DrawerPulse

Smart Cash Drawer Control for Modern POS Systems

Professional Cordova app for opening cash drawers on iOS and Android devices Supports Network (WiFi/Ethernet) and USB (Android only) connections using ESC/POS protocol

Installation • Features • Usage • API • Support

Organized by Flenco.in

Features

• Multi-Protocol Support: Standard ESC/POS, Epson, Star Micronics with auto-detection
• Network Connection: WiFi/Ethernet (iOS & Android)
• USB Connection: USB OTG (Android only)
• Cross-Platform: Optimized for both iOS and Android
• Modern UI: Clean Ubuntu-style grey theme
• Comprehensive Error Handling: Detailed troubleshooting messages
• Production Ready: Tested and battle-hardened

Installation

NPM Package

npm install drawer-pulse

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/flenco-in/drawer-pulse.git
cd drawer-pulse

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Setup platforms
npm run setup:android  # Add Android platform
npm run setup:ios      # Add iOS platform (macOS only)

Prerequisites

• Node.js 16+ and npm
• Cordova CLI: npm install -g cordova
• iOS: Xcode 14+ (macOS only)
• Android: Android Studio with SDK 34+
• Gradle: Install via SDKMAN - sdk install gradle 8.10.2

Quick Start

Build & Run

# Android
npm run build:android    # Build APK
npm run run:android      # Build and run on device/emulator
npm run start:android    # Start emulator and run app

# iOS (macOS only)
npm run build:ios        # Build iOS app (device only)
npm run run:ios          # Build and run on device/simulator

# Important: iOS builds with Xcode 26 require using Xcode GUI
# See IOS_BUILD_NOTES.md for details

# Clean build cache (if build issues)
npm run clean

Usage

Network Connection (WiFi/Ethernet) - Recommended

1. Find printer IP address (check printer settings or router)
2. Open app → Select "Network"
3. Enter IP: 192.168.1.100 and Port: 9100
4. Click "Connect to Printer"
5. Click "OPEN DRAWER" (auto-detects protocol)

USB Connection (Android Only)

1. Connect printer via USB OTG cable
2. Open app → Select "USB"
3. Click "Connect USB Device"
4. Grant permissions → Select device
5. Click "OPEN DRAWER"

Note: USB is disabled on iOS as it's not supported by the platform.

Architecture

drawer-pulse/
├── www/
│   ├── index.html              # Main UI
│   ├── js/
│   │   ├── index.js            # App logic
│   │   ├── cash-drawer-api.js  # Unified API
│   │   └── modules/
│   │       ├── escpos-commands.js    # ESC/POS protocol
│   │       ├── usb-handler.js        # USB communication
│   │       └── network-handler.js    # Network communication
├── platforms/                  # iOS & Android
├── config.xml                  # Cordova configuration
└── package.json

Supported Protocols

| Protocol | Description | Compatible Printers | |----------|-------------|-------------------| | Standard ESC/POS | Universal | Most ESC/POS printers | | Epson | Epson TM series | TM-T88, TM-T20, etc. | | Star Micronics | Star TSP series | TSP650, TSP700, etc. |

API Reference

CashDrawerAPI

const api = new CashDrawerAPI();

// Connect via network
await api.connectNetwork('192.168.1.100', 9100);

// Connect via USB (Android only)
await api.connectUSB();

// Open drawer with auto-detection
await api.openDrawer('standard');  // 'epson', 'star', 'alt', 'all'

// Get status
const status = api.getStatus();

// Disconnect
await api.disconnect();

ESCPOSCommands

const escpos = new ESCPOSCommands();

// Generate commands
const cmd = escpos.openCashDrawer(0, 25, 250);
const epsonCmd = escpos.openCashDrawerEpson();

// Get all commands
const allCommands = escpos.getAllCommands();

Troubleshooting

iOS Issues

Build fails with Xcode 26?

• See IOS_BUILD_NOTES.md for detailed solutions
• Use Xcode GUI: open platforms/ios/CashDrawerApp.xcworkspace
• Or reinstall platform: cordova platform add [email protected]

App feels slow?

• Clean build in Xcode (Cmd+Shift+K)
• Restart iPhone
• Check iOS version (requires 13.0+)

USB not working?

• USB is not supported on iOS (platform limitation)
• Use Network connection instead

Android Issues

Build fails with Gradle error?

npm run clean
npm run setup:android
npm run build:android

USB device not detected?

• Check USB OTG cable
• Grant USB permissions when prompted
• Enable Developer mode on Android

Network connection fails?

• Verify printer IP address is correct
• Check device WiFi connection
• Try port 9100 (default for ESC/POS printers)

Drawer Not Opening

• Click "OPEN DRAWER" button (auto-detects all protocols)
• Check drawer cable is connected to printer (RJ11/RJ12 port)
• Verify drawer has power
• Ensure printer is powered ON

Configuration

iOS Performance Settings (config.xml)

<platform name="ios">
    <preference name="WKWebViewOnly" value="true" />
    <preference name="SplashScreenDelay" value="500" />
    <preference name="DisallowOverscroll" value="true" />
    <preference name="deployment-target" value="13.0" />
</platform>

Android Settings

<platform name="android">
    <preference name="android-minSdkVersion" value="24" />
    <preference name="android-targetSdkVersion" value="34" />
    <preference name="android-compileSdkVersion" value="34" />
    <preference name="AndroidXEnabled" value="true" />
</platform>

Security

• Network connections use local HTTP/TCP
• No data stored or transmitted to external servers
• USB permissions requested at runtime
• All communication is local (device ↔ printer)

Dependencies

{
  "cordova-plugin-network-information": "^3.0.0",
  "cordova-plugin-android-permissions": "^1.1.5"
}

NPM Scripts Reference

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | npm run clean | Clean build cache and temp files | | npm run setup:android | Setup Android platform (v13) | | npm run setup:ios | Setup iOS platform | | npm run build:android | Build Android APK | | npm run build:ios | Build iOS app | | npm run run:android | Build and run on Android device/emulator | | npm run run:ios | Build and run on iOS device/simulator | | npm run emulator:android | Start Android emulator | | npm run start:android | Start emulator and run app | | npm test | Run unit tests | | npm run test:coverage | Run tests with coverage |

Supported Printers

• Epson TM series (TM-T88, TM-T20, etc.)
• Star TSP series (TSP650, TSP700, etc.)
• Bixolon SRP series
• Citizen CT series
• Custom VKP series
• Any ESC/POS compatible printer

ESC/POS Commands

Standard Command

Hex: 1B 70 00 19 FA
Description: ESC p 0 25 250

Epson Command

Hex: 1B 70 00 32 FA
Description: ESC p 0 50 250

Star Command

Hex: 07
Description: BEL (Bell)

Platform Support

• iOS: 13.0+ (iPhone, iPad)
• Android: 7.0+ (API 24+)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

Apache-2.0 - See LICENSE file for details

Support

For issues:

1. Check troubleshooting section above
2. Verify device and printer compatibility
3. Test network/USB connection independently
4. Review console logs in browser dev tools
5. Open an issue on GitHub

Support the Project

If this project helped you, consider buying me a coffee!