Bar Code Scanners

[chavo]

Hi All,

I work in a busy IT environment and we have a lot of hardware passing through our hands. We dont have a very good system of checking gear in and out of our stockroom meaning that our excel spreadsheet isnt very accurate.

I would like to get a barcode scanner and an Access database (or other option?). The boss has given the go ahead for a purchase but as this will be my first barcode scanner purchase i dont have a clue how they work. items we have are things from full Dell PC's TFT monitors, RAM, Hard drives and similar.

I would ideally like to scan a PC as it comes in to the stock room, mark it with a reference number in some software (database) then when it is ready to go out to a client, scan it out.

I would also like to be able to search the database manually for say a 2gb stick of ddr 3 and see that we have 3 or so in stock.

Does anyone know of a scanner and software that can do this for us?

[Lucio]

You'd be far better off upgrading your accoutancy software to something with a stock control module. Even a basic database would take a few weeks to develop and that's if you know your way around this kind of system.

Sticking to writing your own, get a guid generator and a thermal printer with software that supports ean13 (zebra's the brand we sell at work), then as each item arrives, create a new guid, send it to the barcode printer and shove said barcode label on box. Scan this in and record whatever details you need.

Goods out is similar, and then you need to write out the relationship between your goods in list and goods out list, and whatever has come in but not been scanned out is in your warehouse

[Smudger]

We used to use Asset-i at my old place. It comes with a couple of mobile-phone type handsets for scanning things. Took a lot of setting up but once the initial pain was over, it was OK. Not sure how well it would work in a stock-in/stock out scenario but for asset tracking within the company it was OK.

[DanceswithUnix]

The barcode scanners I have used in the past pretended to be keyboards, so when you scanned something in it basically just typed the number for you. So if you can make some code where you type in the number at the bottom of the barcode and it works, then it should work with a scanner.

To make a fast to use system we used barcodes we had printed out as commands. For example, scan a barcode to say "checking in", and then the item barcode.

Remembering that Scan sold barcode scanners, it looks like for a bit more than the reader they have software with it.
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/waspn...cs3900-scanner
Currently out of stock, might be worth looking into though.

[Saracen]

The barcode scanners I have used in the past pretended to be keyboards, so when you scanned something in it basically just typed the number for you. So if you can make some code where you type in the number at the bottom of the barcode and it works, then it should work with a scanner.
....

Got several here, and that's how the one I currently use works. It's got a "piggy-back" adapter for the keyboard, so you plug the scanner into the keyboardsocket on the motherboard, and the keyboard (if it's pS2 type not USB) into the scanner's piggy-back connector.

So, you can "install" it in about 10 seconds, and it neither needs nor uses any drivers or special software. Then, any suitable barcode you scan appears just as if you have typed it, as you say.

I use it for several things, but it includes book ISBN numbers and CD/DVD barcodes, into a tracking database.

All you really then need to ensure is that whatever character set is used to print the barcodes you'll be reading are supported by the scanner you use. And have a database that you can enter data into, and if you can type it, you can barcode it.

[chavo]

Hmm,

I thought that barcodes held more infor than just a model numer or serial number?

I have borrowed a Honeywell MS5145 from a friend, plugged it in and installed its software, when i scan in to excel it reads only a few bits i.e. a hard drive came up with WMA8C2444300.

I was really hoping (like in the shop when you buy something) it would say, Western Digital Hard Drive 120GB.

Is this because my scanner isnt very good or is it because the bar codes i am scanning are poo, OR because i am over estimating the capabilities of a barcode!

Thanks

[Smudger]

I think you might be overestimating the capabilities. Barcodes usually represent the numbers that appear underneath them (if at all). Tying it to a product name would require some sort of database to refer to. A bit like what Asset-i does...

[Kumagoro]

I was looking into doing something with QR codes using a semi decent android phone; one with auto focus and an led flash at least.

There is a android program called scanpet (or something like that) which you can use to create or update excel or access data bases on a networked pc over wifi.

[DannyM]

Barcodes generally hold very limited information as you have already noticed, however if you link it to a database I think it may even be possible with excel, all you would need to do is create a set of columns and create rows of information for the each of the id's collected from the barcode.

However in order for you to scan items in individually and seperately, you would need to create individual barcodes for each item. This would mean creating unique barcode labels for all your items.

[Lucio]

Hmm,

I thought that barcodes held more infor than just a model numer or serial number?

I have borrowed a Honeywell MS5145 from a friend, plugged it in and installed its software, when i scan in to excel it reads only a few bits i.e. a hard drive came up with WMA8C2444300.

I was really hoping (like in the shop when you buy something) it would say, Western Digital Hard Drive 120GB.

Is this because my scanner isnt very good or is it because the bar codes i am scanning are poo, OR because i am over estimating the capabilities of a barcode!

Thanks

Why on earth would the barcode *need* to be more than a few bits of information? All the extra stuff that happens in a shop, like the name appearing, the price going in etc is looked up from a database using those "few bits of information" as a unique key.


If you're serious about trying to use these in a professional environment, you either need to brush up on your database theory, or hire someone to handle this.

[Saracen]

Lucio is right, Chavo.

When I scan a book's barcode, for instance, the application I'm using (a customised database) simply reads the ISBN number. The database then connects to the internet, and goes and looks up the book relating that ISBN. It then retrieves the title, author, publication date, number of pages, publisher, year publisher, and so forth, and fills in the database record.

The point is that the ISBN is unique, and as such, is a perfect "key" for a database system. Why store anything else in the barcode? Even if you could. It's all about a key field, and a lookup.

[Spud1]

If you are still looking at a scanner - I can offer lots of advice hardware wise. Some simple tips:

Avoid any "CCD" scanner like the plague. They are awful, outdated, slow and just well, awful. They cost about £5 wholesale and tend to retail for around the £20-£25 range.

What you want is a laser scanner - something like a Symbol LS2208 would be perfect - these are the ones that Tesco used to use as their hand scanners before they jumped ship to datalogic, and you can find them for pennies on ebay, second hand (they retail at around £250+ new). Excellent scanners, very easy to maintain/repair and will last a long long time. They will decode most common barcodes (EAN, UPC etc and often some PDF codes). Just make sure you get the correct version with power supply and cable - it needs to be a Keyboard Wedge PS/2 one.

£45 here - with the cable - this is a bargain I've still got a bunch of programming guides for these somewhere (its a book of codes that you can scan to configure the scanner modes etc).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Symbol-LS2...item460166195e

The alternative is to buy a new one - datalogic have a low end gryffin scanner which retails for about £100 - they have a keyboard wedge USB one of those which will work out of the box.

Then there are the omni-directional ones which you don't need (designed for retail to scan tricky codes - like the infamous cadbury creme eggs..), or various 3D barcode scanners which again you probably don't need.

Regardless of the hardware though you will need some software to do the lookups/data display - there are UPC/EAN databases on the web which are free to use if you just want to look something up, but they are not complete by any means and are full of errors since it's all user contributed stuff. I don't know of any packages that I could recommend software wise (my experience is with my own software, which is 100% retail focused), but seems like there are a few options discussed here

edit: BTW the "Wasp" stuff that scan sell (or used to sell) is absolute rubbish - it's very very expensive and the hardware+software is awful..avoid avoid avoid. They are trying to charge £65 for a CCD barcode scanner! Complete rip off, especially considering the standard wholesale price for wasp kit.

[shaithis]

The point is that the ISBN is unique, and as such, is a perfect "key" for a database system. Why store anything else in the barcode? Even if you could. It's all about a key field, and a lookup.

That's fine for a store selling items repetitively but the OPs scenario is one where every item needs a unique code. For most IT departments, knowing you have 50 "HP Pavilion p6-2029uk" machines is only the tip of the iceberg......you need to be able to track each one individually.

[Saracen]

That's fine for a store selling items repetitively but the OPs scenario is one where every item needs a unique code. For most IT departments, knowing you have 50 "HP Pavilion p6-2029uk" machines is only the tip of the iceberg......you need to be able to track each one individually.

Then he needs, in addition to a barcode scanner, some sort of asset management system, and a barcode printer. And possibly, some kind of parts explosion control, if he wants to track not only a PC, but the components in it.

To be honest, the first post seems a bit confused as to what he wants, or at least, the explanation of it is a bit confused. And a bit optimistic of what can be done just with a barcode scanner.

If he wants detailed item-by-item control of all equipment, then he needs (IMHO)

- an asset management system, and
- a unique reference for each hardware item to be controlled
- a barcode printer to print a label to be attached to each item
- a scanner to read them.

In that context, all the barcode scanner does is speed up the process or scanning stuff in and out, and probably reduce keyboard errors in the process. But it will achieve exactly the same result as developing a system (by which I mean a process, a methodology, not necessarily software) for identifying and logging items, and tracking them in and out. It could be a notebook, or a logsheet if the come and go regularly.

Then, having got a system, streamline it with a barcode printer and barcode scanner. Or RFID chop and scanner. Or whatever.

For instance, my local library uses a system combining both. Users have a barcode identifying them, printed on their library card, and every book has an RFID chip. When you want to take a book out, you scan the barcode (thus identifying the borrower), then scan the books (all in one pile), to check them out.

The books are uniquely identified, so multiple copies of a specific title each have a unique ID, and then you take then back, you just scan the books. The system doesn't need to identify you, because it knows who borrowed the books, so it can look that up in the database.

It's simple, easy, fast and effective. Except when an RFID chip dies.

The point is , they have a system suited to exactly what they're trying to achieve.

So if chavo wants to track individual items, he's going to need a unique ref number, a method of printing it to attach to a specific item, then a database. That latter could be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet but, depending on how many items were talking about and the frequency of transactions, a proper database or even a dedicated (if customised) application might be a better bet. In any event, it doesn't sound like it's going to be quite as simple as just buying and connecting as barcode scanner.

[candysmith]

So how about integrating barcode reader into some reports, like Excel?

[virtuo]

You might also want to look at RFID tags rather than barcodes. The hardware can be as cheap as a recent-ish Android smartphone with an app installed.

With a bit more gear, you could read whole pallettes of stock at a time, even have a "portal" that tracks stuff as it comes in and out of the door automatically.

It's a surprisingly cheap alternative to consider, I think I've seen a Zebra (mentioned above) system used at an old client's warehouse.