USB Receipt Printer Sniffer

Projects General Guidance
1

USB Receipt Printer Sniffer

I need to snif between a USB receipt printer and the POS Terminal in order to be able to get all printed data information.
I cannot install anything on POS Terminal, so I need to trap all the information when it is coming to the Printer.

This must be transparent for the POS Terminal.

I would like to interconnect a FTDI VDIP2 Vinculum VNC1L device in the middle of the Printer <--> POS Terminal, to monitor and extract to the UART interface this device has, all printed data and because of that VDIP2 Vinculum VNC1L firmware required to be developed.

It is important to remark, I need to receive on the monitor only Printer data, filtering out all USB protocol communication related data. The filtering process can be done by the VDIP2 module or the Arduino itself which is going to receive all data from UART interface.

(FTDI VDIP2 Vinculum VNC1L http://www.digchip.com/datasheets/photos/1948/VDIP2.jpg)

Another solutions proposals are welcome also.

2

Is this legal, honest and decent?

The FTDI website has lots of information about their products. Is the device you refer to intended for what you want to do?

I don't particularly see a role for an Arduino in this project. Why not use a cheap laptop or a Raspberry PI?

...R