Why your register is shutting down and how to prevent it.

Have you ever had your register just, stop working? I'm not talking about locking up (although the it could be relevant) but just decides to power off? Well, the cause is very simple to overlook and could be prevented very easily.

So, want to know why your register is shutting down so often and suddenly?

Heat.

Yup. Heat is and has always been the enemy to computers. If a computer gets too hot it will simply shut down. Sure, you can turn it back on but you risk serious damage to your devices components.

How to prevent overheating.

Make sure nothing is blocking your register or devices vents. Vents are often found on the back of a device or for wall mounted devices they are typically located on the sides. If you are not sure if you're looking at a vent or not simply place your hand over the vent and if you feel heat coming out then you have found your vent! If you feel nothing then first make sure your device is on and if it is then what you thought was a vent might just be a decor or design.

I've been on several calls for registers not staying on and when I got to the site I found grocery bags, papers, clothes and all manner of things wedged beside the register blocking the vent. After removing the blockage the register ran fine.

Another thing to do is make sure your device is free of dust. Dust can block vents and accumulate on your CPU fan (we will talk about those in a bit.).

To properly dust out your register you will need to remove all cables (mainly the power cable) take it to an open area (I prefer outside) and use canned air or a vacuum that can blow out air to remove dust. You will need to open up your device for best results. If you don't feel comfortable with this you can always call Retail Systems to come service your registers.

CPU overheating

The CPU is basically your computer's brain. It tells all the others components what to do and also generates a lot of heat. To prevent overheating a CPU has a heatsink which displaces heat with a CPU fan on top. If the CPU fan is clogged with dust the CPU will overheat and shut down your system. As mentioned before this can be prevented with proper maintenance. 

If you would like to schedule a Retail Systems Inc tech to perform maintenance on your machines please call 1-800-849-5642 or visit our support page here to open a ticket.