Table of Contents - Restaurant POS (Point Of Sale) up your system.pdfStar – SP200, SP312, SP342, DP8340 Flashpoint spoolers require a serial interface. If you wish to use a parallel,

Flashpoint Operations Guide Setting up your System to run Flashpoint

- 1 - © 2013 TRIM-P.O.S. Software Corp. (519) 351-0182 FLASHPOINT™ P.O.S. Software

Table of Contents MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND NETWORK SETTINGS.......................2

IMPORTANT LICENSE INFORMATION ................................................................................................2 MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS..................................................................................................................2 OPTIONAL HARDWARE........................................................................................................................4 NETWORK SETTINGS............................................................................................................................6

Notes for wiring diagrams above: .......................................................................................................7

SETTING UP YOUR SYSTEM FOR THE FIRST TIME ...................................8

AUTOMATIC UPDATES.........................................................................................................................9

SHUTTING DOWN THE SOFTWARE ........................................................................10

RUNNING THE FRONT DESK INTERFACE.........................................................11

RUNNING THE CALLER ID MODULE.............................................................................................12

COMMON PRINTER PROBLEMS AND CAUSES ...........................................................................13

USC SPIRIT SETUPS AND WIRING DIAGRAM ..................................15

COMMON PROBLEMS AND FIXES ............................................................................16



Minimum Requirements and Network settings

Important License Information Internet: Flashpoint licensing requires that the stations all have an internet

connection to be used for periodic license verification. If no internet connection is available Flashpoint will begin notifying you within 15 days of shutting down and continue checking for a connection. If this message is displayed it is imperative that you repair the internet connection immediately. If after 15 days an internet connection is still not found, the station will no longer run. The licensing accesses port 8901; if you are going through a firewall, make sure that you set the firewall to allow Flashpoint to go out through this port.

If replacing a station with a new one, you are required to contact TRIM-P.O.S. Software Corp. within 15 days of replacement. If not contacted within 15 days, the station will no longer run. Once the new station is initiated by a representative of TRIM-P.O.S. Software Corp., the station that was replaced will no longer run.

If at any time the date on the server is set backwards, Flashpoint will automatically reset the date forward again. If the date on the server is set forwards, you will not be able to set it back again without first contacting TRIM-P.O.S. Software Corp. All stations on the network synchronize their time and date from the server upon startup.

Minimum requirements Processor: The minimum requirements to run Flashpoint are with a Pentium4 2.4 GHz

(Celeron). (We test all software in house, on Intel® processors.) With the many choices of hardware out today, it is easiest to remember that if Windows operates well on the computer, so will Flashpoint. The latest low energy processors (Atom) will work with Flashpoint, but I do not think you will be happy with the performance in a network environment unless you are running a POS Ready version of Windows.

Display Adapter: For best performance you should use a display adapter with at least 512MB memory.

PC Memory: You will require at least the same amount of memory on the workstations as the Windows requirements, an double the amount on the server, although for best performance you should a minimum of 4Gb on all stations Remember that adding memory is the most inexpensive method of speeding up your system.

Operating System: We suggest that you use Microsoft® Windows® XP professional or Windows 7.

Network Card: For best performance you should use a 100-bit network card or faster.



Touch Screen: Any Touchscreen with Windows® drivers will work with Flashpoint. We have found USB Touchscreens to have the fastest input time while freeing up serial ports.

POS Terminals: Because most POS Terminals are normally standard PC’s in a nice case, most will work with Flashpoint. We have tested and verified the following POS Terminals work flawlessly with Flashpoint.

Toshiba- Willpos ST-A20, Willpos ST-A10

Panasonic – JS-950WS (Stingray), JS-790WS

Partnertech – PT-8850, SP-1000

Touch Dynamics – All Breeze

Printers: Any office printer will work that has a Windows® driver. We have tested the following Receipt/Remote Printers in house to work with Flashpoint (USB, Serial or Parallel).

Citizen - IDP3541, 3210

Axiohm – A714, A715

OMNIPrint – OM-200

Epson – TM-300, TM-200, TM-T80, TM-T85/88 , TM-20

Star – SP200, SP312, SP342, DP8340

Flashpoint spoolers require a serial interface. If you wish to use a parallel, USB or IP interface, you may do so using either Windows spools or OPOS drivers. Although Windows Spoolers are the simplest to setup and have the most options available, when using Windows spoolers, you must note that you will not have the option of printer backups.

If you do have serial ports on the station, we suggest that you use these ports along with Flashpoint spoolers for remote printers. By doing this, you will have some notification if a remote printer fails.

Pole Display: Flashpoint supports the Champion DSP-800, Epson or any OPOS compatible Pole Display. (If you are using the Panasonic, Partnertech or the Toshiba POS terminals, Flashpoint supports their respective displays.)

Scale: Flashpoint currently supports an NCI brand RS-232 scale or an OPOS compatible scale.

Coin Changer: Flashpoint currently supports the Telequip coin changer or an OPOS compatible coin changer.

Cash Drawer: Flashpoint currently supports any cash drawer that will connect to the POS printer or an OPOS compatible cash drawer. When installing in a fast food environment it is suggested to use the OPOS cash drawer as you will have the option to stop the employee from ringing in items while the drawer is open.



Credit Card Reader: Any keyboard wedge credit card reader, reading track 1 and 2 but must be setup in the following manner

Track 1 must send a “%” (decimal equivalence - 37, HEX equivalence – 25h) as the prefix character and must terminate with a carriage return.

Track 2 must send a “;” (decimal equivalence - 59, HEX equivalence – 3Bh) as the prefix character and must terminate with a carriage return.

Many “All in One” type computers have a notebook motherboard in them which do not have enough power for the keyboard wedge, you should check with the manufacturer before purchasing.

Bar Code Scanner: Any keyboard wedge type bar code scanner will work but must send a

“Black happy face” (decimal equivalence - 002, HEX equivalence – 02h) as the prefix character and must end with a carriage return. (OPOS compatible scanners will also work). Many “All in One” type computers have a notebook motherboard in them which do not have enough power for the keyboard wedge, you should check with the manufacturer before purchasing.

We have found that the Honeywell Orbit series barcode scanners to be reliable, and inexpensive.

Switch/Hub: For optimal performance be sure to use a Gigabit switch/hub. Many customers like to purchase the least expensive unit available, which we do not recommend. You must remember that all traffic goes through the switch and therefore is one of the most critical pieces of equipment on the network. Although Flashpoint offers backup modes if a failure occur, it is still not the optimal thing to happen. One of the best and well known brands available is Cisco. The newer 802.11n wireless routers seem to work very well and can be a good alternative to wired network. Just ensure that all computers have a good signal. If using a wireless router it is recommended that you hide the router to ensure that outside sources do not connect to your network.

Credit Card Processor: We have found that Mercury Payments have the least number of problems, the greatest customer support and offer the best rates. Other than Mercury, we have been certified with Global Payments (Canada) using a direct interface and Global US, Moneris, Chase Paymentech (Canada and US), First Data, Tsys, and Sterling Payments using Datacaps’s DSIClientX interface.

Optional Hardware Caller ID: If you wish to use the Caller ID interface with Flashpoint, You must

purchase a caller ID Box. You have the option of 2, 4, 8 and 16 lines. To purchase the equipment for the caller id interface contact:



CallerID.com 5680 Oakbrook Parkway Suite 150, Norcross, CA 30093 Ph. 800-240-4637. Be sure to inform them that you are using the Flashpoint software to ensure that you receive the correct unit.

Kitchen Video: The Kitchen Video system and Projection monitor are interfaced to the Oasys Ipad-SX bump bar. When first turning on the bump bar, be sure to select Flashpoint as the interface type. To purchase the Oasys Ipad contact:: Select Electronics Select Electronics 2 Patricia Lane 1975 Rockledge Dr. Rockaway, NJ 07866 Rockledge, FL 32955 Ph. 973-627-0351. Ph. 321-638-8948

Liquor Systems: The following Liquor / Draft systems have been directly interfaced to Flashpoint, and are widely used.

Suggested: Control Plus 747, 1547 and Liquor Control (branded Id) liquor pouring systems, Draft Control 16 and IV Control Draft Meter system. Available from:

Control Plus GL

4372 Hwy 440 West Laval, Quebec H7T 2P7 Ph: 1-855-233-4949 www.controlplusgl.com

USC Spirit 2000, 4000 and Brand Id liquor Systems, USC Harton Draft Meter system. Available from:

Universal Systems and Controls

438 Isabey, Suite 436A St-Laurent, Quebec H4T 1V3 Ph: 877-872-4968 www.usc4you.com

Video Surveillance: The following Video Surveillance systems have been directly interfaced to Flashpoint:.

If you wish to use a system not listed below, Flashpoint includes an interface that the surveillance company can use in order to interface to the POS. For more information and interface specs see the Generic Interfaces guide.



I3Dvr 780 Birchmount Rd, Unit 16 1967 Wehrle Drive, Suite 1 Scarborough, Ontario M1K 5H4 PMB# 034 Buffalo, NY 14221 416-261-2266 1-866-840-0004 http://www.i3international.com Remote Eyes 7526 Connelley Drive, Suite A, Hanover, MD 21076 1-888-291-6379 http://www.remoteeyes.com

Network Settings Power: At a minimum, you must plug the server and the hub in to a UPS

(Uninterrupted Power Supply). If not data corruption can occur. All plugs should be on an isolated ground.

Cabling: Incorrect cabling causes many problems, when setting up a network you should use a Category 5 (100bit) or better UTP cable. At each end of the cable (if more than 20 feet), you should have a Cat 5 keystone jack to “boost” the data transmission, if you do not have the jack, data could be lost during transmission. You should also use a pre-wired patch cord to go from the keystone jack to the computer. The following diagram illustrates the proper color combinations for making network cables. If you do not follow this color scheme, the network cable will be susceptible to electrical interference.

568-B Wiring

Pair # Wire Pin #

White/Blue 5 1-White/Blue

Blue/White 4

White/Orange 1 2-Wht./Orange

Orange White 2

White/Green 3 3-White/Green

Green/White 6

White/Brown 7 4-White/Brown

Brown/White 8

< 568-B Diagram

568-A Wiring

Pair # Wire Pin #

White/Blue 5 1-White/Blue

Blue/White 4

White/Green 1 2-White/Green

Green/White 2

White/Orange 3 3-White/Orange

Orange/White 6

White/Brown 7 4-White/Brown

Brown/White 8

< 568-A Diagram

http://www.i3international.com/

http://www.remoteeyes.com/



Notes for wiring diagrams above:

For patch cables, 568-B wiring is by far, the most common method.

There is no difference in connectivity between 568B and 568A cables. Either wiring should work fine on any system*. (*see notes below) 1. For a straight through cable, wire both ends identical. 2. For a crossover cable, wire one end 568A and the other end 568B. 3. Do not confuse pair numbers with pin numbers. A pair number is used for reference only (eg: 10BaseT Ethernet uses pairs 2 & 3). The pin numbers indicate actual physical locations on the plug and jack.

Network Protocol: The best and most reliable network protocol to use in Windows® is TCP/IP. When setting up the TCP/IP an example of IP addresses would be (192.168.151.1 on station #1 to 192.168.151.250 on station #250). All stations on the network should have a different IP address but the first three octets of the IP address should be the same (192.168.151). You should also setup the network as a “workgroup”. Because Flashpoint looks for the IP address for printing, you should never use a DHCP server, instead use static IP’s.



Setting Up your system for the First Time

When you first receive Flashpoint the only active ID is "1" {enter}. We recommend that you change this ID before putting the software into real use.

If you are setting up a menu for the first time follow these steps:

1) Complete all of your System Setups (System Setup)

2) Setup your order entry screens (Menu Setup -> Add new Window).

3) Setup your main function screens (Menu Setup -> button locations).

4) Enter all of your sales items into the system (Menu Setup -> Add Sales Item).

5) Enter all of your modifiers (Menu Setup -> Add Modifier).

6) Link appropriate modifier screens to the items (Menu Setup -> Edit Sales Item -> call window from here).

7) Enter any special buttons (Coupons, Misc. Buttons, Discounts, etc.).

8) Setup all of your employees (Employee Setup ->Enter edit employee).

9) Setup your printers for all stations (System Setup -> Setup Printers).

10) If you will be using credit card verification or caller id, turn on the appropriate programs under system setup and select the com ports that they are attached to.

11) Setup your inventory.



Automatic Updates Automatic Updates will download and pre-install throughout the day, if an update has been downloaded the operator will be notified when they start the Close Out Day procedure, the system will properly install the update on all stations executing at that time. If any of the stations were shut down during the closing procedure they will automatically be updated upon startup.

If Using the Enterprise Software, the updates will automatically download, and inform you an update is ready to install, but not install. To install the update you must complete the following steps on all stations:

1) Shut down Flashpoint and all related processes

2) Select the windows start button

3) Go to the Flashpoint Version 17 program group

4) Select Update Flashpoint

5) Once the update has been run on all stations run the delete downloaded update from the Flashpoint Ver 17 program group to remove the update



Shutting Down the Software The Shut down Button must be selected before turning off the computer. Many problems are caused by improperly shutting down the software. Once selected the following screen will appear;

If you are shutting down this station, select the “Shut Down This Station” option. To shut down another station at this location, select “Force Shut Down of Station #” and enter the station number to shut down. Note: Once the station number is entered the station will shut down, even if someone is in the middle of placing an order.



Running the Front Desk Interface Depending on the Front desk interface, you must execute one of two different programs in order to use the front desk interface. You must execute the program on the station connected to the front desk (the interface is run through a serial cable). For best results, you should create a shortcut to the executable in the Startup group.

C:\trim-pos\flash\Pms.exe - Execute this program if you wish to use the standard Micros 4700 interface.

C:\trim-pos\flash\rmpms.exe - Execute this program if you are using the Room Master Front Desk software.

Once you run the front desk interface, the following screen will display:

This screen must be running in order for the front desk interface to run. DO NOT SHUT DOWN THIS SCREEN UNLESS YOU WISH TO SHUT DOWN THE INTERFACE. From this screen, you may view the data sent to and from the front desk as well as set up the communication port that the interface cable is connected.

Enter the communications port, Baud rate etc. for the interface cable then select the “Finished” button.

ONLY RUN THE INTERFACE SOFTWARE ON THE COMPUTER THAT HAS THE INTERFACE CABLE ATTACHED.



Running the Caller ID Module In order for caller id to work it must be ran properly. To run the caller id software you must turn it on under System Setup ->Set Station Configurations -> Auto Run Caller Id from this station. Only select this for the station that the box id physically attached to, once checked off you must also select the COM port that the box is attached to. The caller id program is only used in conjunction with POS Caller Id Box Available in 2, 4 and 8 line interfaces, which may be purchased through Callerid.com (1-800-240-4637). When ordering, ask for the TCI settings. When you have purchased the caller id box, the following must be completed in order to connect it to Flashpoint. 1) The jumper settings on the caller id box must be setup correctly the following is how the dipswitches should look. CAUTION - DO NOT PLUG IN THE CALLER ID BOX UNTIL ALL JUMPER SETTINGS ARE CORRECTLY SET. IMPROPER SETTINGS OF THE JUMPERS CAN CAUSE THE CALLER ID BOX TO MALFUNCTION.

2) You must make a serial cable to go from the caller id box to the station that will be running the caller id software. The pin outs for the caller id box to the computer are as follows-

3) The caller id box may now be attached to the phone lines. The box must be attached before the phone system in order to properly work. 4) Plug in the MLX82 and restart the computer that will be running the caller id software. All other stations will automatically know that the caller id software is running and will display the caller information when it comes in.



Common Printer Problems and Causes Most printer problems may be fixed by following these simple steps. Flashpoint will only support serial printers listed in our defined printer list. 1) Check the pin outs for the cable (see below). Many Printer problems occur when a serial cable is not properly made. The following is a diagram of the pin outs for all serial printers (this cable may also be used for the front desk interface as well as the caller id box). Note: The colors in the diagrams are for ease of reading. The colors will not match your specific wiring.

2) If you have more than two serial ports check to make sure the Multi IO Board is setup correctly, and is compatible with Windows® (see below). To access COM ports on multi I/O communications boards, first you must install your multi I/O COM card and the Microsoft® Windows® compatible COM driver supplied by the board manufacturer. After installation, we recommend that you run the Windows® Terminal Program in the Accessories program group to test the installed board and driver. You can also configure COM ports from the Control Panel Ports option. This will allow you to set the base I/O address and IRQ number for your communications ports. Note If you are experiencing problems with your communications hardware, you will need to contact the hardware manufacture for assistance. Flashpoint will only support problems related to the Flashpoint software. Flashpoint will support any multiport board that is supplied with a Microsoft® Windows® device driver. Consult the multiport board manufacturer instructions on how to install the device



driver. 3) Check to make sure that the power is turned on to the printer and that the correct printer spool is selected in Flashpoint 4) Make sure that you have setup the station to print to the Windows® spool 5) If the above is setup correctly, check to see if the printer works from a different application. If it does not, then the printer probably needs to be serviced.



USC Spirit Setups and Wiring Diagram

USC Wiring Diagram

To program the USC spirit for use with the Flashpour module, complete the following steps (on the USC sprit unit).

Turn the key from the “RUN” to the “PGM” position and press the “P3” button to display the options. You will be in the general options section of the USC Spirit (once you have completed the programming, remember to return the key back to the “RUN” position).

Note: The P1 button will advance to the next option

The P2 button will increment the counter by 10

The P3 button will increase the counter by 1

While in the General Opt section set the displayed number to 049 (using the P2 and P3 keys). This will setup the unit to use the Berg interface (as required by Flashpoint) and set the portion default to P1.

Select the P1 button to go into the SCAN OPT section and, using the P2 and P3 buttons, set the displayed number to 008. This will setup the unit to send 4 digit PLU numbers (as required by Flashpoint).

Select the P1 button again to go into the COMM OPT section and, using the P2 and P3 buttons set the displayed number to 064. This will setup the unit to 2400 baud as required by Flashpoint.

Once the options have been setup, the next step is to setup the pourer categories and counters (see the USC documentation that came with the unit). Return the key back to the run position to begin operations once all setups are complete.



Common Problems and Fixes

Common Problem Caused By Fix

Network Constantly Disconnects Not installing Keystone Jack

Improper Wiring

Bad Network Card

Install Keystone Jack

Meter Wiring

Replace network cards

When Running Flashpoint the computer seems to “hang”

Network Errors Install Keystone Jack, Meter Wiring, replace network cards.

After printing a Dine In check it disappears

Improper Setups in Flashpoint

Bad Index

Under Employee Setup ->Setup for Order Entry turn off “Release Dine In with Print Check”

Re-Index Flashpoint (Shut down all other stations and select Re-Index Order Entry from the TRIM folder

I Cannot Print any of my full size reports

No default Report Printer Setup

Under Windows® setup, make sure that you have a default printer setup. The printer must be shared and setup on all stations.

My Remote Printer does not print Printer has erred out

Items not setup to print

Remote Printer Redirects are turned on

Printers not setup correctly

Computer Problem

Check that there is paper in the printer and that the printer is on-line.

Under Menu Setup make sure that the item is setup to print to the remote printer

Under System Setup ->Printer Setup ->Remote Printer Redirects, be sure that the printer is not being re-directed to another non-existent printer.

Check to make sure that the proper printer type is setup (System setup -> printer setup -> set check printer or set remote printer)

Check to see if the cable or Communication port has gone bad.



Common Problem Caused By Fix

When Running Close Out Day the computer seems to “Freeze”

All stations are not at the employee Id. Screen

Check that all stations are at the employee Id screen. If not, return to the employee Id screen on those stations and the close out should finish.

I run a Time clock report but do not get any totals

Improper employee setups,

Wrong pay period ending date,

Under employee setup-> Time Clock make sure that the Timer clock report by employee option is not turned on for you,

Make sure that you selected the proper pay period ending date for the report.

When my computer disconnects from the network I cannot run in backup mode

Stations are not backing up data sets

Under system setup->Setup Closing Report, make sure that the station is backing up the data sets.

Flashpoint receives a network error on boot up of XP

Network not setup If the “allow network users to change my files” tab is not check off Flashpoint will not have access to the files and will error.

When setting up XP, if you do not map the network drive, XP may not locate the drive before Flashpoint runs. The easiest fix for this is to map the network drive.

Documents

Table of Contents - Restaurant POS (Point Of Sale) up your system.pdfStar – SP200, SP312, SP342, DP8340 Flashpoint spoolers require a serial interface. If you wish to use a parallel,