[Info-vax] Hand scanners and VMS.

[Jan-Erik Söderholm]

Den 2022-07-22 kl. 15:41, skrev Arne Vajhøj:
> On 7/22/2022 9:15 AM, Jan-Erik Söderholm wrote:
>> Den 2022-07-22 kl. 14:24, skrev Bill Gunshannon:
>>> On 7/21/22 23:55, Dave Froble wrote:
>>>> On 7/21/2022 8:25 PM, Dave Froble wrote:
>>>>> Faced with such an issue, I would be looking ahead, not trying to 
>>>>> continue with
>>>>> yesterday's solutions.  Why?  Because yesterday's solutions just might 
>>>>> no longer
>>>>> be available.
>>>>>
>>>>> The first thing I'd be looking for is a device that lives on ethernet, 
>>>>> or wifi,
>>>>> but I trust wires more.  Terminal servers are a method of connecting to
>>>>> ethernet, but I don't know what's still available.  A edvice that 
>>>>> takes an RJ45
>>>>> plug and talks TCP/IP would be what I'd look for.
> 
>>>> Thinking about it a bit more, perhaps a minimal cheap small PC might work.
>>>>
>>>> No keyboard, mouse, and monitor.  Just an app that waits for the 
>>>> scanner input, connects to an app on VMS, sends the scanner info, then 
>>>> goes back to waiting for the scanner.  If interested, we can discuss 
>>>> how to set something like this up.
>>>
>>> Sounds like a job for a RaspberryPI.
>>>
>>> Could even do it with an Arduino, but that would take more work.
>>
>> If you have read the other replies, RasPi has already been suggested.
>> And I also replied that I do not find it suitable for an assembly line
>> environment. And it must standard HW that you can buy from-the-shelf.
>>
>> This should not be rocket science. There must be many that have needs
>> to report products in different stages in assembly cells along the line.
>>
>> I have now also looked at the Moxa devices and they seem to have boxes
>> that matched what we need and they are also easy to find in the market.
>> Such as the “Nport 5110”. Cheap enough, I’ll probably buy one and test…
> 
> Let me start by saying that I know nothing about current scanner
> technology.
> 
> But I would have thougth you could get a scanner that:
> - communicated via WiFi
> - when scanned made a web service call with the scanned
>    data
> 
> This is really the PC/RaspberryPI solution - I am just
> expecting that computer to be builtin to the scanner
> itself.
> 
> Arne
> 

No, have not seen that. The "wire-less" models usualy uses
BT but only against its own combined "base-station/charger".
And *that* one can then have RS232 or in some cases Wifi.

But this is still talking about traditional barcode scanners.
And the most common (I'd say 90 % of all models offered) are
USB, most of the rest are RS232.

Then there are other tools like the Zebra TC-line, and we are
using them for other purposes where we need much more input
from the user (not only the barcode content).

Zebra TCxx is a rugged "phone" running Android. It also have
a professional camera based barcode scanner, not using the
standard camera in the phone. You write a web page that will
make up the "application" in the device.

https://www.zebra.com/gb/en/products/mobile-computers/handheld/tc5x-series.html

But that is a completely different application architecture
on the server side and we need to have VMS accounts setup and
other extra administration.

And yes, in most cases where something is going to be scanned,
there is also a PC running some GUI where the data should end
up, so USB is just fine.

Our users are highly stressed factory floor workers, many
times using glowes. Each report must be subsecond including
reaching for the scanner and putting it back. If something
takes a few extra seconds the management gets crazy. That time
quicly adds up when you make 4-5.000 chain saws a day, 24/7.