PnP, Hardware Interface
-
I have several programs on the go, which ultimately need to interface with Hardware at a very basic level. e.g.: A Salescounter Program, which needs to open the Cash Drawer, and monitor it's closure. A Laundrette Program, (NOT DRYCLEANERS) in which each Washing Machine is monitored by a thread, and, in which each thread needs one Analogue input(16 Bit), and about 8 Digital channels in and 8 Digital channels Out. I am not at this stage puting a Limit on the Number of Computers required, but, am thinking along the following line:- One Computer per Sales Point(each Needs to Control a Cash Drawer) One Computer to Drive the Interface cards to drive the washing machines. What Off the Shelf hardware(And Firmware and Software) is available to implement this!
LateNightsInNewry
-
I have several programs on the go, which ultimately need to interface with Hardware at a very basic level. e.g.: A Salescounter Program, which needs to open the Cash Drawer, and monitor it's closure. A Laundrette Program, (NOT DRYCLEANERS) in which each Washing Machine is monitored by a thread, and, in which each thread needs one Analogue input(16 Bit), and about 8 Digital channels in and 8 Digital channels Out. I am not at this stage puting a Limit on the Number of Computers required, but, am thinking along the following line:- One Computer per Sales Point(each Needs to Control a Cash Drawer) One Computer to Drive the Interface cards to drive the washing machines. What Off the Shelf hardware(And Firmware and Software) is available to implement this!
LateNightsInNewry
Well, you can buy USB analogue/digital I/O components, but bear in mind that typically they have a ~20ms delay on processing commands (eg writing takes 20ms, reading another 20ms). In terms of firmware/software, you're pretty much on your own; you get a DLL and/or device driver to allow you to configure the I/O and read/write it, and that's it, although generally speaking you can then use them from any C/C++/VB app. Are you looking at cash drawers as well? AFAICR, these are available off the shelf, with an input to force an 'open' and an output to report the 'closed' state. Integrating all these won't necessarily be pretty, and you may find that there are limits on how many devices you can use from a single PC. I've used a small Velleman kit for USB I/O (which has fewer I/O lines), for example, and you can only connect 4 such devices on the USB bus, even going via a powered hub.
Steve S Developer for hire
-
Well, you can buy USB analogue/digital I/O components, but bear in mind that typically they have a ~20ms delay on processing commands (eg writing takes 20ms, reading another 20ms). In terms of firmware/software, you're pretty much on your own; you get a DLL and/or device driver to allow you to configure the I/O and read/write it, and that's it, although generally speaking you can then use them from any C/C++/VB app. Are you looking at cash drawers as well? AFAICR, these are available off the shelf, with an input to force an 'open' and an output to report the 'closed' state. Integrating all these won't necessarily be pretty, and you may find that there are limits on how many devices you can use from a single PC. I've used a small Velleman kit for USB I/O (which has fewer I/O lines), for example, and you can only connect 4 such devices on the USB bus, even going via a powered hub.
Steve S Developer for hire
Thanks steve. The question is where, from whom,at what price! I would accept the 50 ms delay,(Ido not think that staff would notice that the delay between hitting the Chash Button, and the drawer opening) and Four Cashdrawers per terminal suounds fine. I've given up on USB for apps like this, because the development in this are seems to concentrate on speed! I could give you thousands of development applications for anyone who would develop a USB unit, which could switch say 100 relays, with a delay of say 500 ms quite acceptable! Most real world applications, like switching of the Air Conditioning, do not require split second timing! Where are Cash Drawer boards and API's to run same available off the shelf? Names, Addresses,Costs Many thanks for your support Regards
LateNightsInNewry
-
Thanks steve. The question is where, from whom,at what price! I would accept the 50 ms delay,(Ido not think that staff would notice that the delay between hitting the Chash Button, and the drawer opening) and Four Cashdrawers per terminal suounds fine. I've given up on USB for apps like this, because the development in this are seems to concentrate on speed! I could give you thousands of development applications for anyone who would develop a USB unit, which could switch say 100 relays, with a delay of say 500 ms quite acceptable! Most real world applications, like switching of the Air Conditioning, do not require split second timing! Where are Cash Drawer boards and API's to run same available off the shelf? Names, Addresses,Costs Many thanks for your support Regards
LateNightsInNewry
Well, last time a company I know needed one, they did a google on 'USB digital I/O' and then it was a case of price shopping. With the advent of stuff like small microcontrollers with USB built-in, they are becoming more widely available. The Velleman ones I have (which have fewer I/O lines, I think 5 in and 8 out, but does have analogue too) I bought from Maplin Electronics, who periodically put them on sale prices (in both kit and prebuilt forms). Don't know if they operate in Ireland, though, but there ought to be an equivalent. Some of the more expensive stuff includes optoisolators etc to stop any 'accidents' from frying USB host controllers in the PC etc. I prefer USB because it makes it easier to demo stuff from a laptop, which you can't exactly plug cards into :( OTOH, it does limit the number of lines, but being able to plug in more than one device can help make up for it. Don't know about cash drawers, but again, google should be able to help, just a question of finding the right buzzwords (cash/terminal/drawer/POS etc). There is a company I did some Win32 training for in Otley, W.Yorks; they make POS stuff (called, amazingly enough, Point of Sale Systems), but that was a while back. They might know, so I'll see what I can find out...
Steve S Developer for hire
-
Well, last time a company I know needed one, they did a google on 'USB digital I/O' and then it was a case of price shopping. With the advent of stuff like small microcontrollers with USB built-in, they are becoming more widely available. The Velleman ones I have (which have fewer I/O lines, I think 5 in and 8 out, but does have analogue too) I bought from Maplin Electronics, who periodically put them on sale prices (in both kit and prebuilt forms). Don't know if they operate in Ireland, though, but there ought to be an equivalent. Some of the more expensive stuff includes optoisolators etc to stop any 'accidents' from frying USB host controllers in the PC etc. I prefer USB because it makes it easier to demo stuff from a laptop, which you can't exactly plug cards into :( OTOH, it does limit the number of lines, but being able to plug in more than one device can help make up for it. Don't know about cash drawers, but again, google should be able to help, just a question of finding the right buzzwords (cash/terminal/drawer/POS etc). There is a company I did some Win32 training for in Otley, W.Yorks; they make POS stuff (called, amazingly enough, Point of Sale Systems), but that was a while back. They might know, so I'll see what I can find out...
Steve S Developer for hire
-
They use cash drawers which are RS232 or USB. I think google is your best bet...
Steve S Developer for hire
-
Roughly a decade after usb was released to do so, the legacy ports are finally starting to be removed from PCs. If you go with rs232 now, you run the risk of not having easy access to new hardware a few years down the line.
-
Yup. I have a serial port programmer for Microchip processors, and sadly, I don't have a serial port on my laptop... Fortunately, my desktop machine does have such a thing, and I very rarely need to reprogram one on site...
Steve S Developer for hire
-
Well, last time a company I know needed one, they did a google on 'USB digital I/O' and then it was a case of price shopping. With the advent of stuff like small microcontrollers with USB built-in, they are becoming more widely available. The Velleman ones I have (which have fewer I/O lines, I think 5 in and 8 out, but does have analogue too) I bought from Maplin Electronics, who periodically put them on sale prices (in both kit and prebuilt forms). Don't know if they operate in Ireland, though, but there ought to be an equivalent. Some of the more expensive stuff includes optoisolators etc to stop any 'accidents' from frying USB host controllers in the PC etc. I prefer USB because it makes it easier to demo stuff from a laptop, which you can't exactly plug cards into :( OTOH, it does limit the number of lines, but being able to plug in more than one device can help make up for it. Don't know about cash drawers, but again, google should be able to help, just a question of finding the right buzzwords (cash/terminal/drawer/POS etc). There is a company I did some Win32 training for in Otley, W.Yorks; they make POS stuff (called, amazingly enough, Point of Sale Systems), but that was a while back. They might know, so I'll see what I can find out...
Steve S Developer for hire
steve, Thanks a lot for your reply. Yes, Maplin does operate in Ireland. A Cash drawer is electronically a simple but crude device. it consists of a solenoide to release the catch so that it opens, and a microswitches, which tells if it is open closed, or "No Cash Insert Present", i.e. the replacable plastic innards with pigeon holes for the Notes and coin is physically missing. Microswitches and Solenoides typically operate at power levels far greater than provided by PC in and out ports. Most microswitches in my experience need to operate at at least 24 Volt 5 mA, to avoid long term degradation such as Dirt and Corrosion. The sparking at these lpower levels helps to keep things clean. Most solenoides for Mechanical action in this type of application take at least 24V and 50 mA . This is dictated by the scale of mechanical rigidity required to deter casual vandalism. Again, Many thanks for your help. Regards BramVanKampen@aol.com
LateNightsInNewry