Shaken or Stirred: Touchscreen mixes a Cocktail

Pecomix stands for PErfect COcktail MIXer and refers to an original machine that is right at home at private parties as well as in restaurants and companies. Customers can select their favorite drink from a wide range of cocktail recipes and enter their order directly in the machine. The electronic barkeeper is easy to use and makes quality cocktails at any time – day or night. Some 100 recipes are preinstalled as standard and are listed in the virtual drinks menu on the display, which interfaces directly with the internal mixing and shaking equipment to make the cocktail.

Electronic Assembly's touch panel display, internally designated the EA eDIP320B-8LWTP, forms the backbone of the operating concept employed by the computer-controlled bartender. The screen measures 5.7 (14.5 cm) in the diagonal and presents the drinks menu using 320 x 240-pixel resolution. The display used for the Pecomix gracefully replaces the combination switch-operated mechanism initially planned by the device manufacturer.

The attractive appearance and intuitive nature of a touch panel screen were not the only things that persuaded engineers to go with a display from Electronic Assembly, however. The ease with which the display could be programmed also impressed, thanks to on-board intelligence and a high-level language command structure that greatly facilitated integration with the machine. Other features such as standardized interfaces (SPI, I²C, RS 232) and the powerful but straightforward programming environment played a key role in drastically reducing development time and development costs. The exceptionally good availability of the display, which is offered by many distributors and directly by the manufacturer, likewise helped expedite the launch of the cocktail mixer.

The EA eDIP320B-8LWTP is a member of the proven eDIP product family from Electronic Assembly and comes with on-board intelligence and its own memory. The family is also known for its command language, which can be quickly learned and used for a variety of tasks, as well as versatility that results from providing consistent support of industry standards.