2 Mar
2009
2 Mar
'09
8:25 p.m.
I was wondering if anyone here has an unloved USB laser barcode scanner.
--
David Griffith
dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu
8:47 p.m.
On Mon, 2 Mar 2009, feedle at feedle.net wrote:
I have more than a few of those already. I'm discovering that they're not
especially suited for scanning an entire library.
--
David Griffith
dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu
A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?
I was
wondering if anyone here has an unloved USB laser barcode scanner.
No, but I might have a USB Cue::Cat. 
10 p.m.
David Griffith wrote:
I have more than a few of those already. I'm
discovering that they're
not especially suited for scanning an entire library.
The PSC 5381-123042 is a pretty decent scanner. Handheld, laser-based, RS232
output, with a pushbutton to enable the scanner. Fairly cheap on the
second-hand market, too.
I've got one tethered to a Socket Communications "R-I/O" PCMCIA serial port
card, but the interface is via a 10-pin RJ45 on the bottom of the scanner, so
not hard to interface with. IIRC it asks for +5V at 200mA, and provides
RS232-level RXD/TXD outputs.
If I was going down this route (again) I'd pick up a cheap used scanner on
ebay, and an FTDI USB-to-TTL converter cable (their UC232R-10-NE is probably
the best for this sort of hackery). Lop the DB9 off the scanner, and desolder
the one on the UC232 (personally I'd hacksaw through the DB9 pins and desolder
the remains). Solder the bare wires from the scanner onto the UC232 board, and
put it in a small plastic box. Use a few cable ties to hold the cables down
(epoxy/superglue the cables to the ties if you feel pessimistic) and you've
got a USB scanner for far less than a new one would have cost...
You could also (probably) use one of those PS/2 keyboard to USB adapter
cables, and a keyboard-wedge scanner. Only thing is, some of those adapters
won't forward keypresses along unless they can actually see a keyboard on the
other end of the cable (most scanners let the keyboard handle the pings, and
just inject characters as-and-when).
As regards to what scanner to use, go name brand -- that is, Symbol, PSC, or
Metrologic. The Metrologic 9520 (Voyager) series work very well, and are
pretty damned reliable (not to mention cheap on the used market, and pretty
close to bulletproof).
If you're wanting to scan a ton of ISBN barcodes off of books, I'd skip the
5381 (unless you can find one with the optional -- and expensive -- desk stand
or can live with having to press the button to make it scan) and get a desk
scanner of some description. The "el-cheapo" Chinese scanners might be an
option, but don't expect them to scan anywhere near as reliably as a Symbol or
Metrologic.
Just my 2p...
--
Phil.
classiccmp at philpem.me.uk
http://www.philpem.me.uk/
8:48 p.m.
On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 3:25 PM, David Griffith <dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu> wrote:
I was wondering if anyone here has an unloved USB laser barcode scanner.
I do not, but I did just use a PS/2 barcode scanner on a Mac with a
Belkin PS/2-USB KB/mouse adapter and it worked fine once I got the Mac
to recognize the Belkin (OS X requires that you type the keys next to
the shift keys as part of a setup probe to determine US/UK/Eur
layout).
I picked up the PS/2 barcode scanner at the Mansfield hamfest in 2006
for somewhere around $10.
As someone pointed out, a USB CueCat might be easy to find, but I
don't have any of those.
-ethan
11:38 p.m.
My friend Mike has a half dozen new-in-box-but-box-is-damaged scanners. The
scanners are fine, not even discolored. I have an Intermec from him that
reads all the 2D codes and some of the 3D types, though not UPS shipping
labels. But it works fine on WD hard disk drive serial and model number
barcode tags, and everything else I tried, including UPC codes and printed
paper barcode labels on PC parts.
We often slap mice and video cards on the copier so we can have a paper
record to be entered en mass into the asset tracking system. Today I
scanned **a photocopy** of the bottom of some mouses and video cards and
was able to read all but one of them.
Some Intermec, some PSC, some other brands, and I think they're all
keyboard wedge style. All the cables re included for a machine with a PS/2
style small DIN keyboard connector. They are mostly hand-held with a
trigger style. They are programmed by printing out selected pages from the
PDF manual or printed copy and scanning them in sequence. They are
substantial commercial grade devices, not in the least flimsy.
I think he's used them on a machine with a USB keyboard simply by plugging
the scanner into the PS2 port. The keyboard connector on the scanner's
cable then gets plugged into nothing.
I'm sure he'd sell you any number of them for under $50 each, although
you'd have to ask him yourself.
I'll send you some contact info privately.
-T
At 12:25 PM 3/2/2009 -0800, you wrote:
I was wondering if anyone here has an unloved USB laser
barcode scanner.
--
David Griffith
dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu
-----
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5 comments
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participants (5)
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classiccmp＠philpem.me.uk -
dgriffi＠cs.csubak.edu -
ethan.dicks＠gmail.com -
feedle＠feedle.net -
tpeters＠mixcom.com