Summary
This guide provides answers to common questions and solutions for troubleshooting issues with Cash Drawers connected to Otter POS, ensuring smooth and efficient operations.
Initial Troubleshooting
When you experience any issue with the cash drawer, these troubleshooting steps will help you locate the root cause and guide you through resolving the problem. If the issue persists after completing these initial troubleshooting steps, we have additional troubleshooting in the section below.
16" Cash Drawer Troubleshooting (Star Micronics brand)
| Step | Process | Image |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check if you can open the drawer manually with the key.
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| 2 |
Ensure the key is in the drawer in the horizontal direction. If you do not want to leave the key in the drawer, you can take it out. Just make sure the key is removed while in the horizontal direction. |
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| 3 | Check [Users] in Otter Dashboard to confirm you have a Supervisor user role.
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| 4 | Make sure the Drawers app is enabled within the POS App Settings in Otter Dashboard.
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| 5 |
Check to make sure the front-of-house printer is connected to the terminal via USB. Setup steps can be found here: Otter POS Hardware Setup Guide | Front-of-House Printer |
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| 6 |
Confirm the cable that comes with the drawer is connected properly:
Learn more here: Otter POS: Connect your cash drawer |
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| 7 |
If all of the above troubleshooting steps do not work, please reference our Additional Troubleshooting section below. If you are still unable to resolve the issue after completing all of the troubleshooting steps in this article, the cash drawer is likely faulty and will need to be replaced. |
13" Cash Drawer Troubleshooting (Volcara brand)
| Step | Process | Image |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check if you can open the drawer manually with the key.
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| 2 |
Ensure the key is in the drawer in the vertical direction. If you do not want to leave the key in the drawer, you can take it out. Just make sure the key is removed while in the vertical direction. |
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| 3 | Check [Users] in Otter Dashboard to confirm you have a Supervisor user role.
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| 4 | Make sure the Drawers app is enabled within the POS App Settings in Otter Dashboard.
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| 5 |
Check to make sure the front-of-house printer is connected to the terminal via USB. Setup steps can be found here: Otter POS Hardware Setup Guide | Front-of-House Printer |
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| 6 |
Confirm the cable that comes with the drawer is connected properly:
Learn more here: Otter POS: Connect your cash drawer |
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| 7 |
If all of the above troubleshooting steps do not work, please reference our Additional Troubleshooting section below. If you are still unable to resolve the issue after completing all of the troubleshooting steps in this article, the cash drawer is likely faulty and will need to be replaced. |
Additional Troubleshooting
After you have completed the initial troubleshooting in the section above and you're still experiencing issues, use these additional troubleshooting steps to attempt to resolve the cash drawer issue.
Cash drawer will not open
For the 13" Cash Drawer, ensure the keyhole remains in the vertical position to open electronically.
For the 16" Cash Drawer, ensure the keyhole remains in the horizontal position to open electronically.
Cash drawer will not connect to device
| Step | Process | Image |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turn off the printer. | |
| 2 | Swap the direction of the cable (use the other end to plug in to your POS). | |
| 3 | Make sure the cable is plugged into the right port in the printer and the cash drawer. |
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| 4 | Turn the printer back on. | |
| 5 | Open Otter Dashboard and click on the [Profile] icon. | |
| 6 |
Go to [Settings]. Select [User Management] in the left side menu and click on [Users] from the drop-down. |
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| 7 | Make sure the user credentials have a "Supervisor" role. | |
| 8 | Now, go back to Otter Dashboard homepage. Click on [Apps] and select [POS] from the dropdown options. | |
| 9 | In the left side navigation menu, select the correct settings tab based on Brand, Location, or organization.
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| 10 | In the left side navigation menu, click on [Cash drawers]. | |
| 11 |
Toggle ON the [Cash management] setting. This setting will enable the use of the Drawers app on your device. |
"No drawer" error message
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| Step | Process | Image |
| 1 | Click on [No Drawer] to create a new drawer and set a starting balance. | |
"Approval needed" error message
| Step | Process | Image |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Click on the [Approval needed] error message. | |
| 2 |
Enter the specific user PIN assigned to the drawer, not the role PIN (e.g., do not use the supervisor's PIN). The PIN can be found in Otter Dashboard under the User details → [Passcode]. |
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| 3 | If the user PIN doesn't work, end the current cash drawer session and start a new one. |
Troubleshooting a missing Drawers app on the POS terminal
First steps, confirm [Cash Management] is toggled "ON" in Otter Dashboard.
| Step | Process | Image |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Go to Otter Dashboard. | |
| 2 | Click on [Apps] and select [POS] from the dropdown options. | |
| 3 | In the left side navigation menu, select the correct settings tab based on Brand, Location, or organization.
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| 4 | In the left side navigation menu, click on [Cash drawers]. | |
| 5 |
Toggle ON the [Cash management] setting. This setting will enable the use of the Drawers app on your device. |
If you are still missing the Drawers app on the terminal even though everything is correctly set, it could be the method used to set up the Terminal using the login credentials instead of pairing the device via Otter Dashboard.
You will need to sign out from the Terminal, unpair the device from Otter Dashboard, and re-pair the Terminal using the pairing code as instructed on Otter POS: Pairing Your Device.
For more information, please check this article: Otter POS: Connect your cash drawer.
FAQs
Can all users start or close a drawer?
Currently, the out of the box permission set only allows Managers/Supervisors Users to start or close a drawer.
Where can I view reporting on all cash and credit transactions?
Reporting on transactions can be found in the POS transactions tab in the Otter Dashboard.
| Step | Process | Image |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Login to the Otter Dashboard. | |
| 2 | Select the [Financials] app. | |
| 3 | Then select the [POS Transactions] tab. |
Can the cash drawer be added to any Otter plan?
Yes, the cash drawer can be added to any Otter POS plan as an Add On item.
What are the specs of the cash drawer?
Cash drawer specs can be found on this article: Otter POS: Connect your cash drawer
What else comes with the cash drawer?
The drawer comes with a set of keys so it can be locked or opened outside of a transaction.
Still need help? Reach out to our team:
| Chat with support by clicking the chat icon in the bottom right corner of the Otter Dashboard. |
+1 (888) 681-8837 Send us a text to the number above for assistance over text message. |
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