Protocols
Executive
Communication standard of the vending machine and the coin acceptor. The "Executive" (or "Exec"; aka "Protocol-A") protocol was developed as a proprietary standard by Mars (MEI) for communications with payment systems (coin-mechs, etc) in vending machines.
DEX (Data EXchange)
The NAMA Date EXchange (DEX) standard defines an ASCII data set that can be read from the vending machine using a handheld PC or telemeter (remote communication) device. This data does not include details on every vended product, but instead includes readings from a series of internal meters, that function similar to automobile odometers, designed to track deposited coins and bills, credit/debit card swipes, and column sales
DEX is our standard for an ASCII code-based electronic audit file, a way to communicate information such as sales, cash in bill validators, coins in coin boxes, sales of units by selection, pricing, door openings, and much more. It is created either locally by the VMC (Vending Machine Controller often called the “brain” of an electronic machine) or created by a retrofit DEX device in older electromechanical (dip switch) machines. DEX is the result of the VMC storing information on an interval basis (the interval of time since the last DEX reading) and cumulative basis (since the VMC was first installed or the machine went into service). The VMC accumulates the data and transmits it in DEX format (see sidebar) over the DEX port when requested.
DEX data is quite useful and extensive. It eliminates the need for route people to write what they loaded into a machine on a route card. It also makes it unnecessary to manually input this information into a handheld. But the feature of DEX that gets most companies excited and starting to “DEX” their machines is the accuracy of cash accountability. There is no more second guessing what was to be collected out of the machine. The data is downloaded to a handheld device or transmitted via a remote monitoring device over to software that can parse the information into useful reports.
MDB (Multi Drop Bus)
Communication standard of the vending machine and the coin acceptor. Multi Drop Bus or MDB standard was issued by NAMA and EVA, originally by CoinCo Inc. USA. MDB protocol, developed more recently than DEX, is a ‘real time’ interface that various peripherals use for communicating with the vending machine controller (VMC).
MDB was primarily designed to allow bill validators, coin mechanisms, and card readers to interact with the VMC in such a way that telemetry system could actively monitor connected devices to detect problems (for example, functionality failures) that often occur in the field. In addition, some telemetry devices are capable of recording and time stamping all transactional activity at the machine – thereby providing a higher level of detail that cannot be obtained through DEX data readings.
MDB was the first attempt by the industry to come up with a standard interface for all transactional electronic devices (i.e., coin mechanism, bill validator or cashless system) to be able to interface through an electrical bus to the VMC. This electrical bus provides one standard male and female connector, both of which are found on all MDB vending transactional electronic devices. An MDB device should have a y-MDB connection, providing for a piggyback connection from one MDB device to another.
EVA DTS
The Standard is based on the concept that data of different types are required to be entered into vending machines to enable the machine to deliver the service required. Sales and event data accumulated and stored in the machine are required to be accessed by vending machine operators and transferred to management systems for either commercial or technical purposes. More detailed information about the EVA DTS is available on the European Vending Asotiation website: http://www.vending-europe.eu/en/standards_protocols/eva-dts.html
Part of the articales above were taken from: http://vendon.net/web/en/protocols
