DCA-155W

Why Windows Still Wins at the Till

The case for Android at a POS is cost and remote management. The case for Windows is that the software already exists, it is already qualified on the site’s peripherals, and nobody has to rewrite or retrain anything.

That is the situation in most established retail and hospitality operations. The POS application was written for Windows, it drives a specific receipt printer through a specific driver, it talks to a scale over a COM port and it integrates with an accounting package. Replacing the terminal is a hardware decision; replacing the platform would be a project.

The DCA-155W is the Windows terminal on this chassis: 15 or 15.6-inch G+G capacitive touch, Intel Celeron J1900 or J4125 with Core i3/i5 options, DDR3L memory, mSATA storage, and two RS232 ports.

The CPU Options Decide the Deployment

Three tiers are offered, and the right one depends on the application rather than on preference:

• Intel Celeron J1900 at 2.0 GHz — a Bay Trail quad-core, 10 W class. Adequate for a classic POS application: a product grid, a transaction log, a receipt printer. It is what most terminals in the field actually run.
• Intel Celeron J4125 — a newer quad-core with better per-core performance and memory support. The sensible default for a new deployment that may later run a browser-based back office alongside the POS app.
• Core i3 / i5 — for a terminal that is also doing something else: video, a second screen with promotional content, on-device reporting, or a virtualised environment.

Memory follows the CPU: a single SO-DIMM DDR3L slot at 1333 MHz with 4 GB standard and 8 GB as an option. Storage is mSATA SSD from 64 GB to 256 GB.

The honest constraint is the memory platform. DDR3L at 1333 MHz is a generation behind, and 8 GB is the practical ceiling on the J1900 configuration. That is enough for a POS application and a browser; it is not enough for heavy multitasking, and a buyer expecting a general-purpose PC will be disappointed.

Two RS232 Ports, Which Is the Point

Six USB ports and two RS232 ports on the J1900 configuration, plus one VGA output for a second screen.

Two native COM ports is more valuable than it sounds, and it is often the specification that decides the model. The classic peripheral set at a till includes at least one serial device — a customer display on CD5220, a scale, an older receipt printer, a barcode scanner in a fixed mount, a payment terminal in an integrated build. Serial devices do not enumerate as USB, cannot be re-addressed after a reboot, and do not need a driver that breaks with an OS update.

USB-to-serial adapters work until they do not: they drop under sustained load, change COM numbers, and add a dependency to an appliance that should have none. Two native ports cover the common case of a customer display plus one other serial device, with USB for everything else.

Operating System: Windows 7 to WEPOS

The supported list is Windows 7, 8, 10, Embedded, WEPOS and Linux.

Two entries deserve explanation because they are the ones that matter in practice:

• Windows 10 IoT / LTSC is the version to specify for a new deployment. It is a long-term-servicing build: no feature updates, security patches only, supported for years. A POS terminal that receives a Windows feature update mid-trading is a support incident, and LTSC is how that is prevented.
• WEPOS (Windows Embedded POSReady) appears because a large installed base of POS software was qualified against it. If an existing application was certified on POSReady, that certification is what the site’s support contract rests on.

Windows 7 in the list reflects the installed base rather than a recommendation — a new deployment on Windows 7 is a security decision the buyer is making deliberately, usually because an application cannot be moved.

The Display and Second Screen

A 15- or 15.6-inch main screen at 1024 × 768 or 1366 × 768, 250 cd/m², 150° horizontal and 140° vertical viewing angle, under multi-point projected G+G capacitive touch — glass-on-glass, which resists the delamination that film sensors develop in a counter that is cleaned daily.

A sub-display is available as a 15.1-inch or 12.1-inch non-touch panel for a dual-screen build, and a 2 × 20 VFD or LCD customer display can be mounted on the back cover. Since this is Windows, a sub-display is simply a second monitor: the software decides what appears on it, with no protocol to negotiate.

Physical, Power and Environment

Plastic shell with an aluminium base, all black, 6.5 kg net and 8.0 kg gross for the single-screen build, packed in foam at 425 × 275 × 405 mm (440 × 295 × 425 mm dual screen). An optional side MSR is available.

Power is a 110–240 V adapter with DC 12 V / 5 A output, with mains leads for US, EU and UK plugs or a custom type. Operating range 0–40 °C at 10–80% RH non-condensing — indoor retail, not an outdoor kiosk.

Audio is an onboard Realtek ALC662 with line out and mic in, which is what a terminal needs for a scale’s beep, a voice prompt or a drive-through headset.

Where the DCA-155W Fits

• Established retail and hospitality with Windows POS software. The core case: the application already exists.
• Sites with two serial peripherals. Two native RS232 ports.
• Integrated builds with a payment terminal on serial.
• Deployments needing Windows 10 IoT / LTSC. No feature updates on a trading terminal.
• Not where the app is Android or web-only. The DCA-155A is the Android terminal on the same chassis and costs less per unit.
• Not for heavy multitasking. DDR3L at 1333 MHz with an 8 GB ceiling.

The All-in-One Range

• DCA-155W — this unit. Windows, J1900/J4125/i3/i5, two RS232, 15 or 15.6-inch.
• DCA-155A — 15.6-inch Android 11, RK3566/RK3568.
• DCA-KSA — 15.6-inch with a built-in 58 or 80 mm printer.
• DCA-151WS, DCA-152W — 15-inch chassis variants including a foldable-stand format.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I keep my existing POS software?

If it is a Windows application, yes — that is the reason to choose this model. Confirm the OS version it is certified for and specify that build.

Which Windows version should I order?

Windows 10 IoT / LTSC for a new deployment, so the terminal does not receive feature updates while trading.

How many serial ports?

Two RS232 on the J1900 configuration, plus six USB and one VGA.

Can I add a second screen?

Yes — a 15.1 or 12.1-inch non-touch sub-display, or a 2 × 20 VFD or LCD customer display on the back cover. On Windows it is a standard second monitor.

Is it fast enough for a browser?

With the J4125 and 8 GB, a browser alongside a POS app is workable. On the J1900 with 4 GB it is not comfortable — specify accordingly.

What is the warranty?

12 months minimum. OEM branding, colour, pre-installed image and OS build are available — ask at quotation stage.

Next step: tell us the POS application, its certified Windows version and the serial peripherals on the site — we will specify the CPU and memory and quote factory-direct. Email sales@dcapos.com or contact us.

Related: DCA-KSW Windows POS with printer · MSR105X magnetic card reader · POS systems · DCA-155A Android terminal · DCA-KSA with printer · all products