Data Terminal Systems Model 440.

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the Data Terminal Systems (DTS) cash registers from back in the day. At one point I had two DTS Model 150s in my collection, but after they gave up the ghost I decided to donate them to another retro computing enthusiast.

The Retail Solutions Providers Association (RSPA) recently celebrated their 75th anniversary at their RetailNOW convention. I’ll be posting some of the vintage documentation highlighted at their event. After spotting (and sharing) the photographed DTS Model 319 in the previous post, I did some research and was able to reach out to some folks in the industry.

Here we have a DTS Model 440 that was featured at the RSPA event, as photographed by Dave McCarthy of DUMAC Business Systems in Syracuse, New York. This particular register was either refurbished or built to original specs after National Semiconductor purchased Data Terminal Systems and started incorporating the DTS designs into their Datachecker line.

The keyboard layout is mostly familiar to me; the only differences I can spot is “LOG SBTL” in what I knew as the “DEPT NR” location and the “@/SBTL” button replaced by a simple “@” key. This was just a difference in configuration for whatever retail chain used this particular register. I know on the Model 440 I was able to play around with back in my teens, pressing ACCT NR would log the current subtotal on the receipt and journal tapes.

As a native of Upstate New York, a couple of grocery store chains, including P&C Foods and some Great American locations, used these registers as their first ECRs. Fays Drugs also used a variant.