Blog · Engineering notes
The engineering behind self-service.
Notes on protocols, telemetry and hardware independence — written for the operators and OEMs who run and build the machines, in the language of engineering, not sales.
After a shorter answer? Frequently asked questions
- Comparing vending payment and telemetry suppliers: the ten rows that decide it Put three quotes side by side and the brochures say the same thing: every card scheme, every machine, real-time dashboard, 24/7 support. What actually separates suppliers never reaches the quote — who holds the acquirer relationship, where telemetry originates, who owns the data, and what leaving costs. Ten dimensions, and how to verify each one before you sign. Read the post
- MDB compliant, still not talking: the failure modes you actually meet The machine doesn't see the cashless device. The reader works on one model and not another. It fails only during a transaction. Here is what actually causes MDB interoperability failures, and the order to diagnose them in. Read the post
- Vending management system or platform? The difference is scope A VMS is a set of management functions; a platform is the stack that produces the data underneath it. Why fleets assembled from several vendors stop reconciling, what free telemetry actually costs when a chargeback or an audit arrives, how mixed-brand machines end up in one data model — and ten questions to ask before you sign. Read the post
- A separate telemetry box, or one platform? Count the boxes Open a vending machine door and you often find a telemetry box, a payment box, two SIMs, two antennas and a cable harness — each added in a different year by a different vendor. What that clutter costs when carrier generations sunset, when a VMS is bought from another market, and why two boxes always produce two versions of the same sale. Read the post
- Build vs buy: should a vending machine manufacturer write its own telemetry? "It's a few weeks of work, it puts us ahead, and we'll give it away to lock customers in." A build-vs-buy reckoning for vending OEMs: the eight layers behind a telemetry platform, who the lock really binds, and why splitting payment from telemetry breaks reconciliation. Read the post
- Self-service beyond vending: what hardware-agnostic looked like in 2002 Hardware-agnostic isn't only about terminal brands — it's running one payment and control layer on any machine, vending or not. We shipped that in 2002. Read the post
- How to convert coin-op and mechanical machines to card payment Not every machine speaks MDB — coin-op laundries, car washes, water dispensers and arcade machines run on a much simpler electrical signal. Here's how pulse, dry contact and a trigger line turn those machines into card, QR and cloud-connected payment. Read the post
- Why hardware independence matters for vending operators When your platform is welded to one terminal brand, the vendor's roadmap becomes your roadmap. Hardware independence is what keeps the software you rely on from being held hostage by the box it runs on. Read the post
- Executive protocol explained Before MDB there was Executive — the serial protocol still living inside a huge installed base of coffee and beverage machines. Here is how it works and why a platform has to speak it. Read the post
- What is the MDB protocol? MDB (Multi-Drop Bus) is the serial standard that lets a vending machine talk to coin changers, bill validators and cashless terminals. Here is how it actually works. Read the post