POS Cash Drawer POS-405A

405 mm: The Five Millimetres That Decide a Retrofit

A drawer that is 5 mm too wide for a counter cut-out is not 98% fitted. It is not fitted at all, and the counter has to be cut again or the drawer has to be changed.

That is the entire case for the POS-405A. It is the standard 410-platform drawer in a 405 mm cabinet: same 420 mm depth, same 100 mm height, same thick-gauge cold rolled steel and SECC construction with a textured powder coat, same ball-bearing slide, same three-position lock, same till with 4/5/6/8 bill sections and 8 adjustable coin slots, same two media slots, same one-million-operation MTBF.

Five millimetres narrower. In a free-standing drawer on an open counter that is irrelevant. In a fitted counter it is the whole specification.

Same Platform, Narrower Cabinet

The useful consequence of sharing the platform is that everything except the cabinet width is familiar:

• The till insert is the same class — shatter-resistant plastic with metal wire clips, 4, 5, 6 or 8 bill sections and 8 adjustable coin slots.
• Two media slots in the front for cheques, signed vouchers and held documents.
• Interfaces: RJ11, RJ12, USB, RS232 and a DC Φ2.5/3.5 jack. So the drawer can be triggered by a printer, by a PC, or powered from an adapter for no-sale opening.
• Status micro switch reporting open/closed to the POS, so the software can block a sale with the drawer open or log the event.
• Quick-release opening in about 0.3 seconds, with a slide rail specified under 50 dB.

That means a site standardised on this platform can mix 405 mm and 410 mm units with no change to the till layout, the cable, the firmware or the staff routine — which is the point of a platform.

Cut-Out Arithmetic: How to Measure Before You Order

Most failed drawer installations come from measuring the drawer instead of the hole. Work in this order:

• Measure the opening, not the counter. The clear internal width and height of the cut-out, at the front and at the rear — a counter carcass is often not square.
• Add the slider clearance. A drawer on a ball-bearing rail needs a few millimetres each side to travel without binding. If the opening is exactly 405 mm, the 405A is the wrong answer; you need a smaller cabinet or a wider cut.
• Check the depth twice. 420 mm depth plus the cable bend at the rear. A drawer that fits the width and fouls the back panel still does not close.
• Allow for the lock and the front panel. The drawer front sits proud of the carcass; if the counter has a decorative front rail, the drawer front has to clear it.

If the cut-out is being made new, cut for the 410 mm drawer and use the 405A only where an existing opening dictates it — a wider cabinet gives the till more room and the same footprint in the counter.

Where the Five Millimetres Come From

Narrower cabinets exist for three real situations:

• Retrofit into an existing counter. A shop replacing a terminal keeps the counter and the opening. The drawer has to fit what is there.
• Counter units with a fixed carcass. Modular counter systems from a shopfitter come with a specified drawer bay, and the bay is whatever the shopfitter built.
• Drawers installed beside a terminal stand or a bag well. Where 5 mm of counter width is already allocated to something else.

The counter-case for the narrower drawer is weaker than the retrofit case. If you are building new, the 410 mm cabinet is the more useful drawer; the 405A exists to make an existing opening work.

The Lock, the Slide and the Sound

The three-position lock is standard: locked (solenoid kick-out still works), kick-out only (normal trading), and manual open. The third position is the one to watch — a drawer left in manual open can be pulled at any time, and it is the most common cause of an unexplained cash discrepancy.

The ball-bearing slide is specified under 50 dB. That figure matters more than it looks: a drawer that slams is the loudest recurring sound at a quiet counter, and in a pharmacy, a boutique or a hotel reception it is the thing customers notice. A damped slide with a ball-bearing rail is what makes a cash drawer unobtrusive.

Opening is via a quick-release mechanism in roughly 0.3 seconds. It is a spring-loaded latch rather than a motor, which is why it is fast, quiet and has almost nothing to wear — the part that fails on a cheap drawer is the body flexing until the slide binds, not the latch.

Where the POS-405A Fits

• Retrofit into an existing counter opening. The case this drawer is made for.
• Shopfitter-specified drawer bays. Where the carcass width is fixed.
• Mixed fleets on the 410 platform. Same till, same cable, same firmware as the 410A and 410B.
• Sites that retain paper per transaction. Two media slots.
• Not where the cut-out is exactly 405 mm. The rail needs clearance — measure the opening, not the drawer.
• Not for a shallow counter. 420 mm depth; the compact POS-350A is 380 mm deep and 350 mm wide for that.

The Cash Drawer Range

• POS-405A — this unit. 405 × 420 × 100 mm, 4/5/6/8 bill, 8 coin, 2 media slots, RJ11/RJ12/USB/RS232/DC jack.
• POS-410A — 410 × 420 × 100 mm, the standard cabinet and the detailed explanation of the mechanism.
• POS-410B — the same platform under a different ordering code.
• POS-350A — 350 × 380 × 92 mm, compact, no media slot, RJ11/RJ12 only.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the 405A and the 410A?

Five millimetres of cabinet width: 405 mm against 410 mm. Depth, height, construction, till layout, interfaces and MTBF are the same.

Will it fit a 405 mm opening?

Not exactly — a ball-bearing slide needs clearance on each side. Measure the clear opening and allow a few millimetres per side before choosing.

Does it come with a printer cable?

Confirm the cable and its length in the order, since RJ11/RJ12 leads are not always supplied and the length depends on the printer position.

Can a PC open it directly?

Yes, over USB or RS232, with software that sends the open command. With a printer connection the drawer opens on the print job, which is simpler to support.

What does the micro switch do?

Reports open/closed status so the POS can block a sale with the drawer open or log the event for audit.

What is the warranty?

12 months minimum, one million operations MTBF. Custom colour and bill layout available for OEM programmes.

Next step: send us the clear internal dimensions of the counter opening (width, height and depth) and the printer model — we will confirm whether the 405A or the 410A fits and quote factory-direct. Email sales@dcapos.com or contact us.

Related: POS peripherals · POS-410A cash drawer · POS-350A compact drawer · POS systems

MODEL NUMBER	POS-405A
PHYSICAL
Dimension	405(W)x420 (D)x100(H) mm
Construction	Thick gauge cold rolled steel & SECC
Finish	Textured hybrid powder coat
Color	Black, beige and custom type
Slide	Ball bearing slide for smooth & stable operation
CASH TRAY (INSERT)
Construction	Shatter-resistant plastic
Currency layout	4,5,6,8-bill with metal wire grips, 8 adjustable coin slots
Media slots	2
OPERATION
Drawer lock	3-positioin lock
Interface	RJ11,RJ12,USB,RS232,DCΦ2.5/3.5Jack,custom type
Solenoid voltage	12 V or 24 V, specified at order — must match the printer’s drawer port
Lifecycle	MTBF 1,000,000 times+
Micro switch	Cash drawer status micro switch