Team VEND‘etta’
Jeffrey Hepworth
Erik Mauer
Brendan Murphy
David Rodriguez
Project Overview
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Retrofit existing vending machines with:
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New interactive features
Energy saving technology
Globally accessible inventory control system
Extremely Modular Upgrading System
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Allows for customizable module additions depending
on owner needs
Upgrades/Modifications
User interface replaced with LCD touch
screen display
 Upgrade to electronic payment technology
 Upgrade to high-efficiency lighting
 Conserves energy by hibernating when there
is no human interaction
 Wired/wireless host interface
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System Diagram
POWER
LCD Touchscreen
MOTOR
DRIVING
COIN
ACCEPTOR
FPGA/CPU
MDB2PC
LED
LIGHTING
BILL
Validator
SENSORS
Electronic
Payment
Communications
CPU/FPGA
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Altera Cyclone II FPGA
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Handles
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NIOS II soft-core processor
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Handles
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LCD Touch Screen Driving
Motor Driving
Vending State Machine
Payments
Host Communication
Sensors
LCD Graphics Processing
Replace existing control board
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Emulates current vending machine functions
Implements new upgraded features
LCD Touch Screen
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High resolution Touch Panel LCD
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800x480 @ 8bit per color
Displays user interface and information
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Dynamic Menu Selection
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Replaces keypad
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Electronic Payment interface
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Authorized Payment
Cash Interface
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Utilize existing bill and coin acceptors
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Multi-Drop Bus (MDB)
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Standard for coin/bill acceptor communications
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Proprietary current-controlled signal
Not trivial to convert MDB to any standardized protocol
MDB2PC™ board
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Hardware/Software interface
for MDB to RS232 conversion
Allows controller board to
communicate with coin/bill acceptor and process
payments/payouts
Board donated by Upstate Networks
Electronic Payment Upgrades
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Magnetic card reader and RFID
Credit/Debit cards
 Buff OneCards
 Identifications cards
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Reloadable charge card
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Allows for loading credits on any card with a
magnetic stripe or RFID.
Interface with control board via RS232 for
processing
Sensors
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VeriVend System
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Motion Sensor
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Detects human presence, and brings the system out of
hibernation
Temperature
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Optical sensor detects if item has dropped
Monitor temperature of Soft Drinks/Snacks
Alerts host of temperature issues
Tilt/Shock Sensor
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Detect if someone tilts machine
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Set off alarm
Alerts host of attempted mischief
Motor Control
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Utilize existing motors
Modify hardware to drive motors
 Motors are wired in a matrix configuration
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Motor high and motor low signals are multiplexed to
rows and columns to select a single motor
Motor Driving:
24V @ 500mA (including in-rush current)
 Motors run one at a time
 Operates at infrequent intervals, so
power dissipation is not a problem
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Energy-Saving Features
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Currently uses Fluorescent Lighting
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Replace with LEDs
Hibernation mode
Goes into hibernation mode with no human
interaction
 LED lighting and LCD will turn off
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Light-sensing control
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If not in hibernation, lighting adjusts with light
intensity
Host Interface
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Uses a wired or wireless connection
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Wired:
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Wireless:
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RS232, Ethernet
Zigbee, Bluetooth, or WiFi
Features
GUI on a Windows Host PC
 Inventory Control
 Pricing
 Sales/Profit
 Service Mode
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Power
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MDB to RS232 board (MDB2PC)
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24-36V @ 6A
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Motors
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24V @500mA
Altera FPGA board
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Drives coin/bill acceptors
9V @ 1.3A
Sensors/LEDs
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Undermined
Testing and Safety
A unit test will be designed and run for each
module/block at every stage of implementation,
debugging as needed
 A module-interfacing test will be run as each
module is added to the total system
 PCB testing/debugging will be done with each
revision
 Safety
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Utilizes existing safety standards
Our design eliminates most of the high-voltage
components
If Time Allows…
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LED Price Tags
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Individually-programmable, updated dynamically
Solar Power Module
 Fountain Drink dispensing
 General merchandise inventory additions
 VendBot
 Hooligan identification and reporting system
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Budget
Item
MDB2PC
LCD
Magnetic Card Reader
Altera Breakout Board
Power Supply
PCB
Sensors
Remote Interface
Shipping
RFID
Misc. Parts
Total
Price
Donated ($300)
$206
$70
$80
$40
$200
$30
$100
$100
$50
$123
$999
Labor Distribution
Jeff
Brendan
MDB
X
Control Board
X
X
X
X
Motors
X
X
X
Sensors
PCB
David
X
LCD
E Payment
Erik
X
X
Power Supplies
X
Lighting
X
Pricing Display
X
X
X
Schedule
Goals
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PDR
LCD functional
 MDB shipped
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CDR
Preliminary PCB Layout (Rev. 1)
 Understanding of MDB Communications
 E Payment Communication
 Motor Driving
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Milestones
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Milestone 1
LCD Implemented
 Motor Control Implemented
 MDB Implemented
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Milestone 2
Sensors Implemented
 Remote Interface Implemented
 Control Board PCB completed
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Roadblocks
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MDB
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Proprietary Signal
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Limited Experience
GUI Programming
Wireless
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Expensive
Graphics/ LCD
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Not easy to convert
Limited Experience
Technology
Security/Privacy
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Credit Card information issues
Questions ??????
Questions
Questions
Questions
Questions?????????