Pole Display - Solution!

Jonathan Simpson · Post by **Jonathan Simpson** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 9:40 am

After talking about this last night with Dale, I put together a little program that sends the stuff from the file to the serial port. I am working on that now, but may need to work out some issues with Dale. At the moment, it takes configuration on startup, so you have to set the port and port settings every time you run it, but it does appear to work.

Jonathan Simpson

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 4:43 pm

Brilliant!!

ive just downloaded the version that has the pole display included and i dont see any problems with it, but how can you make a program that will make the pole display to work?

when you have made a BETA version let me know and i will try it out for you, i have a pole diplay waiting to be used!

good luck

Pete

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 7:15 pm

What model is the PD? Better yet, if you know where I can get a manual for it, it would be appreciated. The more info on the things, the better.

Jonathan Simpson

Post by **Andrew** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 11:53 pm

When the register is locked, perhaps the pole display could read something like:

Code: Select all

This register is Closed

(At work ours say "This Lane is Closed" but this is a bit more oriented towards checkouts)

Perhaps when waiting at a blank sale - they could say:

Code: Select all

Next customer please...

Just some user-friendly ideas.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Mar 19, 2004 3:18 am

And also
For a idea

you can have a message the scrol across the display
like

Welcome To KROGER

Dale Harris · Post by **Dale Harris** » Fri Mar 19, 2004 12:53 pm

Barry,

I have made a change in that the second line will be aligned to the right.

Code: Select all

COLOR KEY ONE SIDE
     2 x 2.79 = 5.58

Also if the second line is too long everything to the right of the equal sign will be dropped

Code: Select all

TRANSPONDER KEY
          125 X 29.99

I did not add the option to have only the price show up when only one piece is sold because I wanted to let the customer know that he was only being charged for one.

I did not add the count if items because the program does not count total items.

I did not add Andrew suggestion of having the pole display state that the "Register is closed" when it is locked because there are many reasons that the register is locked but it is not closed.

I am not going to have scrolling messages because that would use up programming code space which is getting really, really tight.

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Fri Mar 19, 2004 4:11 pm

Jonathan wrote:What model is the PD? Better yet, if you know where I can get a manual for it, it would be appreciated. The more info on the things, the better.

Jonathan Simpson

Right here goes!

Model: CD5220/CD6220
Vacuum Fluorescent Customer Display

mine is CD5220

ill have to email you the manual, is there a contact email address?

patrick · Post by **patrick** » Fri Mar 19, 2004 5:29 pm

Jonathan Simpson wrote:After talking about this last night with Dale, I put together a little program that sends the stuff from the file to the serial port. I am working on that now, but may need to work out some issues with Dale. At the moment, it takes configuration on startup, so you have to set the port and port settings every time you run it, but it does appear to work.

Jonathan Simpson

Hi! I got a Poledisplaywith Parallel interface.. Hmm..

/Patrick Andersson

Chas · Post by **Chas** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 12:18 am

Hey JS,
I have some settings that may help you configure your program!!

9600,n,8,1 This is for a serial port Logic controls PD3000 Display.

Chas

Chas · Post by **Chas** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 12:40 am

Dale, I was thinking that maybe when you exited out of POS it could send a command to the pole.dat, in between customers you can have another command sent like after a sale is completed. Each store is differant so if there was a place to enter this into POSconfig each store could type in their own statements to be displayed.

Examples :

In between customers:

** THANK YOU **
** COME AGAIN **

Exit POS:

SORRY LANE *CLOSED*
PLEASE USE NEXT LANE

BH · Post by BH » Sat Mar 20, 2004 2:43 am

Dale Harris wrote: Also if the second line is too long everything to the right of the equal sign will be dropped
Code: Select all
TRANSPONDER KEY
          125 X 29.99

It could be better to find the total price, rather than a mathematical sum.

honestly, I don't think anyone would buy in a one type of item which would be more 20 characters for the calculation.

Facts:
Max Quantity per line: 999
Max Item price: 9 999.99
Max Line Total: 9989990.01

It might be easier if the qty would be inserted at the top row.
And the Item Price and Total on the bottom.

Code: Select all

50 25KG PEBBLE STONE
@ 8.43        421.50

If we do that the maximum no of characters we lose on the top row is 4 (### plus the space), which is insignificate as:

- some description may not always take the full 20 lines
- people understand the description, even if there is 18 or 19 characters.
- you can make description compact eg:
"LIGHT ORANGE FRUIT DRINK"
"LITE ORG FRT DRNK"

With that considered, there would be a full 20 characters for the totals.

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576 17FT YACHT
6549.50ea  668409.00

using something like

Code: Select all

### ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP
####.##ea  ######.##

Chas · Post by **Chas** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 4:53 am

How about

00000000000000000000
FRIED GRN TOMATOES
1.69
00000000000000000000

or

00000000000000000000
FRIED GRN TOMATOES
1.69
00000000000000000000

to keep it simple. each store is differant and uses differant weighing or qty methods. If you put the .ea in there some stores sell by weight so how would you know if it was QTY, EA or by LB?? All that is on the slip and on the screen anyhow. How do you fit it all on the Pole Display when there are only 20 characters.

00000000000000000000
FRIED GRN TOMATOES
25.33 @ 17.99 EA 455.68 running out of room
00000000000000000000

Chas · Post by **Chas** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 4:58 am

The second price was supposed to be on the RT!!

00000000000000000000
FRIED GRN TOMATOES
1.69
00000000000000000000
000
000
000
000
0

Chas · Post by **Chas** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 5:00 am

Errr its not working!! Things arent lining up on here oh well.

CBL · Post by **CBL** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 5:24 am

I think that the program that sends the data out to the display should be able to cover some of the points mentioned here (eg. send the control characters to scroll a message), and also (to some degree) to customise the output to the display. I'm working on a program to use a second monitor as a customer display. When POS dumps data to the POLE.DAT file, it will keep the key information, but will change it to what we want.

Eg. - POS.DAT:
SERVING YOU IS...
Joe Bloggs

The program would display:
Hello, I'm Joe Bloggs

Or POS.DAT:
WELCOME TO
Bloggs' MiniMart

The program would display:
Good morning!
Welcome to Bloggs' MiniMart.
Next lane please.

Pretty bad example, I know, but the same principle can be applied to a traditional pole display.

Basically - I think it would be fine for POS to dump only key information to POLE.DAT

DHES

Pole Display - Solution!

Suggestion

Settings for Logic Controls PD3000

More settings!

BH

Simple is better

I did that wrong!!

Forget it

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