Micros 3700 remote printer communications failure 2

[rosew28]

I bought a refab U200B Epson IDN kitchen printer and swapped out the old one to see if it worked. I tried plugging the cable to IDN1 and 2 but neither worked. So I hooked the old one back and tested fine. 5 minutes later the old one stopped working.Both printers does self test ok. I tried these on the cold remote printer side and they both worked. (Dont know why the hot and cold remotes both have the same dip switches settings).So it's not the printer or the cable.Could I have damaged something if one of the times I plugged or unplugged the IDN cable without turning the new printer off?
Also can someone recommend a repair service for Micros so I do not have to spend $300 an hour for the Micros tech to came and figure out what happened?
Any help is much appreciated.

 

[jimmymcp02]

1. It be a bad cable that you are using... to test swap the cables from the working locations to the ones you are experiencing issues. Test and post back.

2. Next would be trying to change the cables that go to the back of your server.(assuming you are terminating your cables on each side) then swap the cables on the server side


3. Misconfiguration of a device under devices (assuming your POS server is running micros software)

4. The last one would be a bad network drop. (assuming you are terminating your cables on each side)

All 3 above can be done by you. The last one you will have to cal someone with cabling knowledge to come out and test the connections.

 

[rosew28]

I was waiting for an email notification for a reply to no avail. Thank God I checked back to this site and find your answer. Thank You.
I used the cable on the cold remote and it worked.
I assume back of the server is same as a workstation? That cable is also a 6-6. Shouldn't it be a 6-8? But it has always worked before. What does " terminating your cable on both sides mean?" (sorry. new at this stuff)
Yes we are running Micros software. I am not at the restaurant now but why does the old device need to be reconfigured?
Could it be something as simple as the wall jack? How do you test a wall jack?
This system is 6 years old. Still running on Windows 2000. Can I just buy a new omputer and transfer the Micros software to the new computer with WindowsXP?
Thank you again for your attention to this rambling.

 

[TobeThor]

Dip switches must be different on remote printers that are connected in series. I would assume that since these two printers have the same dip switch settings they are connected to two different workstations. Your problem could be connectivity, check the connector box, is it soiled, or corroded? Look inside the connector, is it green? Connectivity problems may not be a work or doesn't work issue, quite often they are intermitent. Based upon two workstations running those remote ptr's, can you determine which UWS is controlling the "trouble" spot and check the connections at the UWS. Always disconnect and reconnect the connections when trouble shooting. Any damage to the cables themselves, kitchens are notorius for damaging the cables.

 

[rosew28]

Yes. Hot and cold remote printers are on 2 different workstations. The connector boxes all look clean and intact.
Again, will I damage anything if I disconnect the cables from the printer or workstations without turning off them first?
The strange thing is when I reconnected the old working printer, I tested it and it worked, but after a while it stopped in the middle of printing an order. So can this be a connectivity problem?
Thank you all so much for taking the time.

 

[TobeThor]

It is not necessary to power down a ptr or UWS when disconnecting or connecting the ptr comm cables. You asked if you could have damaged a ptr. It is possible to damage a ptr with idn if you plug the comm cable into the cash drawer (DK) port on the ptr. This is common on ptr's with IDN as we replace the IDN boards due to this damage. We place RJ12 "empty" plugs in the port to be sure the problem never occurs. Damaged IDN's can be intermitent.

I would plug the ptr's directly into the UWS and print lots of tickets to see if they work OK or not. This may help point towards a problem. Also - Micros is sensitive to power issues, if the ptr's are plugged into other devices such as coolers, food warmers, steam tables, toasters, microwaves, heat lamps etc. they are likely to have comm issues, power must be clean.

 

[rosew28]

Thank you. I plugged ptr directly to workstation and it worked. So now I have isolated the problem to the wall jack (is that what you call it? or connector?) in the kitchen where the printer's IDN cable plugged into. I have no way to test that. I opened up wall plate and the wires looked clean and connected. So it's time to get a technician to come and fix that.
Thank you all for your time and help.

 

[TobeThor]

Depending on the connector they used you may not need a PC technician. If it is a 6 pin (like a telephone jack) that has the wires under screws, you can buy one at Radio Shack or office supply store and cut the wire back and wire the jack just like the original. BUT don't take the wires off the original jack, rather cut them 3-4" back so that the color code is always intact. Don't pay $125 an hour, most high schoolers can term a connector like the one they used. Buy an electrician lunch/dinner and they'll reconnect it for you.

 

[TobeThor]

Forgot to mention that an electrician or a pc tech will have a line tester to verify that wire. Depending on how far the controlling UWS is located, is it possible to just run a 50' patch cable from the UWS to the ptr's location, in that scenario you completely remove the existing comm line. Maybe just for a quick fix until the wire is tested?

You didn't mention if your power in the kitchen was clean or not?

 

[stratovarius]

may you mention exactly the type of workstations you have ( pcws - ws4 ) also how many workstation you have

 

[rosew28]

Thanks guys. I had a tech (not a Micros)guy come and test the wall jack. Replaced the wall jack. Didn't work. Swap cables here there and everywhere, didnt work. At least now the ws4 said "printer jammed" instead of "communication failure". That to me is progress. Than we swapped the cold printer with the hot printer and both worked. He had no idea what happened, but we didnt care. Paid him $100. Two hours later, hot printer stopped working again. Same "communications failure". There are 3 work station 4 units. The one controlling the kitchen printer is pretty far away from the kitchen.

 

[TobeThor]

So is it the same location that always has a problem or is it one particular printer?

Or you've had problems with both locations and both locations?

If one location is always working, I'd assume you can trust the comm wire and the UWS4 it is connected to so in that case you could; Change the dip switch settings on the trouble ptr to make it ptr #2, then connect it the the working ptr (IOW in series). You may have to re-configure the UWS4 so that it knows it has two ptr's connected and is now controlling two ptr's not one. Dip #3 on equals ptr #2.

You could also swap the IDN card in the ptr's to see if the problem follows the IDN card. Just remember you must swap the dip switches settings as well.

 

[rosew28]

Thanks.Dip switches are the same on both printers.
Hot and cold printers are controled by 2 different work stations.
The printer works, just the same location does not.
Tomorrow this same tech guy will be here to put in an ultra long cable to connect the printer directly to the wkstation or the wall plate that the cable plugs in and we will start from there.
I will let him know about swapping the IDN card too.

 

[jimmymcp02]

Could you tell us which version of micros you are using?

Open micros control panel and then go to about