CSH Drink Machine

Synopsis

Although it is far from the most advanced project, the CSH Computerized Coke Machine is a symbol of house pride and development efforts. It is, without a doubt, one of the longest running projects on the house. The unique aspect of our machine, however, is the fact that it does not work on coin money. Instead, members have "credit" accounts on the floor computer systems, and when logged in through a terminal or a workstation, they can "drop" a soft drink (Coke, Mountain Dew, Hawaiian Punch, Country Time, or Jolt) from the machine and have their credit updated accordingly.

The Hardware & Software

The hardware driving the Coke Machine has just been upgraded with a new processor which allows us not only to drop drinks, but keep track of how long a drink has been in the machine (to ensure that it is cold). Since the Coke Machine is hooked up to the CSH local network, it subsequently can be accessed from anywhere in the world via InterNet. It is quite possible to drop a drink from across campus as well as across the globe.

Our drink machine was listed as #7 of WiReD's Top Ten Favorite Fingered Sites, May, 1994 (Chosen by the editors of Net Guide). It is also in "Internet for Dummies" and several other Internet publications.

Drink Machine Update

Thanks to generous donations there are now three drink machines on floor. (The old one's compressor blew out). There is a little 4 slot Rock'olla which has been refitted and repainted and a huge 7 slot monster donated by Anderson Paramount that is scheduled for refit soon. They will replace the current 5 slot Rock'ola pictured above. Their refit accompanies a rewrite of the drink software, a new internal processor design, and a color version of Xdrink. Stay tuned for more details.