Long Term Drift Compensation
Xeptors track the long term average of good coins
deposited and will automatically make fine tuning adjustments to any
parameters that are not well centered on their acceptance windows. The
algorithm only makes fine tuning changes if it is clear that it really
is a fine tune adjustment not related to any possible attack on the
system with slugs. The advantage of this system is that it self
adjusts the coin parameters if the parameters learned were just a wee
bit off center so that the discrimination windows are optimally
centered and provide the best acceptance rate for good coins and best
rejection rate for bad coins. Additionally, as the system ages, if for
any reason there is mechanical or electrical drift that slightly
alters the average reading of good coins, the Xeptor will
automatically stay centered and continue to perform like a champ.
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X-Mark Reading And
Security Optimization
Under normal circumstances, one wants to optimize
operation to provide the greatest customer satisfaction, which means
the highest possible acceptance rate for the tokens. Certainly, as
tokens age and are battered, the reflective qualities of the X-Mark
facets may deteriorate some, and the preference would be to have
plenty of margin for such eventual deterioration of the tokens.
Fortunately, field experience has proven our hypothesis that slight
protection of the facets and deep minted facets are relatively
unscathed by the wear and tear in the hopper environment and there is
some acceptance margin that can be reasonably sacrificed in exchange
for tighter discrimination of the facets to exclude tokens which may
have graphical patterns which occasionally reflect light similar to a
particular X-Mark code angle, or to exclude outright counterfeit
attempts where the facets are not made with the same high level of
light reflecting quality required of X-Mark tokens. That said, below
are the available strategies for increasing discrimination between
X-Mark tokens and any source of troublesome tokens.
X-Mark Threshold Tied To BadCoinCount.
One means of increased security is automatically
performed by the Xeptors. The X-Mark sensor threshold is automatically
raised if the BadCoinCount flag is set. This
causes the Xeptor to require a better reflective signal from the token
before it is willing to validate the token as having legitimate X-Mark
facets. This in itself may be enough limit any successful slugging.
X-Mark Higher Threshold, Bit 4 SysConfig.
One can permanently invoke the raised threshold
strategy described above by setting bit 4 of SysConfig. See the last
page of Serial Port Protocol for details
of how to do this. (This would be 0001 0000 or Hex 10 added to the
usual Hex 08 Inhibit bit for a net 0001 1000 or Hex 18.)
X-Mark Lead & Trail, Bit 5 SysConfig.
Another additional strategy that can be used to
increase X-Mark security is to require that the X-Mark be sensed on
BOTH the leading and trailing edges of the token, whereas normally the
algorithm is satisfied if it picks up a legitimate mark on either
edge. The default strategy allows for a higher acceptance rate in the
case where tokens may have bad spots from dirt or battering. By
setting bit 5 of SysConfig, you will require the unit to detect the
X-Mark in both locations as a requirement for acceptance. This reduces
the likelihood of false acceptance of tokens that have marginal but
confusing reflections, or actual counterfeit tokens with poorly made
facets. See the last page of Serial Port
Protocol for details of how to do this. (This would be 0010 0000
or Hex 20 added to the usual Hex 08 Inhibit bit for a net value of Hex
38.)
X-Mark Threshold Learned With Token.
Beginning with version 3.0s, the Xeptor firmware
measures the average reflectivity of the sample tokens presented
during the Learn procedure and uses that information during normal
operation to check for reasonable brightness of the deposited tokens.
This algorithm allows the X-Mark sensor threshold to be set
considerably higher if the quality of the sample tokens is high. In
the current incarnation of this algorithm, the Xeptor uses the
information stored in Coin Memory #2 to decide where the threshold
should be, and as such, at least one set of tokens must be Learned in
Coin Memory #2.
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METAL READING AND
SECURITY OPTIMIZATION
Different Batches Of Generic Tokens.
Over the years, many establishments will purchase
numerous batches of tokens. Unfortunately, the record of the industry
does not include very tight control over the generic alloy
composition, particularly when purchased from different mints. One can
use Hyper Terminal to connect to the
serial port and look at the metal readings of a number of tokens
purchased over the years and separate them by reading. If there is
more than one group that are separated by more than two counts in the
metal readings, each group should be programmed in as separate coin
types. Otherwise, a single Coin Memory may be used, but a combination
of the upper and lower reading tokens should be used together in the
group of 6 sample coins used in the Learn
Procedure.
Different Batches Of Coins.
Over the years, some governments have decided to change
the metal alloys of their coins to save money. Notable changes include
the US penny, the Canadian nickel, and the Canadian quarter. For these
coins, there is one or more quite distinct alloy version, thus
requiring them to be learned as at least two coin types. In each of
these cases it is not possible to mix the two types and hope that they
can be learned as a single coin type. Trying to do so will result in
100% rejection because the average value learned is just too far from
the measured values of either coin.
Tight-Metal Test Added, Bit-6 SysConfig.
Beginning with version 3..0s, it is possible to
increase the normal metal security by setting bit 6 of SysConfig. By
doing so, a fourth overall test of the three metal readings is
conducted and provides a means of measurably tightening the acceptance
window with virtually no impact on normal coin acceptance rate. It is
automatically invoked when the BadCoinCount flag is set. See the last
page of Serial Port Protocol for details
of how to set bit 6 of SysConfig. (This would be 0100 0000 or Hex 40
added to the usual Hex 08 Inhibit bit for a net 0100 1000 or Hex 48.)
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