Abstract: A low cost compact franking machine includes a rotatable member comprising a print drum and an enclosure housing print element setting means and electronic accounting means, the rotatable member being rotatably mounted on a base. The rotatable member may be rotated by a manually operated lever coupled to the rotatable member through a one-way clutch to allow the lever to return to a rest position without rotation of the rotatable member, the return of the lever may operate a feed to eject a franked mail item.

Abstract: An entire electronic accounting and controlling system for a franking machine is mounted on two connected printed circuit boards, one along the top of the machine and the other along one side of the machine within the machine casing. The top board carries four rotary encoding switches and press button switches which are scanned by signals from a microcomputer on the side board passing to a binary counter controlling a binary to decimal decoder to send multiplexed signals to the switches enabling the rotary switches to send four pairs of five-bit words along ten scanning lines to the microcomputer which delivers equivalent eight-bit error immune signals to duplicate non-volatile memories. The press button switches send signals along the scanning lines to enable a display module on the top board to display decimal digits according to the information stored in the memories. A printing drum is set mechanically simultaneously with the rotary switches.