# New Soda Machines



## ship (Mar 21, 2007)

So recently I saw a soda vending machine that scrolls thru like four types of soda offered.

That's a problem for me. It was backlit and I know how two images can work by way of a VVVVVVV type of image but four? Only so much room inside a soda machine for lighting much less projection, and there was no points where the machine went dark, it just kind of faded one type of drink to another. How's Zit Done? This especially since it seems to scroll from image to image no matter what direction you see the machine at and the machine has the classic curved front? Believe it was like a 7-UP machine.


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## soundlight (Mar 21, 2007)

Could it just be a single scroll that moves across the front? If they had it run across a plate of plastic that matched the curvature of the front of the machine, it would curve the scroll so that it would look like it was on the front of the machine.


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## ship (Mar 21, 2007)

nope, not a scroller as a theory. Perhaps LED? It was more that kind of fade or as per a fade between images such as you would see with a VVVVV type thing only with at least four. A scroller also would require a more flat surface with larger side panels to hold the rollers without blocking the light output. this was a normal soda machine with only like a 1" box frame around the curved image.


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## soundlight (Mar 21, 2007)

If soda machine companies have enough money to put LED screens in them, more people need to rob soda machines.

NO, just kidding, but I think it would be kinda crazy to have an RGB LED screen in a soda machine.


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## ship (Mar 22, 2007)

Crazy yes, but I cannot figure out otherwise what it could be. Wolf... where are you my bud? Seen it yet? I'll try to take a photo.

On the other hand, hanging about in our shop at the moment is some demo fixtures I believe by Robe. Something like a wall of 24" square panels one style frosted, the other clear... darned is that not a really cool effect - each of them. Don't know if it's LED panels or what but they do look really cool as if video wall and similar but just a wee bit less graphic close up as per this soda machine was.

Haas nobody else noted such machines?


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## Van (Mar 22, 2007)

Wow, we ain't got such new fangled soda machines out here yet. Y'all folks in the windy city is privledged !


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## ship (Mar 22, 2007)

I don't live in the city any longer... no longer have to duck to the floor at night as a gang fight takes place outside my window.

Travel about one mile in any direction and it's 100% corn field these days. New fangled... I know what various LED manufacturers present to me, it is not on this level as it were as the soda machine by way of simple package.


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## jonhirsh (Mar 22, 2007)

Ship it is possible to have more then two sided periactoids.

But due to the nature of these machines i would be almost positive that it would not be. Longevity and maintaince would be a factor. The fact that it has more moving parts is an issue. I would agree that it could be an LCD screen. Led's are to expensive and dont not have an great resolution especialy close up. 

JH


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## gafftaper (Mar 22, 2007)

Wow Van, You've got machines that give you sody pop down there in Portland. Up here we still go down to the five and dime and the jerk draws you a nice tall cool one.


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## Chris15 (Mar 22, 2007)

My guess would be on an LCD screen, like the ones they put in colour mobile phones...


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## Van (Mar 22, 2007)

Man I really want to see one of these machine now. It's not like the old corugated clear plastic with striped array picture running behind it ?


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## ship (Mar 23, 2007)

Yup? not the description but my own interest also - and what such technology off a soda machine could mean for our industry. This much less the brain storming from LED's not being graphic enough, to scrollers not really working well with a curved front etc. I'll stop by, take a photo and post it. This soda machine is fascinating in a how is it done type of way. At least four types of product offered scrolls as it were between images with a fade, yet it's a really good image and a rounded surface to it's front. You can also clearly see it from the front or sides just as well.

The scrolling is very smooth - as if it were the VVV type images or that of the rated R pens that if you turn it up side down reveal....

Say, further question, how do them pens work?


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## SHARYNF (Mar 23, 2007)

I don't know if this is what the machine uses, since I have not seen the exact soda vendor, but there is a whole line of flexlble lcd displays that use a flexible plastic substrate, so having them curved is no problem at all.

I was in Japan a while back for some meetings on lcd technology, and I was shown a lcd display that rolled up like a shade, there was a small version that could fit into a space about the size of a pen, and you simply pulled it out, unrolling it when you wanted to view the image.

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/47553.html

Fujitsu also showed what they call electronic paper, again flexible lcd display

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,121828-page,1/article.html

This MIGHT be the underlying technology. Vending machines are very expensive, ad revenue is a main subsidy and they are extremely profitable, so using a really advanced technology for a "wow" factor is not out of the question
Sharyn


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## Foxinabox10 (Mar 23, 2007)

SHARYNF said:


> Vending machines are very expensive, ad revenue is a main subsidy and they are extremely profitable, so using a really advanced technology for a "wow" factor is not out of the question



Most Coca-Cola vending machines (even the ones with the glass face and the arm that goes and picks up the drink) are between $3000 and $5000. They make their money back very fast and traditionally pay off a machine in less than a year. The product that goes inside the machine is very cheap to make, so the mark-up is very high.


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## DarSax (Mar 23, 2007)

I've heard of OLED screens that are so thin, cheap, and simple, they've thought of putting them on cereal boxes O.O


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## wolf825 (Mar 24, 2007)

ship said:


> Crazy yes, but I cannot figure out otherwise what it could be. Wolf... where are you my bud? Seen it yet? I'll try to take a photo.
> On the other hand, hanging about in our shop at the moment is some demo fixtures I believe by Robe. Something like a wall of 24" square panels one style frosted, the other clear... darned is that not a really cool effect - each of them. Don't know if it's LED panels or what but they do look really cool as if video wall and similar but just a wee bit less graphic close up as per this soda machine was.
> Haas nobody else noted such machines?




I'm here my friend...  

Hmm...interesting soda machine..could be LCD or LED....or maybe plasma...would have to see it to figure it out.. I have also heard the newest cutting edge stuff is Carbon Nanotube type "flex screens"...it is being tested for pictures and newspapers--instead of getting a newspaper you have a paperlike "scroll" you pull apart and the material in the middle is chock full of carbon nanotubes in this flexible plastic paper like stuff which can scroll text and graphics like you would see on a computer screen.. 

-w


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## ship (Mar 27, 2007)

Ah' there is an old time buddy, e-mail me, how ya doing? ... and the concepts of how to do a really cool soda machine move on.... simple concept that gets really complex in what does directly relate to the future to the theater.


wolf825 said:


> I'm here my friend...
> Hmm...interesting soda machine..could be LCD or LED....or maybe plasma...would have to see it to figure it out.. I have also heard the newest cutting edge stuff is Carbon Nanotube type "flex screens"...it is being tested for pictures and newspapers--instead of getting a newspaper you have a paperlike "scroll" you pull apart and the material in the middle is chock full of carbon nanotubes in this flexible plastic paper like stuff which can scroll text and graphics like you would see on a computer screen..
> -w


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## highschooltech (Mar 27, 2007)

I think that we need a picture if at all possible


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## bdesmond (Mar 30, 2007)

ship said:


> I don't live in the city any longer... no longer have to duck to the floor at night as a gang fight takes place outside my window.



Haven't had to do that anymore though I saw some pretty rough places when I was at CPS that looked like you might just need to do that.

I gotta go a bit of a ways to see a cornfield.


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## bdesmond (Mar 30, 2007)

ship said:


> On the other hand, hanging about in our shop at the moment is some demo fixtures I believe by Robe. Something like a wall of 24" square panels one style frosted, the other clear... darned is that not a really cool effect - each of them. Don't know if it's LED panels or what but they do look really cool as if video wall and similar but just a wee bit less graphic close up as per this soda machine was.



Like the video towers at Millenium Park?


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## avkid (Mar 30, 2007)

ship said:


> no longer have to duck to the floor at night as a gang fight takes place outside my window.



Lately we have begun to believe it won't be long before we are doing that regularly. Opening a night club in a declining neighborhood is almost never a good idea.


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## ship (Mar 30, 2007)

Soda machine attached - hopefully.

Seemingly it's some form of convex half hex tripple image. Between these two off center soda bottles is a on-center orange drink. Only three images.

Still don't know how they work given it's not a VVV image, more a \_/\_/\_/ image I'm thinking -but must be really small in the groves because all you have to do is move a few feet and you have a new image.


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## Foxinabox10 (Mar 31, 2007)

I think this is a lot simpler than we've been thinking. I'm pretty sure this is just a giant hologram. They can bend pretty easily to assume the shape of the front.


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## taylorjacobs (Apr 1, 2007)

does it change when you move or does just change over time because fomr the picture i think fox is right it looks alot like a hologram


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## ship (Apr 2, 2007)

changes as you move as if some form of micro \_/ shape to the three images.


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## avkid (Apr 3, 2007)

Hologram definitely.


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