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Chrome Bluetooth Thermal Printer Connection Troubleshooting Guide

Common Issue: Printer Cannot Connect in Chrome

If you're experiencing connection issues with your Bluetooth thermal printer in Chrome, follow this comprehensive troubleshooting guide.

Quick Fix Checklist

✅ Before You Start:

  1. Printer is powered ON
  2. Printer is in pairing/discoverable mode (LED blinking)
  3. Printer is within 1-2 meters of your device
  4. Using Chrome 56+ or Edge (Chromium-based)
  5. Accessing Odoo via HTTPS (or localhost)
  6. Bluetooth is enabled on your device

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

Step 1: Verify Chrome Bluetooth Support

  1. Open Chrome and navigate to: chrome://flags
  2. Search for "Web Bluetooth"
  3. Ensure it's Enabled (should be by default)
  4. If you changed anything, restart Chrome

Test Bluetooth API:

  1. Press F12 to open Developer Tools
  2. Go to the Console tab
  3. Type: navigator.bluetooth.getAvailability()
  4. Press Enter
  5. Should return a Promise that resolves to true

If it returns false or throws an error, your browser doesn't support Web Bluetooth.

Step 2: Check System Bluetooth

Windows 10/11:

  1. Open Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices
  2. Ensure Bluetooth is ON
  3. If your printer appears in the list, click it and select Remove device
  4. This ensures a fresh pairing attempt

macOS:

  1. Open System Preferences > Bluetooth
  2. Ensure Bluetooth is ON
  3. If your printer appears, click the X to forget it
  4. This ensures a fresh pairing attempt

Linux:

  1. Ensure BlueZ 5.41+ is installed: bluetoothctl --version
  2. Check Bluetooth status: systemctl status bluetooth
  3. If printer is paired: bluetoothctl remove [MAC_ADDRESS]

Step 3: Prepare Your Printer

For RPP02 and Similar Printers:

  1. Turn OFF the printer
  2. Press and HOLD the power button
  3. Keep holding until the LED starts blinking rapidly (usually 3-5 seconds)
  4. Release the button
  5. The printer is now in pairing mode

For Epson TM-Series:

  1. Consult your printer manual for pairing mode
  2. Usually involves holding a specific button combination
  3. LED should indicate pairing mode

For Star Micronics:

  1. Check printer manual for pairing instructions
  2. Some models have a dedicated pairing button

Step 4: Clear Browser Data (If Needed)

If you've tried pairing before and it failed:

  1. Open Chrome Settings
  2. Go to Privacy and security > Site Settings
  3. Scroll down to Bluetooth
  4. Find your Odoo site in the list
  5. Click it and Clear data
  6. Alternatively, clear all browsing data:
    • Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data
    • Select "Cookies and other site data"
    • Click "Clear data"

Step 5: Proper Pairing Procedure

  1. In Odoo POS:

    • Click the Bluetooth printer icon in the top bar
    • Click "Scan for Devices"

  2. Chrome will show a pairing dialog:

    • You should see your printer in the list
    • The printer name might be: RPP02, Printer-XXXX, BT-XXXX, etc.
    • Click on your printer to select it
    • Click the "Pair" button

  3. Wait for connection:

    • Status will show "Connecting..."
    • Should connect within 5-10 seconds
    • Status will turn green when connected

  4. Test the connection:

    • Click "Test Print"
    • Printer should print a test receipt

Step 6: If Printer Doesn't Appear in Scan

Possible Causes:

  1. Printer not in pairing mode

    • Solution: Put printer in pairing mode (see Step 3)

  2. Printer already paired to another device

    • Solution: Unpair from other device first
    • Or: Reset printer to factory settings (consult manual)

  3. Bluetooth interference

    • Solution: Move away from other Bluetooth devices
    • Turn off nearby Bluetooth devices temporarily

  4. Printer out of range

    • Solution: Move printer within 1-2 meters

  5. Printer battery low

    • Solution: Charge the printer

Step 7: If Connection Fails After Pairing

Error: "Failed to connect to bluetooth device"

Possible Solutions:

  1. Restart the printer:

    • Turn OFF completely
    • Wait 10 seconds
    • Turn ON
    • Put in pairing mode again
    • Try connecting again

  2. Restart Bluetooth on your device:

    • Turn OFF Bluetooth
    • Wait 10 seconds
    • Turn ON Bluetooth
    • Try connecting again

  3. Try a different USB Bluetooth adapter (if using one):

    • Some USB Bluetooth adapters have compatibility issues
    • Try the built-in Bluetooth if available

  4. Check for Bluetooth driver updates:

    • Windows: Device Manager > Bluetooth > Update driver
    • macOS: System updates usually include driver updates
    • Linux: Update BlueZ package

Step 8: If Printer Connects But Doesn't Print

Possible Causes:

  1. No paper in printer

    • Solution: Load paper correctly

  2. Paper jam

    • Solution: Open printer and clear jam

  3. Printer in error state

    • Solution: Check printer LED indicators
    • Consult printer manual for error codes
    • Try power cycling the printer

  4. Wrong printer model/protocol

    • Solution: Verify your printer supports ESC/POS protocol
    • Check printer specifications

Advanced Troubleshooting

Enable Chrome Bluetooth Logging

  1. Close all Chrome windows
  2. Open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac/Linux)
  3. Run Chrome with logging:

Windows:

"C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --enable-logging --v=1

macOS:

/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --enable-logging --v=1

Linux:

google-chrome --enable-logging --v=1
  1. Try connecting to the printer
  2. Check the log file for errors:
    • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\chrome_debug.log
    • macOS/Linux: ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/chrome_debug.log

Check Bluetooth Service UUIDs

The module now tries multiple common Bluetooth service UUIDs:

  • 00001101-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb (Serial Port Profile - SPP)
  • 000018f0-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb (Alternative serial service)
  • 49535343-fe7d-4ae5-8fa9-9fafd205e455 (Microchip transparent UART)
  • 0000ffe0-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb (Common serial service)
  • 6e400001-b5a3-f393-e0a9-e50e24dcca9e (Nordic UART Service)

If your printer uses a different UUID, you may need to add it to the code.

Test with Chrome's Bluetooth Internals

  1. Open Chrome and navigate to: chrome://bluetooth-internals
  2. Click "Devices" tab
  3. Click "Start Scan"
  4. Look for your printer in the list
  5. Click on your printer
  6. Click "Connect"
  7. Explore available services and characteristics

This helps identify if the issue is with Chrome's Bluetooth or the module.

Known Limitations

Chrome Web Bluetooth API Limitations

  1. Serial Port Profile (SPP) Support:

    • Chrome's Web Bluetooth API primarily supports GATT services
    • Many thermal printers use SPP which is not fully supported
    • The module now includes fallback logic to find writable characteristics

  2. Platform Differences:

    • Windows: Best support, most reliable
    • macOS: Good support, some printer models may have issues
    • Linux: Requires BlueZ 5.41+, may need additional permissions
    • Chrome OS: Excellent support
    • Android: Good support, requires location permission

  3. HTTPS Requirement:

    • Web Bluetooth only works over HTTPS
    • Exception: localhost and 127.0.0.1
    • Self-signed certificates may cause issues

Alternative Solutions

If Chrome Bluetooth Doesn't Work

  1. Use a different browser:

    • Try Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based)
    • Try Opera browser
    • Both support Web Bluetooth API

  2. Use USB connection:

    • Connect printer via USB cable
    • Use browser's standard print dialog
    • Less convenient but more reliable

  3. Use a Bluetooth-to-USB adapter:

    • Some adapters create a virtual serial port
    • Printer appears as USB device
    • Use standard printing methods

  4. Use a dedicated POS terminal:

    • Hardware POS terminals often have better Bluetooth support
    • More expensive but more reliable

Printer-Specific Notes

RPP02 Thermal Printer

  • Pairing Mode: Hold power button until LED blinks rapidly
  • Service UUID: Usually uses standard SPP
  • Compatibility: Good with Chrome on Windows and macOS
  • Common Issue: Sometimes needs to be unpaired and re-paired

Epson TM-P20/P80

  • Pairing Mode: Consult manual (varies by model)
  • Service UUID: Standard ESC/POS services
  • Compatibility: Excellent with Chrome
  • Common Issue: May need firmware update

Star Micronics SM-L200/L300

  • Pairing Mode: Dedicated pairing button
  • Service UUID: Standard ESC/POS services
  • Compatibility: Excellent with Chrome
  • Common Issue: Battery level affects connection stability

Getting Additional Help

If you've tried all the above and still can't connect:

  1. Check browser console for errors:

    • Press F12
    • Go to Console tab
    • Look for error messages
    • Take a screenshot

  2. Gather information:

    • Chrome version: chrome://version
    • Operating system and version
    • Printer model and firmware version
    • Error messages from console
    • Steps you've already tried

  3. Test with a different device:

    • Try on another computer/tablet
    • Helps isolate if issue is device-specific

  4. Contact support with:

    • All information gathered above
    • Screenshots of errors
    • Printer specifications
    • Bluetooth adapter information (if using external)

Recent Improvements (Latest Version)

The module has been updated with the following improvements:

  1. Multiple Service UUID Support:

    • Now tries 5 different common Bluetooth service UUIDs
    • Automatically falls back to alternative services

  2. Automatic Characteristic Discovery:

    • If standard services aren't found, scans all services
    • Finds any writable characteristic automatically

  3. Better Error Messages:

    • More descriptive error messages
    • Helps identify specific connection issues

  4. Improved Chunk Handling:

    • Reduced chunk size to 20 bytes for maximum compatibility
    • Supports both write and writeWithoutResponse methods
    • Better timing between chunks

  5. Enhanced Device Filtering:

    • Filters for common thermal printer name patterns
    • Falls back to showing all devices if filters don't match

These improvements should resolve most connection issues with Chrome and Bluetooth thermal printers.