Connect and trigger cash drawer through serial port?

giovle

Hi

I recently wrote a program that will function as a cash register. It simply takes some input from the user (the user selects a product and specifies a number, everything is counted together and you can get a bill ... then everything is stored in a database, for later control). But I want the program to be able to open an cash drawer. Now, I have one here, but it had only two wires coming out of it. Probably to trigger the solenoid inside through a pulse. Now I was wondering if I could connect that wire to the computer somehow. One possibility I was considering is a serial port. Can I connect the two wires to a serial connector, connect that to the computer, and then somehow trigger that port from my script?

Extra: the program is actually just a html frames page, that has some php scripting embedded, the whole communicates with a MySQL database. (I can imagine real programmers laugh, but, hey, in the process I learned another language and it's just for our local youth club)

Thx

giovle

Nevermind, I got in touch with one of my neighbours who is really good in electronics. He told me that the cash drawer needed a charge of 18V DC and a current of some 100 mA. But nevertheless even if I have a transformator that outputs that current, he needs to make a controller. Just something that you can connect to your serial port. The controller then listens to what the port outputs (being a word of some kind, probably open) and does the appropriate action. Now I'm considering to add a pushbutton to be able to detect if the drawer is open. If it's not, then the program should show a warning.

GSIS

A few years ago I downloaded some cash drawer controller code to embed in a cash register application I was fiddling about with. IIRC there was also a simple interface design.

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