Save the Tech Call

What many people don’t realize after the purchase of a handheld scanner, editing capabilities are already programmed in when the product leaves the factory. Scanners such as the Motorola LS2208, Honeywell 3800g or the Datalogic Powerscan are configured with a simple editing tool that allow the users to make changes in the scanner without making costly changes to the software application. 

The most common problem that arises is when the scanner arrives and either the Enter Key has been programmed in or not programmed in at all. For example, when any of the scanners from Motorola –either corded or cordless – are shipped, they are pre-configured with no post amble. In other words the data that is scanned is sent to the screen ‘as is’ with no CR / LF / RETURN or Enter Key. However, many users want the Enter Key to be automatically sent to the application after a scan. This allows users to do a scan one bar code after another without having to hit an Enter Key on the PC keyboard.  

The solution is quick and simple. Get the reference guide or the product manual from you handheld scanner.  Then go to Scan Data format page and scan the Data + suffix barcode. This will add the Enter key or CR/LF to be automatically sent with the data stream. In case you should ever need to remove the CR/LF or Enter Key, just scan the Data as is barcode.  That’s all there is to it. 

The manufacturer’s product manuals provide instructions to do more advanced formatting, such as tabs or other special characters, but this can be tricky. Contact your RACO representative for assistance with additional handheld scanner programming instructions.

In the past year, we’ve been working on creating videos to help demonstrate products, show troubleshooting techniques, and point out solutions to help your business.  We recently hit a mini-milestone with our 50^th video.  

The fine folks from Datalogic stopped by for a visit to show off their products and point out which ones would be useful for certain industries.  This particular demonstration highlights scanning solutions for healthcare environments.  It’s an important distinction because this equipment needs to withstand regular sterilization and operate in such a way as to not disturb resting patients.  Datalogic has created a number of products that do just that and you can see that in the above clip. We’re already ramping up production on more videos to show you what RACO has to offer.  It shouldn’t be that much longer before we hit our 100^th video.  Keep checking back on RACO Industries’s YouTube channel for more helpful tips and solutions.