A .4 .2 Weight Data Message String.
The GS8920 Ticket Printer receives a string of weight data from the digital weight indicator once every
update of the weight indicator’s display. Depending upon the update rate selected for the weight
indicator during the weight indicator’s installation, and depending upon the type of weight indicator to
which the GS8920 is connected, data strings will be received by the GS8920 Ticket Printer at a rate of
10/second to 1 every 1.6 seconds.
The weight information provided the GS8920 Ticket Printer by the digital weight indicator is
documented in detail in the weight indicator’s setup and calibration manual, but for clarity, a brief
summary of the data available from a Gedge Systems weight indicator is :-
a.
3 weight strings containing Gross, Net and Tare weight data with an embedded
decimal point and a leading sign.
b.
ASCII codes which tell the GS8920 Ticket Printer the status of the weight indicator.
The codes which are of interest to the GS8920 Ticket Printer are :-
i.
The weight is STILL or in MO TION.
ii
.
The weight is within the scale’s ca pac ity or is OVERSCALE or
UNDERSCALE.
iii
The PRINT key has been op er ated.
The GS8920 Ticket Printer is therefore able to extract from this information the weight on the scale,
the number of decimal places in the display and whether the weight is valid or not. It is also able to
detect and act upon a remote print command initiated at the weight indicator.
A .4 .3 Time and Date Data.
Certain of the
GS
range of digital weight indicators either include or may be fitted with a time and
date output facility. If the data stream received by the GS8920 Ticket Printer includes time and date
information it will be printed upon the GS8920’s tickets. If the GS8920 is fitted with Option
BR2
then,
the GS8920’s time and date will appear on the printout rather than the time and date from the weight
indicator.
In addition, certain
GS
indicators may also include a ‘device number’ facility which may be set in the
range 1 - 98 to identify the particular weight indicator. If this facility is available and is made active,
then the weight indicator’s device number will appear on the GS8920’s printouts. This is particularly
useful where the GS8920 is connected to several weight indicators as it can be used to identify the
source of the weight information.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:-
GS8920 Printers shipped after October 1997 displaying the software issue
SA2.0 or higher on power up are year 2000 compliant. They print the year as 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
etc rather than 97, 98, 99, 00. To ensure this compliance, date information is no longer accepted from
the indicators connected to the GS8920 Printer. Instead, this information must be supplied from within
the GS8920 from the Optional BR2 Time and Date chip. If the indicators connected to the GS8920
can supply the time and date then this feature is to be turned off by selecting the date format “F0" in
the date setup of the Indicator. See page 3.3 for details of the Time and Date Option for the GS8920.
A .4 .4 Print Weight Operation.
Following operation of a key which requires a new weight reading from the weight indicator, the
GS8920 Ticket Printer awaits the next weight data string from the digital weight indicator. Provided
that the weight is within the scale’s capacity and is not in motion, the GS8920 Ticket Printer will then
print a ticket.
The GS8920 Ticket Printer includes a facility which can be enabled during digital setup and which tells
the GS8920 Ticket Printer to await the next set of STILL weight data following operation of a weight
printout key and to then print the ticket. This facility is particularly useful where it is convenient to
operate the print command key before the scale has come to rest.
GS8920 Intelligent Ticket Printer.
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