APG 484A User Manual

Model 484A SerialPRO

II Interface User’s Guide

Functional Description

The 484A SerialPRO® II Interface provides a dedicated, easy-to-use and economical RS232 serial connection to APG cash drawers. This interface will plug directly into the RS232 serial port of the host device (computer, terminal, etc.). It has diagnostic lights to assist in installation and troubleshooting.

The unique design of this dedicated interface allows you to select 4 different levels of security for the drawer opening sequence, significantly reducing the chance of unauthorized openings that result from noise associated with power up and power down of the system. The DIP switches for selecting the opening sequence are conveniently located on the bottom of the cash drawer unit near the cable exit. These DIP switches also allow for the selection of drawer status reporting location as well as other setup and diagnostic functions.

This interface is designed for standard RS232 implementations where DTR and RTS are held high while the port is open. In most situations it is powered by the serial port, eliminating the need for an external power supply. An external power supply can be used in situations where DTR and RTS are not consistently held high as is the case with Windows NT.

The interface includes a cable for connection to the serial port. As a standard product, this cable is equipped with a 9 pin female (DB9F) connector, and a 25 pin female (DB25F) to 9 pin male (DB9M) adapter cable.

I. Configuration and Use

This Guide assumes the user has some technical experience connecting computer peripherals.

1. Verify DIP switch settings are applicable to the system. The DIP switches (see Figure 1 below) on the electrical interface board are accessible from the bottom of the cash drawer unit.

2. Connect the cash drawer to the appropriate dedicated RS-232 serial COM port on the host device.

3. Open COM port and wait twelve seconds to charge drawer (first time only) before transmitting the opening sequence.

4. Open the cash drawer through the software, or refer to step 5 below.

5. Transmit a BEL character from the host to open cash drawer. See Section II and Section III for examples.

6. If cash drawer openings occur on power up/down, a higher level of noise immunity should be used. This can be done by setting DIP switch 9 and switch 10 off, switch 8 on, and send any sequence of characters, such as “UU”, that produce a minimum of 8 pulse edges. Refer to Chart #1 for more details.

Switch Settings Description

1 Diagnostic Tool

* Power Test disabled

off ON Power Test enabled (

2 Extended Security ON off RTS Disable released (

3 4 Signal Source ON off off ON Terminal operation enabled (DB9 contact 2, DB25 contact3)

FIGURE 1

5 6 7 Drawer Status

off off

off ON off CTS drawer status (DB9 contact 8, DB25 contact 5)

off ON RI drawer status (DB9 contact 9, DB25 contact 22)

8 9 10 Minimum Opening Pulse Edges off ON off off off ON Pulse window set to 1 edge ON off off Pulse window set to 8 edges

off handshaking disabled (RTS at DB9 contact 7, DB25 contact 4)

* The APG default settings are shown as bold text above.

* RTS Disable set

* PC operation enabled (DB9 contact 3, DB25 contact 2)

CTS/RTS Handshaking

handshaking enabled (

* drawer status disabled

* Pulse window set to 2 edges

Do not use until instructed

If ON, do not enable CTS drawer status

II. Cash Drawer Testing

The following examples will illustrate how to open the drawer with the original factory switch settings. If the operating system is Windows™ environment, use the DOS window for the command entry. COM1 is used throughout this example. Replace COM1 with COM2, etc., if appropriate. Type the bold letters into the computer.

NOTE: The interface operates from 600 to 19.2K baud. 9600 baud is shown only as an example. The interface is not affected by changes in parity, bit length, and stop bits. These parameters can be any setting required by the user.

A. Opening the Cash Drawer using DOS

1. Verify the switches on the cash drawer are set to the original factory settings. Refer to Figure 1 in Section I for these settings.

2. Set the Mode command, which will define the communication parameters of the serial port.

C:\>MODE COM1:9600,N,8,1 ("Enter" key)

3. Wait twelve (12) seconds before attempting to open the cash drawer the first time. The following command will transmit the BEL character (Ctrl and G keys held at the same time) to open the cash drawer.

C:\>ECHO ^G>COM1 ("Enter" key)

B. Opening the Cash Drawer using BASIC

To open drawer in Basic:

OPEN "COM1:9600,N,8,1,CS,DS,CD" FOR RANDOM AS #1 REM – MUST REMAIN OPEN IF DRAWER IS POWERED BY DTR/RTS START = TIMER: WHILE TIMER < START + 12: WEND REM – 12 SEC FOR 1ST OPENING CHARGING, 6 SEC FOR SUBSEQUENT RECHARGING PRINT #1, CHR$(7): REM – BEL CHARACTER FOR 2 EDGE PULSE

There are two options for reading drawer status in Basic:

START = TIMER: WHILE TIMER < START + .2: WEND REM – 200 mSEC ALLOWS DRAWER TO OPEN BEFORE CHECKING STATUS CODE%=INP(&H3FE): REM – ASSUMING COM1 USED

1) Reading CTS drawer status in Basic (SW5 ON, SW6 off):

IF (CODE% AND 16) = 16 THEN PRINT "–CTS OPTION - DRAWER CLOSED" IF (CODE% AND 16) = 0 THEN PRINT "–CTS OPTION - DRAWER IS OPEN"

2) Reading RI drawer status in Basic (SW5 off, SW6 ON):

IF (CODE% AND 64) = 64 THEN PRINT "–RI OPTION - DRAWER CLOSED" IF (CODE% AND 64) = 0 THEN PRINT "–RI OPTION - DRAWER IS OPEN"

III. Power Supply Installation (Optional)

This interface will allow openings as frequently as every 6 seconds with serial port (COM) power. If a faster cash drawer opening

LED’s

cycle is required, the external power supply may be installed. Using the power supply, the drawer can be repeatedly opened every 2-3 seconds. See Figure 2 at right for assembly details.

There are situations, such as Windows NT operating systems, where the power supply is required for proper operation.

IV. Troubleshooting

FIGURE 2

This section is intended to assist in configuring the SerialPRO II Interface to work with your specific system. The cash drawer is equipped with two diagnostic lights or LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes) inside the drawer to aid in troubleshooting a system. These lights can be seen by opening the drawer with the key, removing the plastic money tray, and looking into the back of the cash drawer. The green LED will be off unless the optional power supply is plugged in or DIP switch 1 is ON. The yellow LED flashes while any data or character(s) is being received.

Board Connector For Power Supply

External Cable

Power Supply Cable

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