520ex System Reference Manual

October 28, 2004 Rev. B

www.j2retailsystems.com

520ex System Reference Manual

520ex

520ex System Reference Manual Table of Contents

Specifications ..................................................................................................................... 4 Overview ............................................................................................................................ 5 Touch Screen ..................................................................................................................... 5 LCD Screen........................................................................................................................ 6 Power Switch ..................................................................................................................... 7 Keyboard Port................................................................................................................... 7 Secondary VGA Display................................................................................................... 8 Operating System Support............................................................................................... 9 Serial Ports ...................................................................................................................... 10 CMOS Clear .................................................................................................................... 11 USB Ports......................................................................................................................... 12 Ethernet Connection....................................................................................................... 12 Cash Drawer Port ........................................................................................................... 13 MSR.................................................................................................................................. 14 BIOS ................................................................................................................................. 15 Hard Disk Installation and Removal............................................................................. 16 Compact Flash Card....................................................................................................... 20 Unit Servicing .................................................................................................................. 22 Options ............................................................................................................................. 28

US Headquarters:
J2 Retail Systems 2691 Dow Ave.; Building A Tustin, CA 92780 USA 714.669.3111 Phone 714.669.3133 Fax

Worldwide Headquarters:
J2 House Clayton Road, Birchwood Warrington, WA3 6RP United Kingdom 44 (0) 1925 817003 Phone 44 (0) 1925 811989 Fax

info@j2retailsystemsusa.com

info@j2retailsystems.com

520ex System Reference Manual Specifications

CPU CPU/Chipset CPU Speed External Ports External Serial Ports Parallel Port External USB ports LAN Port Cash Drawer Ports PS/2 Keyboard port Mouse Port 4 RS-232 DB-9, two that can be powered +5V or +12V, BIOS setup NO Jumpers 1 DB25 3, 1 on the side of the unit, two in cable well. BIOS can boot on USB-FDD, HD, CD 10/100 MHz Ethernet 1 port RJ11, 12/24 Volt 1, auto routing for MSR, no jumpers USB only, PS/2 mouse port used for touch screen, no external PS/2 Mouse VIA Eden ESP7000 733MHz

Internal I/O LCD Display Brightness Touch Screen Compact Flash IDE Hard Drive MSR Audio Output Memory Mini PCI slot Power Supply 12.1 inch TFT dual bulb notebook type display. 800x600 native resolutions. 250 cd/m2 4 wire resistive, Controller on PS/2 port, CF slot, accessible from outside the unit. On Secondary IDE port. CF I and II, drive only Optional, easily removable (3 screws) 3 inch slim line Standard but removable, side mount, keyboard wedge type, auto select, 2 track (3 track optional) Single Speaker built in (optional headset jack) 128MB standard DDR SO-DIMM (up to 1GB) One slot, for internal wireless network card or other option External 19 volt 90 watt notebook type power supply. 100-240VAC.

520ex System Reference Manual Overview

The 520ex Point of Sale Computer was designed to fit a large number of touch screen computer applications. The three main design criteria were reliable operation, low cost and the smallest Foot Print possible. The 520ex meets all these goals. The 520ex was designed to be very versatile and can be configured as a thin or thick computer. Its 12.1 dual bulb LCD display provides a large easy to read display while maintaining a very small package size. The 733 MHz VIA Eden CPU provides good performance while allowing for fanless operation. The 520ex was not designed to meet all POS computer need, just the majority of them, which allows for reliability, low cost and small size all to be achieved.

Touch Screen
The 520ex utilizes a third generation 4 wire resistive membrane touch screen. This touch screen provides very accurate touch over the entire touch area. This very reliable touch screen is more accurate than the more common 5-wire touch screen in other products and should not require recalibration over the life of the product. When loading an operating system for the first time the touch screen will need to be calibrated. You will notice that before touch screen drivers are loaded in the OS the touch will be working much like a mouse pad on a notebook computer. This is because the touch screen controller is a PS/2 mouse device and works in relative mode before the touch drivers are loaded. To calibrate the touch screen after the drivers are loaded go to Control Panel / Touch Screen Calibrator then select Calibrate. It is recommended that a touch screen stylus be used to calibrate the screen to give the most accurate touch possible. The calibration program will not accept calibration points that are off more than a maximum tolerable error to prevent calibration from making the touch screen inoperative. If you are making a master OS image it should not be necessary to recalibrate individual systems because the calibration from system to system is almost identical. There is no external PS/2 mouse port as this is being used internally for the touch screen. If an external mouse is required a USB version should be used.

520ex System Reference Manual LCD Screen

The 12.1 LCD panel is an 800 x 600 pixel display with a brightness of 250 cd/m2 with the touch screen installed. The LCD has a very wide viewing angle so it is suitable in most situations. There are two flip down feet to change the viewing angle if there is a problem with over head light reflections or counter height. Drop down foot illustration

The LCD backlight can be turned off using the standard Power Options in the Windows operating system. It is recommended that the Turn Off Monitor option in Windows be used to shut off the backlight of the LCD panel to maximize the operating life. There is also a BIOS setup option that allows the default backlight current to be set to 50% if full brightness is not needed. This will also extend the useful life of the LCD screen. This BIOS option is found under Power Management Setup / Back Light Level.

520ex System Reference Manual Power Switch

The power switch is located under the left front of the unit. The power switch is placed here to prevent accidental power down of the unit. The power on / off electronics are fully supported under the Windows operating systems Power Options. This allows the function of the power switch to be controlled by the OS. If for some reason the system locks up the unit can be powered down by holding the power switch in for 4 seconds, this will turn off the system under any condition. If the unit is powered down always wait at least 2 seconds before powering back on. Off / On Switch Location

Keyboard Port
There is one PS/2 Keyboard port in the connector well. This will support a PS/2 type keyboard or other PS/2 type device such as a Barcode Scanner. The 520ex MSR is also connected internally to this keyboard port. USB keyboards can also be used.

520ex System Reference Manual Secondary VGA LCD Display

A secondary VGA port is a standard on the 520ex. This port can support a secondary external VGA monitor. This secondary display can display the same data as the main screen (useful for training) or as an extended desktop in Windows XP and XP Embedded. This feature can be enabled in Control Panel / Display Properties. An optional 10.4 800 x 600 resolution display is available from J2 which integrates onto the 520ex, creating a Point Of Marketing (POM) solution. The Secondary VGA LCD is adjustable for viewing at multiple angles. Secondary VGA LCD Display

Virtual Customer Display J2 has developed a program that creates a window on the secondary video display that acts as a virtual 2 X 20 character customer display. This program uses the top 1/3 of the LCD as a 2-line customer display, allowing the rest of the display to be used for running pre-programmed media content, i.e. video files, advertising messages, PowerPoint, etc.

520ex System Reference Manual Operating System Support

The 520ex touch screen computer supports multiple operating systems in a number of modes. These operating systems may be purchased from J2 preloaded on the system or may be loaded by the customer. To load the system for the first time an IDE cable that supports two drives, a power splitter cable and CD ROM are required. The operating system would then be loaded the same as a standard PC. Drivers can be downloaded from the J2 web page http://support.j2rs.com

Supported operating systems are: Windows 98 Windows 2000 Windows XP Windows XP Embedded Windows CE.NET 4.2 Susie Linux 9.0 (user supplied) DOS (user supplied touch screen driver) Windows XP is fully supported including support for a secondary external display as an extended desktop. A unique product feature is support for remote booting of XP, XP Embedded and 2000, eliminating the need for a local hard drive of any kind, thereby reducing cost and increasing reliability. Please contact J2 for more information. Windows 2000 and Windows 98 are currently supported as legacy products. Windows CE.NET 4.2 is available from J2 for the 520ex. A standard CE implementation is available for evaluation. After the customer determines what o/s features are required, J2 can develop a custom version of CE.NET for the customer. J2 can also provide custom

520ex System Reference Manual

software features such as automatic software application loaders and configuration utilities. Windows XP Embedded is also supported on the 520ex computer. J2 will advise the customer in creating a custom version of XP Embedded fitting the customers needs.

Serial Ports
The 520ex has 4 external RS232 serial ports, two of which can be powered: COM3 and COM4. The serial ports are standard PC RS232 ports using a DB9 male connector. The serial ports, in a normal configuration are mapped to COM 1-4. COM ports 3 and 4 can supply power to an external device when required, like the optional J2 Pole Display. Voltage is supplied on pin 9 (RI) of the DB9 connector; either five or twelve volts can be supplied. The maximum current for each voltage is 500ma and is over-current protected.

To enable the voltage supply for either COM ports 3 or 4 the BIOS setup must be changed. To enable the supply voltage; enter the BIOS setup screen by pressing the Del key as the system is booting. In the setup screen select Integrated Peripherals, then select Super IO Device, then scroll down to COM3 With Voltage or COM4 With Voltage then press ENTER to display the selection options. Select the voltage required for your device (for example 12V for the J2 Pole Display), and then press ENTER to accept the new setting. Press F10 to save and exit setup. Power is now enabled on your serial port. N.B. The 5 or 12 Volt option is only available on units from serial number C50005300001. Prior to this serial number only the 12 Volt option must be used.

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520ex System Reference Manual CMOS Clear

In very rare situations the BIOS CMOS memory can become corrupted, for example when changing the CMOS battery. In situations like this, the system may not function properly, and it may be necessary to clear the CMOS memory. There is a jumper on the motherboard to allow this. By moving this jumper from pins 1-2 to 2-3 then back again, CMOS memory will be cleared. After clearing CMOS memory and reassembling the unit enter the BIOS setup and Load Optimized Defaults and set the time and date. The location of the CMOS jumper is shown below.

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520ex System Reference Manual

USB Ports
The 520ex has three external USB 2.0 ports and one internal. Of the three external ports, one is located on the side of the unit for easy access, and two ports in the cable well as shown below.

In order for the USB to function as 2.0 USB ports the appropriate driver for the VIA chip set must be loaded, otherwise the ports operate as USB 1.1 ports. You may download this driver from the J2 web site http://support.j2rs.com

Ethernet Connection
The 520ex has a 10/100 Ethernet connection that is located in the connector well as shown below. The driver for the VIA Ethernet controller is available on the J2 website at http://support.j2rs.com. The Ethernet cable can be difficult to remove. You may need a pen or screwdriver to be inserted above the connector to push the cable-locking tab down, enabling you to remove the cable. Ethernet connector location

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520ex System Reference Manual Cash Drawer Port

The 520ex supports an industry standard 12-volt or 24-volt cash drawer. The cash drawer RJ11 connector is located in the connector well. No settings need to be changed when using a 12 or 24-volt drawer. The internal circuitry of the 520ex will limit the current to the cash drawer so it will operate with either 12-volt or 24-volt drawers. The pin out of the RJ11 connector is as shown below. Cash Drawer Port Pin Out Pin 1 Pin 2 Pin 3 Pin 4 Pin 5 Pin 6 Ground Solenoid negative Cash drawer open status switch Solenoid positive (12V/ 24V pin) No Connection Ground

RJ11 The application may address the cash drawer port in a number of ways. They are: 1: Using the J2 supplied OPOS drivers for WIN 98, 2000, XP and XPe 2: Using the J2 supplied Virtual COM port for CE.NET, WIN98, 2000, XP and XPe. 3: Direct access to the I/O port that controls the firing of the cash drawer and the I/O port for reading the drawer status. The J2 OPOS drivers are available upon request via email from J2. If you purchase your OS from J2 the OPOS drivers will be loaded on your system. The Virtual COM port driver is standard on Windows CE.NET and the cash drawer appears as COM5. To open the cash drawer send a bell character to the COM5 serial port. The bell character is the ASCII 07 hex character Control G. The open/close status of the drawer may be obtained by reading the status bits of COM5; and the drawer open/close status will be reflected on the CTS and RI bits, either bit may be used. A virtual COM port program is available for WIN98, 2000, XP and XPe by request from J2. This virtual COM port driver is designed to work the same as most serial cash drawers so that drivers for a serial cash drawer should work if mapped to the correct COM port, normally COM5 in the 520ex system. Example source code to talk directly to the cash drawer is included as an appendix to this document.

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520ex System Reference Manual MSR

The 520ex comes standard with a 2-track Magnetic Stripe Reader (MSR). An optional 3track MSR is also available. The MSR is removable and the system may be ordered without an MSR. The MSR is an industry standard keyboard wedge type MSR. J2 also supports OPOS drivers for the MSR. The MSR OPOS mode is enabled in the BIOS setup under Integrated Peripherals / MSR Setup / OPOS and then press F10 to save the setting and the MSR will be reprogrammed. If OPOS or the standard default MSR setting does not work for your application there is an MSR programming utility available from J2. BIOS MSR Setup OPOS Selection

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520ex System Reference Manual BIOS

The 520ex BIOS allows for a number of user configurable options. In most common usage it will not be necessary to change the options in the BIOS setup. If it is necessary to change any BIOS setup feature the BIOS setup screen can be entered by pressing the DELETE key as the system is booting. BIOS Setup Screen

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520ex System Reference Manual Hard Disk Installation and Removal

The 520ex was designed to allow for very fast changing of the hard disk drive, typically less than 2 minutes. Below are detailed step-by-step instructions to install, change, or remove a hard drive. Qualified replacement hard drives and mounting rails are available from J2.

1. Prepare following components One 3.5 HDD. Two HDD mounting rails Four 6mm x 4mm screws

2. Secure the HDD mounting brackets to both sides of HDD with Four 6mm x 4mm screws

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520ex System Reference Manual

3. Remove the screws as shown on the back of the unit.

4. Remove the plastic HDD cover.

5. Take out the IDE & power cable from system.

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520ex System Reference Manual

6. Connect the IDE & power cable to HDD.

7. Install the HDD as picture shows.

8. Secure HDD mounting rail to the system.

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520ex System Reference Manual

9. Secure the plastic HDD cover back to the system.

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520ex System Reference Manual Compact Flash Card

The 520ex supports Type I and Type II Compact Flash memory cards. The Compact Flash card is mapped to the master drive of the secondary ATA IDE port of the motherboard. Solid-state Flash media as well as mechanic Micro drives will work. CF card and Micro Drive performance varies greatly from vendor to vendor and model to model. Please contact J2 for recommended models if you are supplying your own CF. It should also be noted that Compact Flash memory cards have a limited number of writes that can be made per memory sector (about 300,000 per sector). Please take this in to consideration, and exercise great care if you are installing your own operating system. Micro drives do not have a limited number of writes, but are mechanical devices. To install or remove a CF drive, follow the instructions below. Use care to insure the CF card is aligned properly before inserting. When removing the CF card, push the ejection button on the CF connector to pop the CF card out of the socket. 1. Remove the screw securing the CF card slot cover to the back of LCD bezel.

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520ex System Reference Manual

2. Insert the CF card into the socket.

CF card socket

3. Put the cover back & secure it with a screw.

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520ex System Reference Manual Unit Servicing

The following steps show how to disassemble the 520ex for servicing. 1: On a clean, protected surface, place the unit screen-side down. 2: Remove the 2 screw covers and 5 screws shown in the 2 photos below.

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520ex System Reference Manual

3: Remove the MSR and CF card slot covers. The MSR can be unplugged now if needed.

4: Pop the back of the unit by pulling up at the bottom of the unit.

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520ex System Reference Manual

5: Carefully unplug the 100-pin Data Cable.

6: Unplug the 50-pin IDE Hard drive cable, then the Power cable from base of the unit.

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520ex System Reference Manual

7: The unit base is now free from the bezel assembly. The motherboard and LCD backlight module are easily accessed for repair.

8: To change the touch screen unplug the touch screen cable and the power LED cable as shown.

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520ex System Reference Manual

9: Remove the 4 screws shown on the 4 corners.

10: The LCD / Motherboard assembly can now be removed from the touchscreen and plastic bezel. Using a flat blade screwdriver, pop the plastic bezel from the sheet metal.

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520ex System Reference Manual

11: The touchscreen can now be replaced. Use care to align the new touchscreen to the alignment tabs.

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520ex System Reference Manual Options

Wall mount version, thin-client only

Pole Display Option

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520ex System Reference Manual

Secondary 10.4 LCD Display Option

Wall / Pole Mount Tray Option

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520ex System Reference Manual

US Headquarters:
J2 Retail Systems 2691 Dow Ave.; Building A Tustin, CA 92780 USA 714.669.3111 Phone 714.669.3133 Fax

Worldwide Headquarters:
J2 House Clayton Road, Birchwood Warrington, WA3 6RP United Kingdom 44 (0) 1925 817003 Phone 44 (0) 1925 811989 Fax

info@j2retailsystemsusa.com

info@j2retailsystems.com

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