Inside FreshTrack Hardware

FreshTrack does not stop at the browser.

We design and manufacture custom PCB hardware, firmware, configurator tools, and local agent services that let FreshTrack Cloud talk to real shed machinery, scanners, printers, scales, NFC devices, and automation systems.

Explore the Hardware View Integrations
For the Technical People in the Room

When a machine has a signal, event, print job, weight, scan, or tag, FreshTrack can usually meet it where it is.

Many software platforms can import CSV files. FreshTrack goes deeper: local hardware interfaces, custom firmware, CAN bus devices, RS232 bridges, TCP/IP services, and a Windows agent that securely connects the shed floor to FreshTrack Cloud.

Designed in-houseFreshTrack can design the interface layer instead of waiting for a machinery vendor to expose the perfect API.
Built for shedsInputs, NFC taps, relays, printers, scales, scanners, and controllers are handled around the realities of packing and dispatch.
Cloud without fragilityCloudLink bridges local hardware and FreshTrack Cloud without requiring a traditional on-site application server.
FreshTrack Hardware Stack

The boards, tools, and services behind deep machinery integration.

Board photos and renders will be added here as they become available. The placeholders below reserve space for real PCB images without holding back the technical content.

PCB image coming soon
Digital Inputs

64-Input Concentrator

A network-connected input controller that monitors up to 64 digital inputs from buttons, sensors, triggers, or counting points, then streams state changes over Ethernet.

  • 64 digital inputs via 4x I2C GPIO expanders
  • Configurable debounce and hold-to-repeat behaviour
  • Sensor/counter mode for periodic reporting
  • UDP multicast discovery and TCP event streaming
  • EEPROM configuration persistence
ATmega328PMCP23017W5500 EthernetI2CSPI
PCB image coming soon
Central Control

Main Controller

A central hub controller for industrial monitoring, sensor input, relay output, CAN bus processing, and Ethernet communication into larger automation workflows.

  • Photoelectric and inductive sensor inputs
  • Relay outputs for controlled loads and line events
  • CAN bus message processing at 125 kbps
  • Button and counter input modes
  • Cloud service data upload path
ATmega2560MCP2515 CANW5500 EthernetCAN Bus
PCB image coming soon
Scale Bridge

NFC Emulator

A standalone weight-to-NFC bridge that reads weight data from industrial scales over serial and writes the current value to an NFC tag for phone-based reading.

  • Serial weight reception from industrial scales
  • Dynamic NFC tag content updates
  • LED state machine for operator feedback
  • Watchdog recovery and stale-data detection
  • Boot-order independent standalone operation
ATmega1284PST25DV NFCI2CSerial 19200
PCB image coming soon
Identification

NFC Reader

A high-performance NFC/RFID reader used for packer identification, label triggering, workstation capture, and daisy-chained multi-station packing environments.

  • Packer identification via NFC tag tap
  • Label printing trigger after tag read
  • Daisy-chainable via CAN bus
  • 8-byte ISO15693 UID reading
  • RGB LED and buzzer feedback
ATmega328PPN5180 NFCMCP2515 CANISO15693
Software interface coming soon
Configuration

PCB Configurator

A Windows console application for managing FreshTrack PCB devices, including discovery, firmware flashing, configuration, and real-time monitoring.

  • UDP multicast auto-discovery
  • Firmware flashing for device types
  • Device names, MAC/IP settings, and input configuration
  • USB driver management for programming workflows
  • Real-time event monitoring and test mode
C# / .NETSpectre.ConsoleAVRDUDEUDPTCP
Architecture

From shed-floor event to cloud record.

FreshTrack hardware and CloudLink allow local equipment to keep doing its job while FreshTrack captures the operational event, links it to traceability data, and makes it visible in the cloud.

Machinery & InputsScales, scanners, printers, NFC, triggers, sensors
→
FreshTrack PCB LayerConcentrator, controller, NFC reader, NFC emulator
→
CloudLink AgentLocal Windows service for TCP/IP, RS232, scanners, printers
→
FreshTrack CloudTraceability, labelling, reporting, dispatch, QA

Typical Protocols and Interfaces

UDP multicastDevice discovery
TCP/IPConfiguration and event streaming
CAN busDaisy-chained NFC readers and controller messages
RS232 serialScales, legacy devices, scanners, and local equipment
HTTPSSecure CloudLink to FreshTrack Cloud communication
NFC / ISO15693Packer ID, station events, tap-to-record workflows
Why This Matters

Deep integration changes what is practical in a produce shed.

Without a hardware layer, a cloud platform can only see what people manually enter or what another system agrees to export. FreshTrack hardware lets operational events be captured at the moment they happen: a packer taps a tag, a line trigger fires, a scale reports weight, a label prints, a scanner reads a pallet, or a grader sends a result.

That is the difference between retrospective paperwork and live operational traceability.

Less manual entryCapture line events, weights, scans, and operator IDs directly.
More legacy flexibilityBridge older or non-standard equipment instead of replacing it first.
Cleaner traceabilityConnect hardware events directly to batches, labels, pallets, dispatch, and reporting.
Better technical scopingGive IT and operations teams a credible path before implementation begins.

Have machinery, printers, scanners, or scales that need to talk to FreshTrack?

Book a technical integration walkthrough and we will scope the practical path from your equipment to FreshTrack Cloud.

Book A Demo View Integrations