The inside of an ATM.

ATMs perform some pretty sophisticated functions — encrypted confirmation of account balances and access privileges, followed by handing out cash. But at heart they’re fairly simple machines: a computer, a card reader, a safe, and a cash dispenser. The complexity lies mostly in the software and physical security.

If you’ve ever wanted to see what lies inside an ATMs armored case, this “How Stuff Works” video takes you there. The machine they show is a big “through the wall” bank ATM. But non-bank ATMs work similarly — they’re just smaller, hold less cash, and typically open from the front rather than the back.

After watching the video, flip through the other pages in the article. Page 3 describes how ATMs contact the processing network. Page 4 walks you through the parts of the ATM interface.

What most people don’t think about is, “how does the machine make sure it dispenses the right amount of money?” The answer is severalfold: programming that tells the ATM what denominations are in which dispensers, a sensitive bill-mover that makes sure only one bill is dispensed at a time, and an electronic eye that counts the bills as they are dispensed.

Finally, how does the ATM owner get reimbursed for the cash you take out of their machine? Through electronic fund transfers between your bank and theirs.

As you can see, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes just so you can have access to cash whenever you need it.

To see pictures from the event click here http://www.facebook.com/zombiepubcrawl

We just posted pictures of a few events we were just at including the Bloomington Heritage Days and Oktoberfest at Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter in Minnesota.

ATM Network was at the Minnesota Warrior Dash to serve all of the participants.

Warrior Dash information can be found at http://www.warriordash.com/.

Expert Group, Inc. announced today that it will deploy the region’s first solar-powered ATM. The ATMs will be installed throughout Miami in high traffic outdoor areas, said Robert Rico, Chairmen of Expert Financing, Inc.

The ATMs are powered by solar panels installed on the top of the ATM. The panels are connected to a circuit breaker board, which feeds a power controller. Part of the collected energy is stored in the power controller for the ATM’s night operation.

The city of Miami has been encouraging businesses to use solar power where possible. Unlike earlier efforts that had some bugs to work out, Expert Group — which does business as Expert Financing — is confident that their machines won’t get overloaded when they get drenched with sunshine.

“We are planning to put 100 solar-powered ATMs in various areas in Miami in the near future,” Rico said. “The wonderful thing about these machines is that they are not costly and will provide our customers with the chance to contribute to helping the environment.”

This is no run-of-the-mill A.T.M.  The brainchild of the artist duo Allora & Calzadilla, it is a pipe organ with an A.T.M. embedded in its belly that is computer-programmed to play a tune when a person puts in their PIN number. Even when returning customers use it, no two tunes are alike.

It’s become one of the hottest draws at the Venice Biennale — a once-every-two-years exhibit of art and culture in the Italian city — despite being way at the back of one of the galleries.

It has become quite the hot spot, with lines forming outside the pavilion all day. Theories have even been circulating that the bigger someone’s balance, the more elaborate and longer the composition, something officials at the pavilion hotly deny.

During the first three days of the Biennale’s V.I.P. preview earlier this week, more than 100,000 euros were withdrawn from the machine.  That amount, Lisa Freiman, commissioner of the pavilion said, is three or four times the normal activity of an ATM in Italy, according to BNL, the bank that operates it.

The November/December issue of Bar Business magazine examined the value that ATMs bring to bars. They talked to bar owners, industry observers … and us.

Kyle Radzyminski, co-owner of three Manhattan bars including Billy Hurricane’s, Thunder Jackson’s and Point Break, said that his bars have ATMs because, “You make a couple of bucks, but it’s mainly about keeping people within the confines of the place. It does work.”

Customers are more likely to spend more money if their cash flow never runs out. Instead of ending the night when they spend that last $20, they can opt to stay at the bar and drink more after taking some money out of the ATM.

Additionally, many bars and restaurants have been trending towards the elimination of credit cards as an accepted payment form on-premise. With the economy still slow, some bars prefer to not pay the credit company fees associated with each transaction, and instead force patrons to pay cash. And the risk/benefit ratio—not paying fees vs. possibly losing patrons who prefer credit—would seem to be weighted in favor of cash-only transactions if you have an ATM on-premise.

We show up a little further down in the article, where Kurt Duhn and Steve Ray discuss both specific machines and the general economics of ATMs in bars as well as things many people don’t consider — like their marketing potential.

Every major ATM runs on a Windows operating system, so they now can do much more than simply dispense cash. “Any current model ATM provides room for marketing on the screen,” said Kurt Duhn, General Manager of ATM Network. “With Windows custom graphics system, a bar owner can have coupons or promotions printed on the back of receipts and have other promotions running across the screen.”

Look below most ATM screens and you’ll find more marketing space. Many now offer the option of placing a custom design on the outside of the machine, providing the chance to remind customers which bar they’re currently enjoying, all while taking out more money to buy the next round of shots. And since ATMs often are not naturally sleek machines, adding a design can make the hardware fit more seamlessly into a bar’s decor.

That last point can be important, since the article cites a bar owner who doesn’t have an ATM because he doesn’t like how they look. Covering the ATM in custom graphics easily addresses that.

Anyway, have a look. You can read the article online in our article archive, or download the pdf to get the full magazine experience.

We recently created some custom graphics for ATMs that will give you an idea of the breadth of possibilities for making your ATM fit your location.

The one on the left was for a high-end bowling alley and lounge in Manhattan. They wanted something that said “bowling” and “classy”. We ended up with a wood-grain design in a dark cherry stain that fits in nicely with their overall image.

The one on the right went into a hip Mexican restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. Their decor tries to evoke the grungier side of Mexico City — lots of concrete and graffiti. So we covered their ATM with concrete-textured graffiti.

As you can see, the only real limit on ATM graphics is your imagination.

For a recent installation at an Asian restaurant in downtown Minneapolis, the owner wanted his ATM to look like part of the decor. We came up with a design that had a dragon wrapping itself around the sides, front and top of the ATM.

Our designs last for years, thanks to durable materials and our detailed installation process. Use it to help your ATM blend in — or use it to help your ATM stand out, either as a marketing tool or even a piece of art.

As we noted recently, the previous rules prevented merchants from treating higher-cost cards differently. They couldn’t refuse to take high-fee cards (they either had to accept all Visa cards or none, for example). They couldn’t encourage customers to use low-fee cards. They couldn’t charge more for purchases made with high-fee cards. They couldn’t even charge less for purchases made with low-fee cards.

ATM owners face a similar situation: Visa, Mastercard and American Express pay a small fee when their cardholders use an ATM. (They also sometimes charge a fee as well). But rules imposed by the card-issuers prevented merchants from charging a lower surcharge for withdrawals made with lower-fee cards. That left merchants with only bad choices when a card-issuer raised their fees: Absorb the expense, raise the surcharge for all users, or shut down the machine.

It’s unclear how the settlement will affect ATM transactions. And there will be a technological hurdle: most ATMs in use today are not equipped to charge different surcharges for different cards. But this is clearly a step in the right direction, and a victory for consumers and small businesses.