We have worked with National Parks for over a decade and if there is one thing that we've learned, it is that no two parks are the same. Every National Park has many unique aspects about it and each presents it's own set of hurdles that our Point of Sale systems need to overcome. Most of these issues can be fixed with a piece of technology, but something we can't completely avoid is the air that surrounds the registers. Many of the parks that we work with have either a lot of dust (deserts) or a lot of salt (seashores) in the air. If you are one of these parks, here are a few tips to help you protect your registers from these damaging elements for as long as possible.
- Screen protectors go a long way towards keeping damaging dust from collecting on your touchscreens. Dust is actually very sharp, and if you are constantly wiping dust from your screen, it makes thousands of tiny scratches that will do serious damage over time. A screen protector will take the abuse instead and can be replaced in minutes once it becomes too scratched up.
- A lot of the damage done by dust and even more so salt air, is done to the internal components of the registers. If you are using Merlin registers, these will probably fail pretty quickly because of the large vents and fans on them. EliXR's are much better suited for these environments. However, no matter what model you have, it is a good idea to cover your registers at night to at least protect them during these times.
- A strategy that some parks have used is to have a spare register on hand. Periodically swapping the hardware out and giving it a break seriously extends the life of the internal components. Yes, this means buying a whole new register, but if you can more than double the functional life, it may be worth it.
These tips will help you extend the life of your systems. However, the reality of operating in these harsh environments is that they will die faster than they would elsewhere. If you've been in these areas for awhile, you've probably already experienced trials with electronics. These suggestions will help you though and keep your registers working for much longer.
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