Drawer CLOSED code

[Reed]

I thought of something that may be convienient...might be something to consider for future versions:

Most cash drawers can tell printers when they are open or closed, and thus printers can relay drawer status to the PC. On other systems I've worked on, the sales screen clears for the next sale when the drawer is closed, instead of hitting return as in DHPOS.

Might this be possible to implement?

[Dale Harris]

Reed,

Since the open drawer code is different on most printer models why do I think that the close drawer code that the printer sends back to the computer (assuming that any code is sent at all) would also be different for each printer model?

And I do not even want to think about serial cash drawers.

[RollerBall]

The cash drawers that are activated through a printer RJ11 port can't do that kind of thing. How they work is that DHPOS sends a pulse to the printer which is a signal for it to send a small current via the RJ11 connection to the drawer. This in turn activates a solenoid in the drawer which opens a latch at the back of the drawer. Because the drawer is pushed up against a small coiled spring when closed, it pops out on runners.

It's all pretty crude but very effective. The drawer HAS to be closed by hand to re-engage the latch and re-compress the spring for the next time. There's no automatic mechanism in there at all to do the job.

Might be different in the 'fully integrated' cash register EPOS systems you often see on Ebay (IBM, Epson) but DHPOS isn't really aimed at them.

[ChrisKraus]

Might be different in the 'fully integrated' cash register EPOS systems you often see on Ebay (IBM, Epson) but DHPOS isn't really aimed at them.

I'm Not Sure, But I think those would be the Serial Port drawers, which DHPOS does not support.

- Chris

[Reed]

It's all pretty crude but very effective. The drawer HAS to be closed by hand to re-engage the latch and re-compress the spring for the next time. There's no automatic mechanism in there at all to do the job.

I think you must have mis-understood. I didn't mean a mechanism to automatically close the drawe (never heard of such a thing). What I meant was, for the printer to relay drawer status to the computer...i.e. tell the computer when the drawer gets manually closed, so that it can automatically present a clean sales screen for a new sale....very common feature. We use parallel printers with printer port drawers at work (Dierbergs, on a Retailx Storeline system)...at the end of a sale, the drawer pops, and when I close it I get a new sales screen....or if I leave the drawer open for too long, it beeps at me.

[Andrew]

Reed,

I think the main point hasn't been misunderstood - just that basically there are too many variables that come into play here.

The fact of the matter is we don't have the funds and resources to investigate the umpteen million ways in which these drawers may report back to the PC, whereas the big players often are designing for a specific store/chain with a specific hardware set.

We have enough trouble here at DHPOS sourcing the codes to pop open the drawer, let alone detect when it is closed again, so I wouldn't hold my breath for this feature to find it's way in.

[RollerBall]

I think you must have mis-understood.

OK I getcha now. But still can't do it with all the common types of drawers as far as I know. Once the solenoid has popped to release the latch it reverts to a passive state so you can't use that as some kind of detector. My guess is you'd need a drawer with some kind of micro switch that is tripped when the drawer is opened by the drawer itself or by the latch until the latch is re-closed by the drawer being pushed back in.

I repaired a DigiPos drawer the other day (someone had yanked off the cash drawer lead and I resoldered it back on) and that did have a microswitch on/near the latch. So maybe that is what that is for and there are such drawers around in that case. But as Andrew said, it would be a tough job for Dale to identify them all, find out how they work and write a software add-in that would work with all of them. That's my guess anyway.

[Reed]

Good, glad to see what I was getting at...and Dale/Andrew, I see your point.