Instruction manual
When the unit is in a normal operation mode (any mode but DIAGNOSTICS) pressing
the internal button 3 will put the system in setup mode. You use setup mode to set the date and
time, enter a custom header message, or add locality specific information to the voucher. You
use a PC or laptop PC with a 9 pin female to 9 pin female straight through cable, and terminal
software. “Windows” based PCs can use the HYPERTERM software that comes bundled with
Windows. To make the connection, connect the cable between PORT B on the base unit and a
serial port on the PC. Set your terminal software to 8 data bits, one stop bit, no parity, no flow
control. Then press button 3. You will get a menu of choices and instructions from the base
unit. If at any time you get lost, or things don’t seem to be functioning press the reset button to
allow the system to go back to normal operation. It is best that the network not be in use while
making any changes. See the attached sheets for more detailed information on using your PC to
setup your base unit. The unit must have either a printer or a printer bypass plug (available on
request) connected to PORTA for the unit to go into setup mode from a power up state, or you
can plug the PC into PORTA and then move it to PORTB after the power up message.
Misc. Base Unit Notes :
We recommend the Citizen IDP-3551 serial printer for its’ reliability, ease of use, price,
and the ability to print in two colors. When set to the CITIZEN setting the base unit takes full
advantage of the Citizen printers’ ability to print in both red and double sized characters to make
all vouchers and reports as easy to read as possible, and as hard to falsely duplicate as possible.
While all of the other manufacturers make a fine product, and we make use of any special
features they have to offer, we have found the IDP-3551 to be the optimal choice. In any case,
when choosing a printer it should offer the following communication protocol for proper
operation : 9600baud, 8 data bits, one stop bit, and DTR/DSR flow control. Also, the printer
should provide a battery backed buffer, so any unprinted characters are not lost during a power
failure. Other settings will be based on how the unit is being operated. In the single printer
mode, we do not recommend that the unit be fully unsupervised, and the printer should offer a
buffer of at least 2000 characters. In the sequential mode we recommend that the buffer be set to
200 - 300 characters if possible. This allows the backup printer to take up where the other left
off without having any vouchers caught in limbo. If the network has more than 20 machines the
system should not be run as an unsupervised location, and the printers should be set to the
highest buffer value, 2000 characters or above, to maximize system throughput. In this situation
any vouchers stored in the printer buffer will be printed when the paper is reloaded. These
settings should be followed even if the system is set up with a backup printer and the unit is
being run in sequential mode. We have included sheets on the recommended DIP switch settings
for the Citizen printer in the following DIP switch sheets.
Setup Mode:
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