The goal was to obtain data from the vending machine into an iOS device. The customer wanted to enable communication in FileMaker Go. They also used Enginko devices, but could not service all the machines with them. Therefore, they wanted a solution from us that would allow seamless communication with FileMaker Go while supporting all vending machines. The challenge was to create a custom piece of hardware for retrieving transaction history.
For the implementation of the solution, we decided to create our own hardware, consisting of an IrDA 3 click module together with a Seed XIAO nRF52840 board. We chose the IrDA module because it can communicate at the necessary frequencies supported by our vending machines. We selected the Seed XIAO because we have extensive experience with it, and it already has a built-in Bluetooth module as well as a module for managing lithium battery charging with protection against overvoltage and undervoltage. We designed the device to be assembled into our own plastic case, which we will print on a 3D printer.
For operating the device, we designed our own firmware written in C++, which will handle communication with the vending machine via IrDA infrared signals and with the iOS device via Bluetooth. The other side of the Bluetooth communication will be managed by our SimpleTalk plug-in, encapsulated into a native application built using our Xgode tool.
