Installation Guide
Get your machine live in minutes.
Pick your connector type and follow the steps. No electrical or technical background needed. Gather your tools before you start, most installs take 15 to 25 minutes.
One device per packageThe sticker and device in each box are a matched pair. Never swap stickers between boxes. Finish one machine completely before opening the next box.
Turn off and unplug firstSwitch the machine off and unplug it from the wall before opening the cabinet or touching anything inside.
The sticker and device in each box are a matched pair, do not swap stickers between boxes.
• Pixelpay device: the main unit. To check its status LEDs you will need to remove the lid from the enclosure. Inside you will see 4 green LEDs in a row and 1 red LED. Green LEDs lit = powered and running.
• QR payment sticker: goes on the outside of the machine. Do not peel it until the very end of the install, after testing confirms everything works.
• 5-pin listener cable: a monitoring cable that silently detects when a physical coin payment goes through. Think of it as a traffic counter on the coin signal wire. The cable has 5 wires: black (ground), yellow, white, red, and blue. The black wire is the shared ground. Only the yellow, white, red, and blue wires carry listener signals. This cable plugs into the listener port on the Pixelpay device.
• 2-pin credit add cable: red and black, triggers a credit on your machine when a QR payment is made. This cable plugs into the credit add port on the Pixelpay device.
• Power (you will have one of these two, not both): either a grey wire (plugs into the side port on the Pixelpay device and connects to the power supply unit inside the cabinet) or a black wall plug (plugs into a wall outlet inside the cabinet). Your box will only contain whichever one matches your machine setup.
Note about pre-assembled adapters: Your 3-wire and 2-wire spade adapters may arrive already connected to the cables. If so, you do not need to assemble them. Just use them as-is.
The steps for your connector type will tell you exactly which items to use and which to set aside.
• Pixelpay device: the main unit. To check its status LEDs you will need to remove the lid from the enclosure. Inside you will see 4 green LEDs in a row and 1 red LED. Green LEDs lit = powered and running.
• QR payment sticker: goes on the outside of the machine. Do not peel it until the very end of the install, after testing confirms everything works.
• 5-pin listener cable: a monitoring cable that silently detects when a physical coin payment goes through. Think of it as a traffic counter on the coin signal wire. The cable has 5 wires: black (ground), yellow, white, red, and blue. The black wire is the shared ground. Only the yellow, white, red, and blue wires carry listener signals. This cable plugs into the listener port on the Pixelpay device.
• 2-pin credit add cable: red and black, triggers a credit on your machine when a QR payment is made. This cable plugs into the credit add port on the Pixelpay device.
• Power (you will have one of these two, not both): either a grey wire (plugs into the side port on the Pixelpay device and connects to the power supply unit inside the cabinet) or a black wall plug (plugs into a wall outlet inside the cabinet). Your box will only contain whichever one matches your machine setup.
Note about pre-assembled adapters: Your 3-wire and 2-wire spade adapters may arrive already connected to the cables. If so, you do not need to assemble them. Just use them as-is.
The steps for your connector type will tell you exactly which items to use and which to set aside.
The device has two separate jobs and two separate sets of wires. Understanding this makes every step below easier.
Job 1: The listener (5-pin connector). These wires tap silently onto the existing pulse signal wire on the machine. Every time a physical payment is accepted (coin, bill, or card) the device sees that pulse and records it as a play in your analytics dashboard. The listener does not interfere with anything. The cable has 5 colored wires: black (shared ground, not a listener itself), yellow, white, red, and blue. Only the yellow, white, red, and blue wires carry listener signals.
Job 2: Credit add wire (2-pin connector). When a customer pays by QR, the device briefly closes the circuit on the 2-pin credit add connector. That mimics exactly what a physical payment pulse does, the machine registers a credit. No physical payment required.
The steps below show you exactly where each connector goes for your specific machine type.
Job 1: The listener (5-pin connector). These wires tap silently onto the existing pulse signal wire on the machine. Every time a physical payment is accepted (coin, bill, or card) the device sees that pulse and records it as a play in your analytics dashboard. The listener does not interfere with anything. The cable has 5 colored wires: black (shared ground, not a listener itself), yellow, white, red, and blue. Only the yellow, white, red, and blue wires carry listener signals.
Job 2: Credit add wire (2-pin connector). When a customer pays by QR, the device briefly closes the circuit on the 2-pin credit add connector. That mimics exactly what a physical payment pulse does, the machine registers a credit. No physical payment required.
The steps below show you exactly where each connector goes for your specific machine type.
Required:
• Screwdriver, Phillips or flathead depending on your machine. Used to open the cabinet door.
• Flashlight, Cabinets are dark inside. A phone flashlight works. A headlamp is better since you will need both hands free at some points.
• Zip ties, Included in the box. Loop them around wire bundles, snip the tail flush, and route wires away from fans and moving parts so nothing catches during machine operation.
• Multimeter, Required to identify coin mech terminal polarity. Set to DC voltage mode with the machine powered on to confirm which terminal is positive and which is ground before connecting listener wires.
• Screwdriver, Phillips or flathead depending on your machine. Used to open the cabinet door.
• Flashlight, Cabinets are dark inside. A phone flashlight works. A headlamp is better since you will need both hands free at some points.
• Zip ties, Included in the box. Loop them around wire bundles, snip the tail flush, and route wires away from fans and moving parts so nothing catches during machine operation.
• Multimeter, Required to identify coin mech terminal polarity. Set to DC voltage mode with the machine powered on to confirm which terminal is positive and which is ground before connecting listener wires.
▶ Your install starts here
The three sections above are reference material. Read them if helpful, but you do not need to before starting. Pick your connector type below and follow the numbered steps.
Step 1, What type of connector does your machine have?
Open the machine firstOpen the coin door and locate the coin acceptor before selecting a path below. Check the side of the coin acceptor for a label. It usually states the manufacturer and type. If your machine also has a bill acceptor, that is a separate device; focus on the coin acceptor in the coin slot area. If you are not sure what you are looking at, select "Not sure" at the bottom.
Claw machine ownersClaw machines do not have spade connectors. Select "Digital coin comparator, 4-pin pass-through" below unless you can visually confirm flat-blade spade terminals on your coin mech.
Before you start
01
Check your box contents
This install uses spade adapters to connect to the coin mech terminals. Your box includes:
- 3-wire adapters (black wires): one for the positive terminal and one for the ground terminal on your primary coin mech
- 2-wire adapters (green wires): one for the positive terminal only on each additional coin mech. Only needed if you have more than one mech.
- Grey wire (plugs into the Pixelpay device side port, connects to the power supply unit) or black wall plug (plugs into a wall outlet inside the cabinet). Only one will be in your box.
Power the device
02
Find the power source inside the cabinet
The Pixelpay device needs 12V DC power. Open the cabinet and look for one of these two options:
- A power supply unit: a metal or plastic box with wires coming out of it, usually mounted inside the cabinet. It will have screw terminals labeled +12V and GND. You will use the grey wire for this.
- A wall outlet inside the cabinet: an open AC outlet mounted to the inside of the cabinet. You will use the black wall plug for this.
Photo: Power supply unit (PSU) with screw terminals / wall outlet inside cabinet
03
Connect power to the Pixelpay device
Option A: Power supply unit (grey wire)
Plug the grey wire into the side port on the Pixelpay device first. Then loosen the +12V screw terminal on the power supply unit, insert the red wire from the grey wire, and tighten. Do the same for GND with the black wire. Tug both to confirm they hold.
OR
Option B: Wall outlet (black wall plug)
Plug the black wall plug into the AC outlet inside the cabinet.
Use one method only, never both
Connecting both at the same time can damage the device. Pixelpay is not responsible for damage caused by incorrect wiring.
Polarity matters, red to positive, black to ground
Reversing polarity will prevent the device from powering on and can damage it. If you are unsure, use a multimeter to confirm terminal polarity before connecting.
Not sure which power option you have? Contact support and we will help you identify the right one before you connect anything.
Connect to the coin mechanism
04
Locate the coin mechanism wires
- Find the coin mechanism inside the cabinet door, the device that validates coins as they drop through.
- The coin mechanism has three terminals. You will only be working with two: the COM (common) terminal and the NO (normally open) terminal. The third terminal is not used for this install.
- Power the machine on and set your multimeter to DC voltage mode. Test each terminal to identify which is positive and which is ground. You need the machine on for this, there will be no voltage to read with it off.
- Note which terminal is positive and which is ground before powering the machine back off. The listener positive wire must go on the same side as the game positive, and the listener ground on the same side as the game ground.
Take a photo before touching anythingThis is your reference if you ever need to reverse the install.
Photo: Coin mech switch with two wires running to machine board
05
Install the 3-wire adapters on the primary coin mech
Choose one coin mech as your primary. This is the one that will both add credits on QR payment and track physical payments. Both terminals on that mech get a 3-wire adapter, one for each side of the switch.
The 3-wire adapter has black wires, one female spade end, and three male spade ends. It slots in between the terminal and everything that needs to connect to it. Nothing is cut and nothing is permanently changed.
Use your multimeter before connecting listener wires The listener + wire must go on the same terminal as the game positive side, and the listener ground must go on the same terminal as the game ground side. Credit add wires do not have this requirement, either wire can go on either terminal.
Do this on both the positive and ground terminals:
- Find the female spade connector already on the terminal. It slides straight off, pull it free.
- Take a 3-wire adapter and plug its single female end onto the terminal in place of the connector you just removed.
- Take the connector you just pulled off and plug it onto one of the three male ends of the adapter.
- Plug one wire from the 2-pin credit add cable onto one of the remaining male ends. Red on one terminal, black on the other.
- Plug one wire from the 5-pin listener cable onto the last male end. Use yellow, white, red, or blue, not the black wire. The black wire is ground and goes on the game ground terminal side. The colored listener wire goes on the game positive terminal side.
- Tug each connection to confirm nothing pulls free.
Photo: 3-wire adapters installed on primary coin mech terminals
05b
Connect all cables to the Pixelpay device
Before moving on, make sure all three cables are plugged into the correct ports on the Pixelpay device:
- Grey wire: into the side port on the Pixelpay device.
- 5-pin listener cable into the listener port on the device.
- 2-pin credit add cable into the credit add port on the device.
Do not power on yet. Complete the coin mech connections in the steps above first, then power on in Step 07.
Connect additional coin mechs
06
Install the 2-wire adapters on any additional coin mechs
If your machine has more than one coin mech, each additional mech gets a single 2-wire adapter on the positive terminal only. The ground terminal on secondary mechs is left completely alone, do not disconnect or modify it.
The 2-wire adapter has green wires, one female spade end, and two male spade ends. It slots in between the positive terminal and the two connections that need to reach it: the original machine spade and one listener wire.
- Find the female spade connector on the positive terminal of the secondary mech. Pull it free.
- Take a 2-wire adapter and plug its single female end onto the positive terminal.
- Take the spade connector you just removed and plug it onto one of the two male ends of the adapter.
- Plug one listener wire from the 5-pin cable onto the remaining male end.
- Tug both connections to confirm they hold. Leave the ground terminal exactly as it is, do not touch it.
Daisy-chained mechs? If your secondary mechs are already wired together in a chain, one listener on the chain is enough. Do not add a listener to each individual mech in the chain.
Enable additional listeners in the dashboard Only Listener 1 is active by default. If you are connecting more than one coin mech, you need to turn on the additional listeners in your operator dashboard before they will track. Go to your machine settings and enable each listener that corresponds to the coin mechs you wired. If you skip this step, only the primary coin mech will be tracked.
Photo: 2-wire adapter on positive terminal of secondary coin mech
Power on and test
07
Power back on and run a test
- Plug the machine back in and switch it on as normal.
- Remove the lid from the Pixelpay device enclosure to check the status LEDs on the circuit board. You will see 4 green LEDs in a row and 1 red LED. All 4 green LEDs should be lit when the device is powered and connected. Give it up to 30 seconds to connect.
- Go to pixelpay-games.com and log in. No account yet? Contact us and we will get you set up before continuing.
- Tap the menu icon (☰) in the corner of the dashboard to open the navigation menu.
- Select Machines from the menu. Find your machine in the list, confirm it is the correct machine, and tap it to select it.
- With your machine selected, a Test Coin button will appear. Press it to send a test credit to the machine.
- What to expect: The machine registers a credit the same way a physical coin does. You may hear a click or beep from the machine, or see the credit counter increase on the display. This varies by machine type.
- Drop a physical coin in each coin mech and confirm each one registers in your analytics dashboard. If a secondary mech is not registering, check your machine settings in the dashboard and confirm that listener is enabled. Only Listener 1 is on by default.
Screenshot: Operator dashboard, device status and Test Payment button
WiFi not connecting? Your device was pre-configured with your network credentials before shipping. If it does not connect, the device will automatically fall back to the Pixelpay default network after 3 failed attempts. To get it back on your network, set up a phone hotspot using the same network name and password we configured, the device will connect to it automatically. Contact support for the default hotspot credentials if you need them.
08
Apply the QR sticker
Once confirmed the install is working, clean the surface first. Best placement:
- ✓Unpainted metal or glass, sticker adheres best to clean, non-porous surfaces
- ✓Recommended: machine screen or front glass at player eye level, visible before they reach for coins
- ✓Before peeling, scan the QR code to confirm it matches the correct machine in your dashboard
Photo: QR sticker on machine glass at player eye level
09
Tidy up and close the cabinet
- Use zip ties to bundle the Pixelpay wires neatly. Keep them away from fans, spinning mechanisms, and any moving parts. Snip the excess tail flush so nothing catches.
- Double-check that coins can still drop freely and without obstruction, zip ties or repositioned wires should not cross the coin path.
- Optionally, secure the Pixelpay device with velcro or double-sided tape on a flat surface away from heat vents.
- Replace the lid on the Pixelpay device enclosure.
- Reseat the coin acceptor in the coin door if you moved it during install. Confirm coins can drop freely through the coin path before closing.
- Close and lock the cabinet.
If something is not working
Credit add not working after QR payment The credit add wire in the 3-wire adapter is not making solid contact. Pull the adapter off the signal terminal, reseat all three wires firmly, and plug it back on. Run another test payment. Could also be a WiFi issue, confirm the device is online in your dashboard first.
Physical payments not showing in analytics The listener wire in the adapter may be loose, the wires may be reversed, or there may be a WiFi connectivity issue. Reseat the adapter on the signal terminal first. If still not working, confirm positive and ground terminals are not swapped using a multimeter set to DC voltage with the machine on. Then confirm the device is online in your dashboard.
Device green light is off or not online Confirm the device is connected to power. Check that the grey wire is firmly seated in the Pixelpay device side port and in the power supply screw terminals, or that the black wall plug is fully plugged into the outlet inside the cabinet. Confirm the network is active. Contact support if the device still does not come online.
Physical payments stopped working after the install Pull each adapter off and confirm the original machine spade is fully seated inside it. Could also be a wiring issue, reseat all connections and confirm ground and signal terminals are correct. Test a physical payment.
Device will not turn on at all Check that power wires are connected correctly, red to +12V and black to GND. If the polarity is reversed (positive and negative swapped), the device will not power on. Correct any reversed connections and try again. If unsure, contact support before proceeding.
Anything still unclear? Contact support and we will walk through it with you.
Your harness ships pre-wired Everything is already assembled. You only need to plug the harness into the coin mech and plug the cables into the Pixelpay device. That is it.
Before you start
01
Check your box contents
Your box includes a pre-wired harness and the Pixelpay device. The harness is already assembled and ready to plug in. You do not need to wire anything.
Take a photo before touching anything This is your reference if you ever need to reverse the install.
Plug the harness into the coin mech
02
Connect the harness to the coin mech
Find the 4-wire plug already plugged into your coin mech. The Pixelpay harness plugs in between that plug and the mech.
- Locate the 4-wire plug on the coin mech. It connects the coin mech to the machine's wiring.
- Unplug it from the coin mech. Hold the connector body, not the wires.
- Plug that connector into the female end of the Pixelpay harness.
- Plug the male end of the Pixelpay harness into the coin mech.
- The harness now sits in between the machine wiring and the coin mech. Nothing is cut or permanently changed.
Photo: Pixelpay harness plugged in between the machine wiring and the coin mech
Plug the cables into the Pixelpay device
03
Connect the cables to the Pixelpay device
Plug each cable coming from the harness into the matching port on the Pixelpay device:
- Grey wire into the side power port on the Pixelpay device.
- 5-pin listener cable (black, yellow, white, red, blue) into the listener port.
- 2-pin credit add cable (red and black) into the credit add port.
Something look disconnected? If any wires inside the harness look loose, contact us before proceeding and we will walk through it with you.
Power on and test
04
Power back on and run a test
- Plug the machine back in and switch it on as normal.
- Remove the lid from the Pixelpay device enclosure to check the status LEDs on the circuit board. You will see 4 green LEDs in a row and 1 red LED. All 4 green LEDs should be lit when the device is powered and connected. Give it up to 30 seconds to connect.
- Go to pixelpay-games.com and log in. No account yet? Contact us and we will get you set up before continuing.
- Tap the menu icon (☰) in the corner of the dashboard to open the navigation menu.
- Select Machines from the menu. Find your machine in the list, confirm it is the correct machine, and tap it to select it.
- With your machine selected, a Test Coin button will appear. Press it to send a test credit to the machine.
- What to expect: The machine registers a credit the same way a physical coin does. You may hear a click or beep from the machine, or see the credit counter increase on the display. This varies by machine type.
- Drop a physical coin in and confirm it registers in your analytics dashboard.
Screenshot: Operator dashboard, device status and Test Payment button
WiFi not connecting? Your device was pre-configured with your network credentials before shipping. If it does not connect, the device will automatically fall back to the Pixelpay default network after 3 failed attempts. To get it back on your network, set up a phone hotspot using the same network name and password we configured, the device will connect to it automatically. Contact support for the default hotspot credentials if you need them.
05
Apply the QR sticker
Once confirmed the install is working, clean the surface first. Best placement:
- ✓Unpainted metal or glass, sticker adheres best to clean, non-porous surfaces
- ✓Recommended: machine screen or front glass at player eye level, visible before they reach for coins
- ✓Before peeling, scan the QR code to confirm it matches the correct machine in your dashboard
Photo: QR sticker on machine glass at player eye level
06
Tidy up and close the cabinet
- Use zip ties to bundle the Pixelpay wires neatly. Keep them away from fans, spinning mechanisms, and any moving parts. Snip the excess tail flush so nothing catches.
- Double-check that coins can still drop freely and without obstruction, zip ties or repositioned wires should not cross the coin path.
- Optionally, secure the Pixelpay device with velcro or double-sided tape on a flat surface away from heat vents.
- Replace the lid on the Pixelpay device enclosure.
- Reseat the coin acceptor in the coin door if you moved it during install. Confirm coins can drop freely through the coin path before closing.
- Close and lock the cabinet.
If something is not working
Credit add not working after QR payment The credit add wire connection on the adapter may not be making solid contact. Pull the CN1+ lead, reseat the credit add wire firmly, and plug it back on. Could also be a WiFi issue, confirm the device is online in your dashboard first.
Physical payments not showing in analytics The listener wire on the CN1+ lead may be loose, or there may be a WiFi connectivity issue. Reseat the listener connection on the adapter first, then confirm the device is online in your dashboard.
Device green light is off or not online Confirm the pass-through adapter is fully seated on both ends. Check that the GND and 12V leads are firmly connected. Confirm the network is active. Contact support if the device still does not come online.
Physical payments stopped working after the install Check that the pass-through adapter is fully seated on both the machine side and the comparator side. Could also be a wiring issue, confirm GND and CN1+ connections are correct. Test a physical payment.
Device will not turn on at all Check that the pass-through adapter is fully seated on both sides. If the connectors were inserted backwards (reversed polarity), the device will not power on. Unplug, check orientation, and reconnect. Contact support if the device still does not power up.
Anything still unclear? Contact support and we will walk through it with you.
Let us figure it out
Look 1, Find the coin mechanism
1Open the cabinet and locate the coin door area.
2Find the device that accepts coins. It will be mounted inside the coin door. If your machine also has a bill acceptor (a slot that accepts dollar bills), that is a separate device. Look specifically for the coin acceptor in the coin slot area.
3Check the side of the device for a label. It usually states the manufacturer and type, which tells you exactly what you have.
4All metal with flat-blade terminals that wires clip straight onto? That is a standard coin mech with spade connectors.
5Black plastic module with a 4-pin connector? That is a digital coin comparator.
69-pin rectangular connector nearby? That is a DBA connector, we walk through that one with you.
Identified your connector type?
Still unsure? Email a photo to [email protected] and we will identify it within the hour.