What is PC Based EPOS?

PC Based EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) uses a standard personal computer and epos peripherals to to provide all you need to have a complete epos hardware solution, add the epos software and you are ready to go.

Tip - Decide on your software first, make sure it does eveything you need then buy the necessary hardware. EPOS Software suppliers sometimes also sell hardware but not at prices like ours. We deal with all the major EPOS manufacturers so if can not find what you need call 0845 6447809 for a price.

In years gone by (and some today) manufacturers made proprietary pos hardware that connected together using proprietary communications, this made adding peripherals from other manufacturers very expensive, as often a special interface would be required. More recently purpose built epos peripherals such as reciept printers, customer displays and barcode scanners have become available using standard interfaces found on most personal computers. See below for how the cash drawer connects.

How do I open the cash drawer? What is DKD?

Using Epson printers as an example:
On a standard PC there is no standard port that will provide the necessary current to open a cash drawer (uses a solenoid), this is overcome by using a port on the receipt printer, the drawer kick out device or DKD. You simply plug the cash drawer in to the printer DKD port and send the printer the necessary command to open the drawer (this is usually set in the epos software you are using) the printer then opens the cash drawer. The command to send is usually in the form of an Escape Sequence,

Drawer Open ESC p m t1 t2:
Where
ESC p is the drawer kick command
m is the DK connector pin to output control signals ( Pin2 or Pin5 )
t1 is the ON time of the drawer kick signal. The ON time is 2mS x t1 value.
t2 is the OFF time of the drawer kick signal ( time before the next ON signal can be received ) The OFF time is 2mS x t2 value.

e.g.
Chr(&H1B) + "p" + Chr(&H0) + Chr(&H64) + Chr(&H64)
or
Decimal: 27,112,0,25,250 typical values

The easiest way to open the cash drawer for testing purposes or if you are writing your own application is to use the Windows driver:- Open printer driver properties and click printing preferences, then document settings, highlight cash drawer in the box and more drop down menus should appear, choose your required operation.

You can also use the Epson control font, this is loaded when you install the Epson TM printer driver. The control font enables you to use a windows word processor document to control the printer functions, please download example to test your printer and cash drawer

for more common Epson questions and answers please see Epson Questions and answers

Help - which Interface do I need?

Keyboard wedge or Serial, RS232 or Parallel, Ethernet or USB? Lets start with the common ports found on most PCs:

If your putting an EPOS System together decide on your EPOS Software first, and use the recommended hardware. Most software will still allow you to use the different ports on your PC to connect your peripherals.

Find out what ports you have available on your PC. Most PCs only have one printer port - parallel - so if you want to print reports this will be used to connect to your report printer, this means you will have to use another port to connect to your receipt printer - you can use one of the serial ports. If your report printer uses the USB port you can use the parallel port for the receipt printer. Barcode scanners can be connected in various ways but this is dependent on your software, as the software has to be continually looking at the port the scanner is connected to. The easiest way to connect the barcode scanner is by using a Keyboard Wedge or a USB type, see below.

What is a Keyboard Wedge interface?

Its a simple way of allowing barcode scanning with any software that allows keyboard entries! that includes not only EPOS software but almost all software, including your Windows applications and your old DOS programs. It connects to the PC using the existing keyboard port, you simply unplug the keyboard, plug in your scanner then reconnect your keyboard to the adapter supplied with the barcode scanner. The keyboard wedge works by sending the same keyboard codes just as if you had typed them - with no errors, and you can use the keyboard as you would normally.

What Type of Touch Screen do I Need?

There are many different types of touch screen technologies available, for example - resistive, surface wave, capacitive infra red etc. For a detailed decription of each type there is more information on the ELO website

Have you got a question or an EPOS problem? use the contact us form on the left.