These written procedures explain how to connect, configure, troubleshoot, deploy and return point-of-sale hardware.
These guides are for resellers who install and troubleshoot point-of-sale hardware at their clients’ sites. Each guide opens with a short answer, followed by the procedure.
20 published guides
These guides explain how to choose an interface, install a driver, cable a peripheral and get the client’s software to recognize it.
In HID mode, the reader types data into the active field like a keyboard: it works without a driver, but the application cannot tell a scan from a keystroke. In USB-COM mode, the application reads a virtual serial port and knows where the data came from. Use HID by default and switch to USB-COM when the software vendor requires it.
A reader is configured by scanning the programming barcodes printed in its manual. Set the terminator first, Enter or Tab, then the prefix and suffix if the software requires them. Always test in a text editor before testing in the till software.
An OPOS driver installs in two stages: the manufacturer’s Service Object, then registering the device under a logical name. The software never calls the device directly: it opens that logical name. A misspelled name is the most common cause of a “device not found” error.
The cash drawer connects to the receipt printer, with an RJ11 or RJ12 cable in the port marked DK or Drawer. The printer sends the open pulse when the software asks for it. First check that the drawer opens with its key, then check the cabling.
USB is simplest for a printer sitting next to the till. A serial port is still useful with older software. Ethernet becomes necessary as soon as the printer is shared between stations or installed in the kitchen: it then has its own network address, independent of the till.
Each guide starts from the symptom seen at the counter, separates hardware from software, then works back up the chain in order.
Separate hardware from software first: the self-test printed at power-up proves the mechanism and the print head work. If it prints, the problem is the cable, the driver or the print queue. If it does not, check the paper, the cover, the power supply and the error light.
Random characters almost always come from a mismatched serial baud rate or a different character set between software and printer. A faint receipt comes from the paper or a dirty print head; a truncated one, from a print width set to 80 mm while the roll is 58 mm.
Check three causes in order: the key lock set to closed, an RJ cable plugged in somewhere other than the printer’s DK port (often a network port that looks like it), then software that does not send the open command. The key test rules out the first cause in a few seconds.
Start with a known test code. If the reader beeps but nothing appears, the problem is the interface or the input field. If it does not beep, look at the window, the reading distance and the symbology: a code not enabled in the configuration is never decoded.
A reader only decodes the symbologies that are enabled. Identify the code type first: EAN-13 and UPC-A in retail, Code 128 in logistics, QR and Data Matrix in 2D. Then enable it with the programming barcode from the manual. A laser reader will never read a 2D code, whatever the configuration.
A constant offset is a calibration or resolution problem; a dead zone is a hardware problem. Test with a mouse: if the pointer moves normally, the computer is fine and the fault lies in the touch panel or its driver.
Commissioning at the end client’s site covers network preparation, step-by-step assembly, placement and documenting the install.
Unbox and check the contents before plugging anything in. Power the terminal alone, confirm display and touch, then add one peripheral at a time, testing after each. If everything is plugged in at once, there is no way to tell which part introduced a fault.
Network printers and fixed stations must keep the same IP address: reserve it on the router, where it survives a device reset. Use wired links for anything stationary and keep Wi-Fi for mobile devices. Write the addresses down before leaving the site.
On the hot line, an impact printer remains the safe choice: thermal paper darkens with heat and grease fouls the head. Keep the unit away from direct heat and from where plates pass. Mount it at eye level, on a wired network link, with clear access to the roll, since paper gets changed mid-service.
Check Wi-Fi coverage before rolling out the tablets: a room where a guest’s phone gets a good signal will not necessarily support a whole fleet in service. Plan charging points, one spare unit and a re-enrolment procedure. A tablet out of action mid-service costs more than the device itself.
These guides explain how to size, install and maintain a paging system, then check its real range at the client’s site.
Count the parties waiting at the same time at peak: a pager is handed out per party, so that is the number that matters. Add a reserve for units on charge and for losses. Mount the transmitter high, at the centre of the area to cover, away from metal masses and kitchen equipment.
Published range is a line-of-sight measurement and does not carry over to a building. Before confirming the configuration with the client, run a walk test with a unit in hand, out to the worst points on the site: basement, terrace, kitchen and stairwell.
Units must go back on their base after every use: a half-charged fleet produces random failures in the middle of service. Clean the charging contacts regularly, pull any unit that no longer lasts the day, and keep the base powered at all times.
For a return, first open a return merchandise authorization (RMA) with G4POS, then pack and ship the hardware without voiding the warranty.
G4POS’s terms of sale require you to contact us before any return: do not ship anything until you have an RMA number. Have the model, serial number, order reference and a description of the fault ready, then open the request from this page.
Reuse the original packaging when it exists, otherwise a double-wall carton with padding on all six faces. The RMA number goes on the outside of the shipping carton; do not write anything on the product box. Include the fault description and keep the carrier’s tracking number.
The glossary defines the technical terms used in these guides.
The account is free and reserved for businesses. It gives you access to our wholesale prices, training and technical support.
