If you are a workaholic and all things are working well, you still always have an option to make them better and cheaper; better in terms of quality, cheaper in terms of cost..!! Here is one such hardware cum software project from Cornell University; Point Of Sale System. The one we encounter during every check out at retail markets. The billing and inventory management system. While other commercial POS systems may seek big holes in your pocket, this project is promised to be made with a minimal budget of 70 USD approximately. This system supports many operations like barcode scanning, inventory management, cost calculations, and purchases and returns, receipt/barcode printer support.
The major components in this point of sale system are:
· Keyboard
· Barcode Scanner
· LCD screen
· Receipt printer
The keyboard is used to provide input to the point of sale interface. It is connected to the microcontroller unit through PS2 protocol. The barcode on the items are scanned using barcode scanner. The scanner reads the product’s barcode and immediately sends it to the microcontroller for processing. The system is made user friendly using the LCD display. It is a Hyundai HG25504 256×128 pixels large display. It displays menus, keyboard, barcode scanner input and feedback. In an effort to make the system user friendly and flawless, n number of menu options is provided in LCD display; Welcome menu, Purchase menu, Return menu, Money options menu, Inventory menu, Barcode menu.
The central processing brain behind all these processes is of course the microcontroller which communicates with all the interfaces simultaneously and let the sale happen along with its soft and hard documentation. The RS-232 standard is used here for communication (serial) between the receipt printer and the controller.
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