RE: Barcode Scanner Purchase

[Stuart Poulton <swp@xxxxxxx>]

Steve,

I'm with you on the RS232 side, at least you can have an app running in
the background that uses the barcode scanner, which is exactly what I'll
be doing under Linux, I'm also looking at making a TCP/IP interface for
it.

AS for level shifters, I'm working on this, posibly complete with PCB if
the demand exists.

Stuart



On Thu, 2002-02-28 at 10:40, Steve Morgan wrote:
> I have used keyboard interface scanners in the past for an EPOS
application
> and to be honest, I prefer the RS232 versions.
>
> With the keyboard ones, the app doesn't know where the data has come
from,
> so if focus is on the wrong field, all hell tends to break loose.
Think
> about the size of your bill if you get the barcode number into the
quantity
> field of your automated shopping list! You can usually get the scanner
to
> generate special characters around the data stream, but it still won't
be
> recognised by someone else's app - you'd have to write the code
yourself to
> intercept the data stream.
>
> At least with an RS232 version, the code monitoring the serial port
knows
> that the data is barcode data. It would be fairly straightforward to
write
> an app that ran in the background. When it received barcode data from
the
> scanner, it could automatically set focus to the appropriate control
in the
> appropriate application window and post the data straight into the
correct
> field. This would work with most 3rd party apps. You could write
something
> similar as a keyboard hook for the keyboard 'wedge' type scanners -
though
> under NT (or a derivative) this causes serious complications if the
console
> is locked or the screensaver is active.
>
> So, level-shifting aside, RS232 for me, please!
>
> Hey - if someone wants to build me a couple of level-shifters, I'll
write
> the code to redirect the data, OK?
>
> Steve
>   -----Original Message-----
>   From: Mick Furlong [mailto:hiltoneltd@xxxxxxx]
>   Sent: 28 February 2002 09:55
>   To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
>   Subject: RE: [ukha_d] Barcode Scanner Purchase
>
>
>   Have you looked at the keyboard interface barcode scanners? They are
much
> eaier to interface....just plug them in and scan and it pops up in
your
> application. A lot less hassle.
>
>   just my thoughts ;)
>