Recently two auction advertisements got me in the hunt again for a card system. Or more specifically, more active in the process.
I found out about a Jillian's location being sold off. "Hmm. They probably had a Sacoa system or such. Maybe it'll be up for sale."
And then....
Sometime last week I came across a small ad in the back of Replay magazine that got the wheels turning again. A small bar/restaurant/gameroom was being auctioned off only a few hours drive from here. Where I used to live. And I vaguely recalled hearing that the place used gamecards. Better look into that one.
Turns out both places had ARI systems installed.
The former, well I didn't hear back from the auctioneer, but there wasn't enough time left before the auction to make the trip to remove the readers anyway. (Yes, a couple days before the auction, everything was still attached to the games. I imagine there are ARI Blinkies scattered all over the place now!)
The latter I found out was bought back by Core Cashless, the new incarnation of ARI.
Whilst searching for ARI or the company formerly known as ARI, I ended up talking to Ideal.
I got a ballpark quote from Ideal. TImes haven't changed much with them I think, because the ballpark price I got from them was as high as any from years ago.
Core Cashless at first sounded good, with a pay as you go type program, but further evaluation showed it wouldn't be a good choice for me. Their subscription service would only make sense if the equipment were provided, but guess what, you have to buy the hardware too. Not a particularly good value as I see it.
Time to get back in touch with some others I haven't talked to in a while. Coin-tech tossed me some good numbers before, and Intercard ballparked me a low price at FunExpo. Guess I should follow up with both of them and try to get some pricing from Embed too.
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This is only a suggestion, so... just think about it:
If the debit system you're referring to is you're using pre-paid/refillable cards in the cabs (not using a bank/atm/debit card) it might be worth your while to consider a homebrew solution.
There are a variety of systems you can readily purchase (RFID cards, smart carts) that would need to interface with some logic hardware such as a PIC or an Arduno.
I don't have a solution myself, but if you're willing to look into it - hit up popular electronics forums and ask some questions, you might be surprised.
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