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Kiosk laptop guide

The kiosk laptop is the computer that sits next to your laser engraver on race day: it fetches paid orders from the partner portal and sends the engraving to the laser.

1

What the kiosk laptop actually does

While athletes order their medal on their phone via the website, a small program — the operator dashboard — runs on the laptop next to your laser. That program constantly checks for new, paid orders, and lets you view, check and engrave them with one click.

This laptop needs to be connected to your laser engraver, and it needs to be powered on while you engrave.

2

Installing

You'll receive an installer file (MedalKioskSetup-vX.Y.Z.exe). Double-click it and go through the wizard:

  1. Installation happens automatically in the background (all required software is installed along with it) — this also works without an internet connection.
  2. The technical admin panel (not needed for day-to-day use of the kiosk itself) starts with username admin and password admin. The system automatically prompts to change this password the first time you log in.
  3. You can optionally choose whether a desktop shortcut is created, and whether the kiosk starts automatically when the laptop powers on.
  4. After installation you'll find the Medal Kiosk shortcut (to start it) and Reset password on the desktop and/or in the Start menu.

See the full install process with screenshots →

3

Connecting to your event

Start the kiosk via the Medal Kiosk shortcut. This automatically opens a browser window with the operator dashboard.

The first time, you need to connect the kiosk to your account and your event:

  1. Go to the connection page in the dashboard.
  2. Paste your personal API token — you'll find it in the partner portal under Account Settings → Kiosk connection (see also the partner portal guide).
  3. Choose the event this laptop should fetch orders for from the list.

Want to connect a different laptop later, or have the same laptop work on a different event? Just repeat these steps — you can switch events at any time via the event picker at the top of the dashboard.

The kiosk's connection page with API token and event picker

See these steps with screenshots →

4

Day-to-day use

The operator dashboard shows a list of incoming orders. For every new (paid) order:

  1. Click Engrave to start the engraving — you'll first see a preview (trace) on the laser, and can only then actually confirm to engrave.
  2. Does this event have more than one medal linked (e.g. a different medal per distance)? The kiosk picks the right one itself based on the athlete's distance — click Edit on the order to check or override this per case.
  3. Already engraved but want to engrave the medal again anyway (e.g. a mistake on the medal itself)? Use the Re-laser button — this puts the order back in the queue without using an extra credit.
  4. At the top you'll see an Online/Stale status and a Sync now button to check for new orders immediately, instead of waiting for the automatic check.

Orders that are already completed stay visible in a separate ("Completed") list, so you can look up at any time who already got which medal, and re-laser if needed.

The operator dashboard with incoming orders, one engraving and one completed order
5

Positioning and fine-tuning the medal

Under Medal Config, besides shape/text/laser (normally synced from the partner portal — see "Override settings" at the top if you still want to deviate locally on the kiosk itself), you also set the medal's orientation: how exactly the medal sits, rotated, in the laser, in the live preview on the right.

The arrow buttons left and right of the orientation field rotate the medal in 45° steps; the number in between can also be typed directly, or fine-tuned degree by degree with the keyboard arrow keys, for an engraving that lines up perfectly with a medal already engraved or physically placed on the laser bed — without the page reloading, so you never lose an alignment you're checking against a photo.

The medal configuration page with the orientation field: 45° buttons and a typeable degree value
6

Race-day checklist

Run through this list before you engrave the first order of the day:

  • Laptop and laser engraver connected and switched on; internet connection checked.
  • Kiosk started via the Medal Kiosk shortcut.
  • Correct event selected — the name and date at the top of the operator dashboard are right.
  • Status shows Online, not Stale — if not, click Sync now.
  • Under Medal Config: the right medal is active (when several medals are linked) and the orientation has been checked.
  • Trace outline run on a test piece to check the positioning.
  • Test engrave run on a test piece — this uses no credits and is not reported anywhere.
  • Confirmed that a new test order actually shows up on the dashboard (use Sync now if needed).
  • Only then: go live for real participants.
Important

Repeat this check on every race day, even if the same laptop and laser worked fine last time — a small knock to the laser or a changed medal is enough to shift the positioning.

7

Troubleshooting

For each problem: the most likely cause, what to check first, and the fix.

Forgot the admin panel password

Cause
You no longer know the default password (admin/admin) or the password you chose afterwards.
Check
The Reset password shortcut is on the desktop and/or in the Start menu.
Fix
Use that shortcut — it simply asks for a new password twice, without needing the old one.

Kiosk shows "Stale" instead of "Online"

Cause
The kiosk has recently failed to reach the partner portal.
Check
The laptop's internet connection.
Fix
Click Sync now on the dashboard. If that does not help, also check the next two items (API token and selected event).

Orders are not coming in, or the API token is rejected when connecting

Cause
A wrong, expired or regenerated API token (generating a new token in Account Settings immediately invalidates the previous one), or no event has been selected yet.
Check
The error message on the Platform connection page: "Could not reach the Frontend with this token" (wrong token) or "No event selected yet" (no event chosen).
Fix
Copy the token again, exactly, from Account Settings → Kiosk connection in the partner portal (watch out for spaces), paste it again, then choose the event.

Order shows "already being processed on [other kiosk]"

Cause
Another kiosk connected to the same event is already handling this order — this is the built-in protection against double engraving, not an error.
Check
The message shows the name of that other kiosk.
Fix
Let that kiosk finish the order, or resolve the problem there if that kiosk is stuck.

Wrong event or wrong medal selected

Cause
This laptop is still connected to a different event, or — with several linked medals — the kiosk did not pick the medal you expected.
Check
The event name at the top of the dashboard; for an order with several possible medals, the medal shown on that order row.
Fix
Switch events at any time via the connection page; override the chosen medal per order via Edit.

Laser does not respond, or the trace/preview works but the actual engraving does not

Cause
The laser is not connected or is switched off, or the settings for the actual engraving (power/speed/number of passes) differ from those of the preview trace.
Check
The laser's USB connection and power supply; the laser settings under Medal Config (Laser tab).
Fix
Reconnect/restart the laser and check the settings. If an engraving is completely stuck, use Abort — if even that fails, the laser itself needs a physical check.

Engraving is positioned wrongly on the medal

Cause
The configured medal orientation does not match how the medal blank physically sits in the laser.
Check
Compare the live preview with the actual position of the medal on the laser bed; use Trace outline to verify this without engraving.
Fix
Adjust the orientation with the 45° buttons or the typed degree value (see the previous section). If a medal has already been engraved wrongly, use Re-laser to engrave it again — this uses no extra credit.

Still stuck after the steps above? Get in touch — for urgent problems on race day we can also take a look remotely.

8

Updating to a new version

Installing a new version works exactly the same way as the first install: double-click the new installer file. Existing data (your medal setup, history) is always kept — an update only overwrites the software itself, never your data.