Solved Connect Access with a scale via RS232 cable (1 Viewer)

[zelarra821]

Good afternoon. I have made a POS in Access, and now I need to connect a scale. For this, the scale needs an RS232 cable to connect to the network port of the computer. As the seller of the scale told me, Access has to allow the dollar protocol, something I don't know. I have downloaded an Access, which I attach here, which should work for it, but I don't know how to use it.

Can someone shed some light for me?

Thank you.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

When I look up "dollar protocol" online, it somehow relates to virtual coinage and monetary exchange. If you can figure out another name for "dollar protocol" I might be able to look it up and explain it better, but at the moment I'm baffled.

Many people have connected to a bar-code scanner through RS232 cables, though calling them "network" cables is only for old-timers like me. You might wish to search this forum for bar-code scanners because of the similar interfacing requirements (also RS232). RS232 is a serial port for serial low-speed protocols including asynchronous raw text inputs. Network cables these days are CAT5 and CAT6 Ethernet types.

I have to leave my computer for a while so can't continue the search at the moment. But perhaps another forum member might recognize this protocol and if so, could then enlighten you.

 

[jdraw]

There was a "similar weight scale" post (different forum) a while back by vlad.. You may find it helpful.

Does your "scale provider/manufacturer" supply any support/technical materials or examples?

There are some videos on youtube dealing with connecting scales (RS232 and USB) to computers.
Here is one. Here is another (1 yr old)

 

[zelarra821]

Thank you very much for answering.

If I have said about the dollar protocol, it has been because, the one who sold me the scale insisted many times. It is true that I have not found much information about this protocol either, and, however, I did find more documentation on connecting Access with a serial port through an RS232 cable.

As for the forum you mention, I had already visited it. I have downloaded both databases and Excel to test it on the computer, but neither of them does anything. I have asked my brother, who is a computer technician, if it was necessary to install some kind of driver for the scale and he told me that Windows should instal it by itself. I have sent him a screenshot of the COM devices and he has replied that in principle it is fine. But even with those, I am not able to get any kind of data from the scale.

What I am going to do tomorrow is ask where I bought the cable today if they could look at my computer, so that if they tell me that it does not connect, they will give me my money back. Later, what I would do is buy the cable directly from the one who sold me the scale, since he has an identical one for his business and is using that cable.

As I say, thank you very much. I'm leaving this thread open in case I have anything else to ask.

Good night.

 

[sonic8]

It is true that I have not found much information about this protocol either

It would be a good idea to visit the website of the manufacturer of the scales and find out how they call the protocol and whether they provide technical documentation for controlling the scales from a computer, as @jdraw already suggested.

It would also be a good idea to state the exact make and model of your scales here.

I have asked my brother, who is a computer technician, if it was necessary to install some kind of driver for the scale and he told me that Windows should instal it by itself. I have sent him a screenshot of the COM devices and he has replied that in principle it is fine.

For rather exotic hardware, such as scales, I wouldn't rely on Windows to recognize the hardware correctly and to have the most up-to-date drivers available.
I would again suggest to check the manufacturer's website for the current drivers for the device. Maybe they also provide an application that can control the scales. This would be helpful to analyze whether there is a general problem with the COM port connection or whether it is only a problem with the VBA sample applications you downloaded.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

The biggest issue with RS232 devices is that their "driver" is usually the COM driver because most vendors these days want to use USB. If the people who created this scale are reputable, they will probably have a web site where you can get customer support for their product, and that might include a manual of some type, probably .PDF but that's just a guess, that you could download. It might contain info of how to use the device.

The reason I said the "driver" will probably not be helpful is because printers and serial devices most often use serial devices just by exchanging formatted but otherwise "normal" sequential records, unlike USB devices or things that install into your machine's backplane. At least, that what I have mostly seen. Granted, there could be some complexity, but vendors will want to use more modern, faster connections these days, and RS232 is limited in speed.