COTS Hardware

VotingWorks equipment uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components when possible. The printers, scanners, and laptops are items that can be purchased online or at an electronics store. COTS equipment tends to be more reliable, affordable, and transparent than customized hardware. Details about each component are below.

HP Printers

VxAdmin prints reports with the HP m4001dn printer.

Toner

New printers come with toner pre-installed, see the Supply List for replacement options. To install a new toner cartridge, follow HP's instructions.

Feeder Tray

The primary, bottom input tray (Tray 2) has a paper capacity of 150 to 250 pieces of paper, depending on the thickness of the paper. If you are reloading paper often for large printing jobs, a larger HP feeder tray can be purchased for a 400 to 550 capacity. Follow HP's instructions to install the feeder.

Scanners

Fujitsu Scanners

VxCentralScan comes with the Fujitsu fi-8170 scanner, capable of scanning almost one ballot per second. We recommend using the scanner with the stacker (a.k.a output tray) down and fully extended, the stopper flipped up, and the detachable paper chute attached and fully extended:

For more detailed instructions on how to set up the scanner, consult the product Operator's Guide.

Clean the fi-8170 before each election and after every 5,000 sheets scanned to maintain peak scanning accuracy. VotingWorks provides a Fujitsu ScanAid Kit alongside the fi-7160. The kit contains a copy of the cleaning instructions and the cleaning fluid, cloths, and swabs.

VotingWorks also supports the larger fi-7600 scanner. The operator's guide can be found here.

VxScan Kiosk Scanner

VxScan uses the Custom Scanner A4 document scanner as its scanning unit. Unlike the Fujitsu scanners used for central scanning, the Custom scanner is installed into VotingWorks equipment and should never be removed.

The Custom Scanner A4 should be cleaned prior to every election. VotingWorks recommends cleaning during Logic and Accuracy testing. To clean the scanner, follow the step by step instructions included in the Custom Scanner user manual. Specifically, apply a small amount of isopropyl alcohol to a microfiber cloth and gently wipe the two pieces of glass exposed when the scanner is opened. This procedure can also be safely performed at the polling place in the case of a scanner malfunction.

Laptops

VotingWorks uses Lenovo ThinkPad L14 Gen 4 laptops with an integrated card reader for central system laptops.