Connects to
The receipt printer
Not the computer. RJ-12 cable into the Cash Drawer port.
Getting Started with Rundoo · Hardware Set-up
Set Up Your Cash Drawer
Get the drawer wired up and popping open with every sale.
How it actually works
The drawer plugs into the printer, not the computer
Your cash drawer is passive hardware, no wifi, no driver, no direct line to the computer. It plugs into the back of your thermal receipt printer, and the printer pops it open on every cash receipt.
So no printer, no pop. Get the receipt printer set up and working first, then come back here.
Do this
Wiring up the drawer, step by step
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See what came in the box
Three things: the drawer itself, a cable that looks like an old phone cord, and a small set of keys. The keys open the drawer by hand for cleaning or a manual peek. Keep them somewhere safe and out of the till.
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Plug the cable into the printer
Flip the receipt printer over and look at the ports on the base. You want the one labeled Cash Drawer (on some printers it reads Buzzer). Press the cable in until you hear the click. Do not use the network or LAN port, that one is for the printer's internet connection, and it is the most common mix-up.
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Plug the other end into the drawer
The drawer's port is on the underside, tucked into a recess on the bottom. Tip the drawer up, find the port, and seat the other end of the cable until it clicks. The drawer is heavy and awkward, so grab a second pair of hands to hold it steady while you plug in.
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Ring a cash sale and watch it pop
Set the drawer back in place, ring up any item in Rundoo, and pay with Cash. When the receipt prints, the drawer should pop right open. That is your confirmation the whole chain is wired correctly. A one-cent test sale works fine, just refund it afterward to keep your books tidy.
⚠️ Drawer didn't pop?
The pop signal runs through the printer, so reset the thermal printer first: turn it off, wait about ten seconds, and turn it back on. That re-arms the drawer and clears the most common cause. Full steps live in Printer troubleshooting.
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Load your starting float
Set the starting float, the cash you keep in the drawer to make change, per store in Admin › Locations. Then count that amount into the till. Rundoo starts each day's Register Total from your float, so your close-out numbers line up from the very first sale.
Keep it handy
Cash drawer at a glance
Pops open on
Cash & check sales
Card sales never pop it. That is by design.
The cable
RJ-12 (6P6C)
Looks like an old phone cord. The ends are directional.
Set your float
Admin › Locations
Per store. Rundoo starts each day from this number.
Good to know
- The cable is directional. The two ends are labeled, one for the printer and one for the drawer. Plug them in backwards and the drawer just will not open, so if it stays shut after a cash sale, try swapping which end is where.
- Two registers can share one drawer, as long as both stations print to the same receipt printer. One printer, one drawer. Want a drawer per station? Give each station its own printer.
- If a cash sale prints but the drawer stays closed, check the cable first: the right port on the printer (Cash Drawer, not LAN), a firm click on both ends, and the ends not reversed. That is almost always the culprit.