TA785 time clock — supported by Reset
The TA785 was the workhorse of the range: magnetic stripe, barcode, proximity and optional fingerprint in one wall terminal, with eight programmable function keys for transfers and job data.
- Software support, configuration and pay-rule help while the terminal keeps running
- Best-effort hardware assistance — but manufacturer parts are no longer available
- Serial, network, wireless and modem polling problems sorted
- A planned replacement, with your employees and history migrated across
What the TA785 did, and still does
Eight programmable function keys, each able to prompt for up to four levels of validated information, made the TA785 the terminal for sites that costed labour against jobs. Data entry was validated at the door, with accept and reject tones so the operator knew immediately whether the punch had taken.
It reads magnetic stripe, barcode and proximity cards, with fingerprint available as an option in both one-to-one verification and one-to-many identification modes. Supervisor mode, lockout scheduling and employee messaging are all on board, along with an integrated signal control for bells and access, and a battery backup good for more than forty minutes of full operation through a power failure.
It talks to the software over serial, network, wireless or dial-up, which is both its strength and, in 2026, its most common failure point — the connection method is usually the thing that has gone, not the terminal.
TA785 at a glance
| Display | 32-character backlit LCD |
|---|---|
| Keypad | 8 programmable function keys plus a numeric keypad |
| Reader options | Magnetic stripe (Track I/II) · barcode · 125 kHz proximity · Mifare · Wiegand |
| Biometrics | Optional fingerprint reader |
| Connectivity | Ethernet — with era options of modem, RS-232 and RS-485, and Wi-Fi or Power-over-Ethernet upgrade cards |
| Memory | Battery-backed memory and clock |
What we still do
- Keep the software side healthy, and move a site off dial-up or serial onto the network
- Rebuild function-key and validation setups nobody documented
- Look at a failed unit and tell you honestly whether anything can be done
- Plan the move to a SYnergy A, and migrate employees, fingerprint templates and history
Manufacturer parts for the TA785 are no longer available, so a failed unit is a replacement rather than a repair. Worth planning before the clock decides the timing for you.