MDB 4.3, EPS v2, EVA-DTS explained: Which standards does your vending machine really need?

Eighty-five per cent of Europe's vending machines were cashless-equipped in 2024, compared with 58 per cent in 2019, according to the EVA Market Report 2025. This 27-percentage-point jump in five years rests on a technical foundation: three protocols that determine whether a payment terminal works at a vending machine, whether sales data flows automatically into the back office, and whether an operator can participate in a public tender. Anyone deploying a payment terminal, purchasing a new vending machine, or rolling out a telemetry system today encounters the acronyms MDB 4.3, EVA-DTS 6.2.2 and EPS v2 in specifications and supplier contracts.

This guide explains what each protocol governs, which version is currently binding, where the documents are available free of charge, and which combination suits different operator sizes. For operators with fewer than ten machines, MDB 4.3 plus an EPS-certified payment terminal is sufficient. From 20 machines upward, EVA-DTS justifies the investment for automated inventory reporting. From 50 machines upward, BDV001 becomes relevant when sites are tendered in Germany.

Last updated: 2026-09-24.

What is Multi-Drop Bus (MDB)?

Multi-Drop Bus originated between 1988 and 1992 as a proprietary protocol of US-based CoinCo Corporation. From 1992 onward, it was released as an open standard; in 1995, the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) assumed its stewardship. Since then, MDB has been the de facto global standard for internal vending machine communication.

The protocol operates at 9,600 baud over a 9-bit UART. Bus voltage is nominally 34 VDC, within the permissible range of 20 to 42.5 volts; in practice often 24 volts. The physical connection uses a 6-pin connector. Over this bus, the vending machine controller (VMC) communicates with up to nine device classes: coin changer, banknote validator, primary and secondary cashless device, display, energy management system, coin hopper and age verification device.

Because no manufacturer reinvents the bus, operators can combine components from different manufacturers. This requires that all devices implement the same MDB version. The specification is available as a free download from namanow.org without registration.

MDB Version 4.3: Section 7 only, but critical

Version 4.2 appeared in 2011. Eight years later, NAMA published Version 4.3 on 22 August 2019, the first revision in eight years according to Vending Times. The changes are narrowly scoped: only Section 7 (Cashless Devices) was revised; all other sections are identical to v4.2.

Section 7 in Version 4.3 defines how EMV Level 3-certified contactless payment terminals communicate over the bus and how NFC transactions are processed. A terminal conforming to EPS v2 must implement MDB 4.3 Section 7 to be compatible with the vending machine. Older terminals following MDB 4.2 do not support mobile wallet transactions over the bus (resulting from the scope of changes in Section 7; not independently confirmed as a complete block).

The 15-member NAMA committee that developed MDB 4.3 included, alongside US companies, an EVA representative: Vladimir Lopatin from the Uvenco Group. Chairs were held by Bob Ross (Ellenby Technologies) and Scott Hudis (Fawn Engineering). This international composition ensures that MDB 4.3 explicitly applies to the European market as well.

Practical consequence: Anyone purchasing a new payment terminal today should obtain written confirmation that the terminal implements MDB 4.3 Section 7. Version mismatch between terminal and vending machine is the most common cause of incompatibility in retrofit installations.

EVA-DTS 6.2.2: Sales data transmitted to standard

DTS stands for Data Transfer Standard. The European Vending & Coffee Service Association (EVA) publishes this standard and defines the format in which a vending machine transmits sales data to the operator's back office system: individual vends, inventory levels, operational events, error codes. Version 6.2.1 was released on 17 July 2018; Version 6.2.2 on 9 January 2019. Both are in use; 6.2.2 is the reference for new implementations.

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EVA-DTS also includes a manufacturer-specific code list that tells the back office system what type of vending machine it is. This allows mixed fleets of different manufacturers' machines to be managed in a single administration system.

Without DTS: A technician opens the machine, reads counters, enters values manually into the back office system. With 20 machines visited weekly and 15 minutes per machine for reading and data entry (typical), this yields a weekly effort of 5 hours for data capture alone. Annualized over 50 working weeks: 250 hours per year (20 × 15 min × 50 weeks / 60) for a task that DTS telemetry automates.

With DTS: Data flows automatically into the back office system via a telemetry unit (GPRS, LTE or wired). The technician drives to restock, not to read counters.

The BDV lists EVA-DTS 6.2.2 as a recommendation for German operators deploying telemetry systems. The download is available after free registration on vending-europe.eu for EVA members and members of national associations such as the BDV.

EPS v2: Contactless payment to European standard

EPS stands for Electronic Payment Specification. Before the EVA introduced this standard, payment terminal manufacturers used proprietary protocols: a terminal from Provider A would not work on a vending machine from Manufacturer B without specific customization. The EVA published Version 2 in February 2020 as the first comprehensive specification for modern contactless vending machine payment. Version 2.1 followed in November 2022.

EPS v2 is divided into two volumes. Volume 1 governs mechanical requirements: installation dimensions, cutout sizes, cable routing and tolerances. Volume 2 governs communication protocols: how the terminal and VMC communicate via MDB 4.3 Section 7, which transaction messages are defined, and how error states are handled.

Payment methods covered according to the EVA press release: NFC (contactless card), mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay and comparable services), contact card (EMV) and app-based payment.

A payment terminal certified to EPS v2 can be deployed at any MDB 4.3-compatible vending machine regardless of the machine manufacturer. Proprietary terminals lock the operator into a single payment processor and complicate later migration. Sixty-five per cent of cashless systems deployed in Europe in 2024 use open-site payment methods (card, mobile, pay-by-app), according to the EVA Market Report 2025. An EPS-compliant terminal is the technical prerequisite for this channel.

EPS v2.1 and compliance certification

From v2.1 onward, compliance certification is linked to membership in the EVA or a national association. Anyone who wishes to certify a terminal as EPS v2.1-compliant in a tender requests the certification process through the EVA or the BDV. The EVA Self-Certification Register lists all reviewed terminals publicly and is accessible without registration.

BDV001: The German supplementary standard

The Bundesverband der Deutschen Vending-Automatenwirtschaft (BDV) has issued BDV001 as its own industry specification. BDV001 supplements EVA standards with requirements specific to the German market: data protection requirements under GDPR, industry-specific interoperability rules, and requirements from works agreements at corporate sites.

BDV001 does not replace EVA-DTS, EPS and MDB. Operators who place machines in German corporate environments or participate in public tenders in Germany should plan BDV001 as an additional document. The document is available directly from the BDV.

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Which standards do I really need? Three scenarios

Scenario 1: Small operator, 1 to 10 machines

Minimum requirement: MDB 4.3 for every new vending machine and every new terminal. EPS v2, if contactless payment is to be offered. EVA-DTS is optional at this device count: the effort for manual counter reading is less than two hours per week, which does not yet justify the investment in a DTS telemetry system.

First step: obtain written confirmation of the MDB version from the vending machine manufacturer before ordering a terminal. Section 7 in Version 4.3 is the critical checkpoint for mobile wallet compatibility.

Scenario 2: Mid-size operator, 11 to 50 machines

Required: MDB 4.3, EPS v2, EVA-DTS 6.2.2. With 20 or more machines visited weekly, the effort for manual counter reading amounts to approximately 250 hours per year (20 machines × 15 min/visit × 50 weeks, typical). DTS telemetry automates this task completely. At the same time, DTS improves inventory accuracy: stockouts and unnecessary empty runs are reduced on the basis of real sales data.

Recommendation: When purchasing new equipment, buy only DTS 6.2.2-certified telemetry units. Retrofit existing legacy machines without DTS gradually when maintenance work is already required.

Scenario 3: Large operator, more than 50 machines

Complete stack: MDB 4.3, EPS v2.1 (compliance evidence required via EVA Self-Certification Register), EVA-DTS 6.2.2, BDV001 for DACH sites. Public tenders and corporate specifications increasingly demand proof of EPS compliance. Operators unable to provide this evidence are eliminated in the bidding phase.

EVA or BDV membership is practically mandatory at this scale for compliance access.

Where documents are available free of charge

Entry without association membership is possible: MDB 4.3 is sufficient for basic technical implementation; the download requires no barriers. For EVA-DTS and EPS v2, free registration at vending-europe.eu is enough. Only EPS compliance certification from v2.1 onward requires active membership.

Checklist: Standards compliance in 7 steps

This checklist is suitable for operators purchasing a new vending machine, retrofitting a terminal, or deploying a telemetry system.

• [ ] Check MDB version: Obtain written confirmation of the vending machine manufacturer's MDB version. Section 7 in Version 4.3 is the critical checkpoint for mobile wallet payment.
• [ ] Check EPS certification: Verify the payment terminal conforms to EPS v2 (minimum) or EPS v2.1 (for tenders). Check the EVA Self-Certification Register for the terminal entry.
• [ ] Download MDB specification: Download MDB 4.3 full text from namanow.org and cross-check with the terminal manufacturer's specification.
• [ ] Check back office compatibility (from 20 machines upward): Verify the back office system conforms to EVA-DTS 6.2.2. Request certification documentation from the telemetry provider.
• [ ] Download EVA documents: Download EVA-DTS 6.2.2 and EPS v2 after free registration at vending-europe.eu.
• [ ] Request BDV001 (DACH sites): Request BDV001 requirements directly from the BDV at bdv-vending.de.
• [ ] Obtain compliance evidence (for tenders): Request EPS compliance evidence through the EVA or BDV; verify entry in the Self-Certification Register.