Regular inspection and maintenance is needed to keep good condition and normal usage of MUTEK card dispenser and motor card reader products.
Motor card reader and dispenser products uses infrared transmitter and receiver groups(as called “sensor(s)” ) frequently to detect and report card movement and position. These components will malfunction because of dust or particle accumulation. And for chip card and magnetic stripe reading, IC contact head and magnetic head will have physical contact with cards which will cause high failure rate of reading if contaminated. Moreover, rubber wheels and belts are the most wearable parts during operation.
So sensors, IC contact head, magnetic head and rubber wheels & belts are the parts and components that need regular check, maintenance and replacement when necessary. Upon malfunction and error during operation, above mentioned parts and components are the first to be suspected.
Maintenance Guide & Procedures
- Maintenance period varies according to usage condition and density. Typically, maintenance period can be set to every 50~100K dispensing cycles or every 3~6 months period.
- Tools & Materials for maintenance: Cleaning card, brush/wipes, cotton buds and absolute alcohol, etc..
- Target of Maintenance: To wipe off dust and particles accumulated on sensors, IC contact head and Magnetic head or inside the card channel. To confirm failure of certain components & parts, such as sensors, IC contact, and magnetic head etc..
- Maintenance Procedures:
- Check out layout and positions of sensors, contact head and magnetic head on the dispenser/ reader before any operation.
- Regular maintenance, it’s usually not necessary to disassemble the machine each time.
- Cleaning card can be served from hopper/front and controlled to move to and fro inside card channel to keep the machine clean. Contact head can be cleaned by simulating contact card reading process with the cleaning card.
- To clean the sensors, it’s usually necessary to get the sensor PCB board exposed or removed from machine. Use a brush/wipe along with absolute alcohol to wipe off the dusts and particles after removal.
- A deep maintenance is necessary on long time usage or frequent malfunction/failure issues detected. It’s usually used for deep cleaning of IC contact/Magnetic head or for confirmation of failure source. Deep maintenance needs be guided or performed by engineers with understanding of machine structure and mechanism.
MUTEK provides card dispenser and reader products of modular design for easy maintenance, which allows local engineers and operators to perform regular and deep maintenance easily. Contact MUTEK for related details of certain models.