POS Hardware
That Survives
the Rush.

TimeWorks supplies that kit, sets it up on our own POS software and supports it from our offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Start with the Toshiba TCx touch terminal, add a Zebra LI2208 barcode scanner and an 80mm thermal printer, and see every part with its price in our full hardware catalogue.

What to check before you buy for round-the-clock trading

Dust and spills. Look for an IP rating on every terminal. The IP code is defined in the international standard IEC 60529. A first digit of 5 means dust is not entirely kept out but cannot get in in a quantity that interferes with safe operation, and a second digit of 3 means water sprayed at any angle up to 60° from the vertical has no harmful effect (the IP code, summarised on Wikipedia). Toshiba's TCx 820 technical specifications and TCx 810E technical specifications rate both terminals we supply IP53 (the 810E is IP52 with peripherals installed): protected against dust to a degree that does not stop them working, and against spraying water. That is splash protection, not waterproofing, so wipe spills up rather than rinse the terminal down.

Heat and dust inside the case. A fanless terminal has no fan to pull kitchen grease or shop dust through its electronics. The Toshiba TCx 810E and TCx 820 we supply are both fanless, for silent, low-maintenance operation.

Drops and wear. A night-shift scanner will get dropped. Zebra's LI2208 specification sheet rates the scanner for over 100 drops from 1.5 m at room temperature, environmental sealing to IP42 and a scan speed of 547 scans per second. It comes with the full manufacturer warranty.

Speed at the printer. A thermal receipt printer has no ink or ribbon to run out in the middle of the night, only the paper roll. Ours is 80mm wide with an auto-cutter and USB, network and serial ports, so one printer can be shared by several terminals on the network.

Power. In South Africa, plan for load shedding even in a quiet spell. Eskom's load-shedding page shows the current status and the schedule for your area, so check it before a long trading night. We size APC or Mecer UPS units to your terminal and peripherals. Our UPS and battery backup page lists the range, and a standard 650VA unit runs a touch terminal and receipt printer for 2 to 4 hours.

Labels and shelves. If you sell by weight or change prices often, a shelf-label printer linked to the POS queues new labels when prices change, so the shelf and the till agree at any hour.

What happens when something breaks at night

Be clear about support hours before you commit. Our support desk is open Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 17:00 and on Saturday from 9:00 to 13:00, and you can log a support ticket online when a fault happens. For a business that never closes, plan for the hours in between: keep a spare printer and scanner on site, put every terminal on a UPS, and ask about an extended warranty or maintenance contract that suits your trading hours. On a rental, we provide a loaner unit while yours is in for repairs.

What it costs in South Africa

You can buy the hardware or rent it. Renting starts from R995 per month excluding VAT, and that monthly fee includes the hardware, the software and support; our POS rental plans set out the terms. Buying is quoted for your setup. The Toshiba TCx touch terminal is listed from R12,995 to R24,995 excluding VAT, and UPS units from R2,995 to R8,995. Our prices are in rand and exclude VAT, which SARS charges at the standard rate of 15%, so add it to your budget.