Payment Device (Nayax / Coin) Issues

If your booth runs in pay-per-play mode, the payment device is critical on the day of the event -- a stuck coin acceptor or a Nayax that won't talk to FMX means lost revenue and frustrated guests. This article covers typical issues: Nayax not detected, payments accepted but no session starts, coin acceptors jamming, and missing confirmation emails.

Quick Diagnostics

Before any event, do this 5-minute pre-flight:

1. Power up the booth and confirm the payment device's indicator LED is on.
2. Open FMX > Global Settings > Devices Tab (Payment Terminal section) and confirm your device is listed and the COM port is detected. See the Payment Tab settings reference for full configuration detail.
3. Run a test transaction with the booth in test mode -- swipe a card or insert a coin, confirm the workflow starts.
4. Confirm Nayax account is in Marshall configuration (this is what FMX expects). Setting this incorrectly is a frequent setup mistake.

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Common Issues

Nayax device not detected by FMX

Problem: FMX shows no payment device available, or the COM port dropdown is empty.

Cause: Either the USB cable isn't seated, the COM port wasn't auto-detected, or the baud rate is wrong.

Solution:

1. Verify the USB-to-serial cable is plugged into both the Nayax device and the mini-PC. Avoid USB hubs.
2. Open Windows Device Manager > Ports (COM & LPT) and confirm a USB-Serial port appears (e.g., COM3). Note the COM number.
3. In FMX > Global Settings > Devices Tab (Payment Terminal section), set the COM port to the one Device Manager showed.
4. Set the baud rate to 115200 -- this is the Nayax default and the only setting FMX expects.
5. Restart FMX after changing port settings.
6. If the COM port doesn't appear in Device Manager at all, run Windows Update -- the USB-serial driver is usually pulled in automatically. If still missing, install the FTDI or CH340 driver manually based on which serial chip your cable uses.

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Payment accepted but session doesn't start

Problem: Customer swipes a card, Nayax beeps and approves, but the booth doesn't start. Guest is charged, no photo session, refund headache.

Cause: The workflow doesn't have the correct payment trigger animation in place.

Solution:

1. In FMX, open the workflow you're using and look for the NAYAX > "Swipe the Card" animation step. If the step is not there, download the NAYAX presets first. Once installed, the NAYAX > "Swipe the Card" animations appear in the animation list. They include the payment trigger, which you'll need to add to the workflow.
2. If the step is missing, download the Nayax preset pack from your account portal and re-import it.
3. Confirm the trigger condition on the step -- the workflow should advance only on a successful payment confirmation event.
4. Test in Test Mode -- run a $0.01 transaction and confirm the workflow advances when payment is approved.

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Customer needs Nayax machine model and reference number

Problem: "I need help identifying the machine model and the machine reference number" -- Nayax support is asking and the customer can't find it.

Cause: Nayax requires this info to enable the device on their backend, but it's not printed on the booth.

Solution:

1. Find the Machine ID on the Nayax device sticker (back or bottom of the unit).
2. For the Machine Model and Reference Number, contact Foto Master support. Our production team has the configuration on file -- request the machine model and reference number that you can pass to Nayax.
3. Once you have all three values (Machine ID, Model, Reference), provide them to Nayax support to activate the device.
4. Configure the Nayax account in Marshall configuration when prompted by Nayax during setup.

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Coin acceptor stuck or jammed

Problem: Coins drop in but the booth doesn't credit them. Or a coin is physically stuck in the slot.

Cause: A bent coin, a coin of the wrong denomination, or debris in the chute.

Solution:

1. Power off the booth at the wall before opening the coin acceptor housing.
2. Open the coin acceptor (usually one or two screws on the back panel) and check the chute for stuck coins or debris.
3. In the coin acceptor's programming mode, verify the accepted denominations match the coins you're using. If you've moved the booth between countries, this is almost certainly the issue.
4. Reseat the coin acceptor's signal cable -- it plugs into the mini-PC via USB or directly to the Arduino board.
5. Test with one coin at a time before reopening to the public.

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Payment confirmation emails not arriving

Problem: A customer completes payment but does not receive the confirmation email needed to access the upgrade they paid for.

Cause: Two known causes: (1) the email is being filtered to spam; (2) the customer's email on file doesn't match the email used for the payment.

Solution:

1. Ask the customer to check their spam / junk folder. Authentication emails can be filtered there by some providers.
2. Verify the customer's email on file matches the one tied to the payment account. If they're different, support can manually update the registered email.
3. If the customer needs proof of payment immediately (e.g., for a chargeback dispute), open a ticket and we can resend the confirmation manually from the backend.
4. For recurring auto-renewal payments, current subscriptions are managed through the Foto Master Cloud (Cloud > Billing). Legacy customers who never moved to the Cloud subscription model may still have a PayPal billing agreement that has to be cancelled on PayPal's side.

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Pre-event troubleshooting checklist

Run through this 24 hours before any pay-per-play event:

• Nayax device powers on and shows a steady indicator LED
• FMX detects the COM port (Globals > Payment)
• Test transaction runs through the full workflow successfully
• Marshall configuration is active in your Nayax account
• Coin acceptor (if used) accepts your local denomination
• Internet connection is stable (Nayax needs to authenticate online)
• You have a backup payment method (cash, Venmo) in case the device fails

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Related Articles

• Payment Tab Settings (FMX Windows)
• Devices Tab Settings
• Pay-Per-Use Overview
• Setting Up Payment Devices
• Payment Devices Overview
• Cloud Disconnects Mid-Event
• LED Ring Issues
• Display Shows No Signal
• Hardware Shipping & Missing Parts