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Using Serial Output Devices (printers / pole displays) in Business Controller for DOS on a Windows NT Workstation

Using Serial Output Devices (printers / pole displays) in Business Controller for DOS on a Windows NT Workstation

For MicroBiz Video 2000, Dry Cleaner 2000, and Business Controller for DOS, you can use serial output devices on a Windows NT Workstation. This includes the Citizen 3535 serial receipt printer and also a standard Logic Controls pole display. You need to use the DOS MODE command to set up the COM port for your particular device. Then you need to use the MODE command to route an available LPT port to the COM port your device is connected to. If you have printers on LPT1 and/or LPT2, you can route LPT3, LPT4, etc. to the COM port even if you physically don’t have those printer ports. Once you have the LPT port routed to the COM port, set up the MicroBiz DOS program so that the serial device you are using is assigned to the rerouted LPT port.

All of these MODE commands should be added to the BUSINESS.BAT batch file in your \BUSINESS directory. For Video 2000 the batch file is VIDEO.BAT in the \VIDEO directory, and for Dry Cleaner 2000, the batch file is CLEANER.BAT in the \CLEANER directory.

An example of a modified BUSINESS.BAT file for an NT Workstation using a Citizen 3535 serial receipt printer on COM1 and a standard Logic Controls pole display on COM2 would look like this (comments in parentheses (in red) should not go in the actual batch file text):

SET SYSFILES=

SET LOCALFILES=

SET WLOCALFILES=

MODE COM1:96,E,7,1         (These are the default settings for a Citizen 3535)

MODE COM1:ODSR=ON

MODE COM1:IDSR=ON

MODE COM2:96,N,8,1         (These are the default settings for the Pole Display)

MODE LPT3:=COM1             (This command routes LPT3 to COM1)

MODE LPT4:=COM2             (This command routes LPT4 to COM2)

CD\BUSINESS\1

BUSINESS

The only lines added to the original batch file are the 6 MODE commands

At this point, enter the MicroBiz DOS program and assign the printer to LPT3 and the pole display to LPT4 in customize | hardware settings. Both devices should work at this point.

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