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APG Model 554A USB Cash Drawers and Windows 8.1/10

The latest version of the Microsoft operating system Windows version 8.1/10 has new features that can affect the performance of the APG Model 554A USB Interface Cash Drawer. These new features, and their default settings, serve a new power management model of the Win 8.1/10-enabled host PC. A summary of the changes can be found at this link: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2900614

Summary: Win 8.1/10 no longer automatically enumerates USB peripheral devices upon initial connection.

Observable Properties:

When the APG Model 554A USB Cash Drawer is connected to a PC running Windows 8.1/10, you will see a steady green LED on our controller inside the drawer. Those familiar with our Model 554A USB Cash Drawer may recall that our green LED blinks continually after connection to a PC running the Windows operating system v8.0 and lower.

The blinking green LED indicates that the cash drawer is enumerated with the operating system on the host PC.

A steady green LED indicates that the cash drawer is not enumerated with the operating system on the host PC.

A typical system and software architecture should not see any changes in cash drawer operation when serving a PC running Windows 8.1/10. However, a fault can be seen under the following set of events:

  1. Using the native Windows DLL with the default Win 8.1/10 power settings for our USB device:

 

  1. Using the OPOS Service Object with the default Win 8.1/10 power settings for our USB device:

If the drawer is not closed before the DLL is unloaded, we have confirmed that the cash drawer’s controller has become out-of-sync with the Win 8.1/10 USB bus. The cash drawer may not be subsequently used without a cash drawer cable disconnect and reconnect. The APG Engineering team is currently working to revise our cash drawer firmware to perform in this new Windows 8.1/10 environment. Expect a new product iteration and introduction coming soon (ref: Model 554B).

In the meantime, APG recommends two different remedies:

Remedy #1: Keep the DLL loaded

  1. Modify the POS application to keep the cash drawer DLL loaded (or OPOSCashDrawer device enabled) during the entire run-time session of the POS application.
  2. Be sure the cash drawer is closed before exiting the POS application; or more precisely, before unloading the cash drawer’s DLL or disabling the OPOSCashDrawer device.

Remedy #2: Modify the cash drawer’s power management settings in the Win 8.1/10 operating system. The steps outlined below will re-configure the Win 8.1/10 operating system to provide performance identical to the pre-Win 8.1/10 environment.

  1. Disconnect the APG Model 554A Cash Drawer from the Win 8.1/10 computer
  2. Start the Registry Editor. Click Search, type regedit.exe in the search box.
  3. Locate the cash drawer registry key

cash drawer registry key

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Single-click to select ‘Device Parameters’ registry key as shown here

USB Device Parameters

 

5. Note that the default settings for `DeviceResetNotificationEnabled`, `DeviceSelectiveSuspended`, `EnhancedPowerManagementEnabled`, and `LegacyTouchScaling`, registry key sub-names are each set to value `1` as shown here and `SelectiveSuspendEnabled` sub-name is set to 01.

 

SelectiveSuspendEnabled

 

6. Double-click on the `DeviceResetNotificationEnabled` registry key sub-name and change its value data to `0` and click `OK`, as shown here.

 

DeviceResetNotificationEnabled

 

7. Double-click on the `DeviceSelectiveSuspended` registry key sub-name and change its value data to `0` and click `OK`, as shown here.

 

DeviceSelectiveSuspended

 

8. Double-click on the `EnhancedPowerManagementEnabled` registry key sub-name and change its value data to `0` and click `OK`, as shown here.

EnhancedPowerManagementEnabled

 

 

9. Double-click on the `LegacyTouchScaling` registry key sub-name and change its value data to `0` and click `OK`, as shown here.

LegacyTouchScaling

 

10. Double-click on the `SelectiveSuspendEnabled` registry key sub-name and change its value data to `00` by clicking on the `01` field to highlight the value, as shown here.

SelectiveSuspendEnabled

11. Type a `0` after the field is highlighted and the value will change to `00`, as shown here.

SelectiveSuspendEnabled2

12. Upon completion, the new values for the `DeviceResetNotificationEnabled`, `DeviceSelectiveSuspended`, `EnhancedPowerManagementEnabled`, and `LegacyTouchScaling` registry key sub-names should be set to `0` and the `SelectiveSuspendEnabled` sub-name is set to `00` as shown.

SelectiveSuspendEnabled

13. Close the System Registry Editor

14. Connect the Model 554A USB Cash Drawer to the Win 8.1/10-enabled PC.

15. Verify proper performance.

 

For additional assistance, contact the APG Cash Drawer Technical Services and Support Group at +1.763.571.5000 ext. 160.