Industrial Controller Board Design & Prototype
Budget: $250 – $750 USD
We need an industrial controller board designed from scratch and delivered as a demonstrated,
working prototype.
The board mounts inside a vending machine and is powered from the machine's bus. It communicates
over two independent industrial serial interfaces — one toward the vending machine controller,
the other toward the money-collection equipment — and reports to an external service over the
network. It also carries serial and USB ports for peripherals.
Scope of work
Turnkey, from requirements to a working prototype:
Schematic and PCB, in fully editable source files
Complete BOM with manufacturer part numbers and costs at volume
Fabrication package
3–5 assembled prototypes, demonstrated functional
Bring-up report with real measurements
Design and integration documentation
What you decide
DESIGN AUTHORITY
Every technical choice is yours — processor, layer count, components, power topology, isolation
method, antennas, connectors, dimensions, layout.
We give you the functional requirements and the operating conditions. We do not dictate the solution.
The design is yours, and so is the responsibility for it.
What makes this non-trivial
The interface toward the machine controller follows a published standard (MDB/ICP), with strict
requirements on galvanic isolation, byte format and response timing. The specification is
public and free of charge.
The interface toward the money-collection equipment must cover several protocols — MDB,
CCNET, ID003 and PULSE — which differ not only logically but electrically (isolated current
loop, RS-232, TTL, discrete lines). The same acceptor models ship in different electrical variants
depending on the internal board. Reference manufacturers: CashCode / Crane, ICT, MEI / CPI, JCM.
The board must be able to operate on each of the two interfaces both as the controlling unit and
as a peripheral.
Response deadlines must be met on both interfaces simultaneously, including while a network
operation is in flight.
Power comes from an industrial bus with transients, in an environment with motors and
compressors, and the board must pass power through to downstream equipment.
Network connectivity must work with the board enclosed in a metal cabinet.
Two commercial variants from one design: one with cellular capability, one without (lower
cost), with a field upgrade path between them.
Operating conditions
0…+60 °C, vibration, industrial electrical noise, unattended operation for months at a time, field service
in confined spaces.
working prototype.
The board mounts inside a vending machine and is powered from the machine's bus. It communicates
over two independent industrial serial interfaces — one toward the vending machine controller,
the other toward the money-collection equipment — and reports to an external service over the
network. It also carries serial and USB ports for peripherals.
Scope of work
Turnkey, from requirements to a working prototype:
Schematic and PCB, in fully editable source files
Complete BOM with manufacturer part numbers and costs at volume
Fabrication package
3–5 assembled prototypes, demonstrated functional
Bring-up report with real measurements
Design and integration documentation
What you decide
DESIGN AUTHORITY
Every technical choice is yours — processor, layer count, components, power topology, isolation
method, antennas, connectors, dimensions, layout.
We give you the functional requirements and the operating conditions. We do not dictate the solution.
The design is yours, and so is the responsibility for it.
What makes this non-trivial
The interface toward the machine controller follows a published standard (MDB/ICP), with strict
requirements on galvanic isolation, byte format and response timing. The specification is
public and free of charge.
The interface toward the money-collection equipment must cover several protocols — MDB,
CCNET, ID003 and PULSE — which differ not only logically but electrically (isolated current
loop, RS-232, TTL, discrete lines). The same acceptor models ship in different electrical variants
depending on the internal board. Reference manufacturers: CashCode / Crane, ICT, MEI / CPI, JCM.
The board must be able to operate on each of the two interfaces both as the controlling unit and
as a peripheral.
Response deadlines must be met on both interfaces simultaneously, including while a network
operation is in flight.
Power comes from an industrial bus with transients, in an environment with motors and
compressors, and the board must pass power through to downstream equipment.
Network connectivity must work with the board enclosed in a metal cabinet.
Two commercial variants from one design: one with cellular capability, one without (lower
cost), with a field upgrade path between them.
Operating conditions
0…+60 °C, vibration, industrial electrical noise, unattended operation for months at a time, field service
in confined spaces.