The Founders' Vault

Initial Situation

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In 2019, SEADEV Studios embarked on one of its most exciting and challenging projects: The Spirit Vault at The Founders Vault hotel, located at Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming. The Spirit Vault holds an exclusive collection of over 200 high-end spirits, each secured in its own small vault within the hotel bar. Our role was to design and implement a sophisticated access control system to manage these vaults, blending advanced hardware and software to create a seamless user experience.

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Our Solution

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Partnering with Makerspace Graz, we developed custom hardware to interface with the existing electronic locks, a complex task that required adapting to the locks while maintaining a highly reliable system. We employed a One-Wire Bus for both communication and power distribution across all devices. The circular bus design was essential for ensuring that the system remained operational, even if a device encountered an issue, thus offering redundancy. Powering the devices through the bus streamlined the installation, although managing the high initial power demands posed an engineering challenge we were proud to overcome.

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Technological Approach

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The heart of the system lies in its custom software, which integrates with the hardware to provide a highly functional and intuitive interface. A key feature is the card reader system, which allows hotel staff to sign in and gain access to the vaults with their individual cards, tracking each opening and significantly simplifying monthly inventory checks. The system provides a comprehensive overview of all stored spirits, enabling users to browse the collection and filter by attributes such as spirit type, age, or rarity. Upon selection, the corresponding vault opens automatically, offering guests an engaging and exclusive experience.

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Our team traveled to Wyoming in May 2019 to complete the on-site installation, both hardware and software, within a week. The solution's durability speaks for itself; since installation, the system has operated flawlessly, requiring zero maintenance or support, proving the success of our robust, integrated hardware design.

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This project was a milestone for SEADEV Studios, as it marked our first venture into hardware development, working with embedded devices in conjunction with our established software expertise. The collaboration between our team and our hardware partners allowed us to deliver a product that exceeded expectations, blending innovation with reliability in a truly unique setting. We are extremely proud of the result and grateful for the opportunity to create something extraordinary for our client at The Spirit Vault.

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