Hand Held Contact Scanners
Hand Held contact scanners are very low cost, low power consumption devices suitable for relatively low volume applications.

These devices use LEDs to provide the light output, and usually must come in physical contact with the barcode to perform a read. Many of these scanners have a trigger that must be pressed to perform a read, though others can sense when they come close to an object, and turn on the LED's automatically.

There are a few very low cost models from unknown manufacturers, that have very poor read capability. If considering this type of scanner, it is a good idea to test the device to ensure that it does read properly. Most are very good, but there are a few that make life difficult due to bad read rates.

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Hand Held Laser Scanners
Handheld laser scanners do not need to come into physical contact with the barcode, and can read labels at distances ranging from a few inches to several feet.

When the trigger is pressed, a red line of laser light is emitted, and this needs to be pointed so that it crosses the width of the barcode.

These scanners are low in cost, and are particularly useful when you need to read barcodes on heavy items in a shopping cart, and presentation of the device to the scanner might be difficult.

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Presentation Scanners
Presentation scanners offer a big advantage because they offer hands free operation. These scanners can range from low cost units to very expensive models. These scanners require that the barcode be presented to the scanner, or passed in front.

Vertically mounted scanners such as this one, are usually better than horizontally mounted scanners where dirt can collect on the glass, requiring more frequent cleaning, and the risk of scratching the glass is greater.

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Built in Scanners
Combination devices such as this Magellan 8200 Scanner and Scale offer the highest quality and performance however they need to be built into the checkout lane by shop fitters, and the flat metal top would be level with the top of the counter.

This particular device has a rotating prism inside, which reflects the laser light in many directions so that virtually any barcode can be scanned from any angle. The laser light is emitted from both the base of the unit as well as the side making it even easier to get a good read.

In addition, this device is an electronic scale. Items to be weighed are placed on top of the unit, and prepackaged item passed over it.

In high volume applications such as supermarkets these device are excellent. But of course, the shop fitter will probably charge more to install this type of device than the entire cost of a CCD handheld scanner...

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Universal Serial Bus (USB)
In most cases, USB is the best way to connect a barcode scanner to the system.

USB connections usually provide enough power to the scanner so that it doesn't need a separate power supply, and this reduces the number of cables and connections.

In most cases, USB scanners do not require that drivers are installed. The system automatically detects them and installs a driver. These drivers emulate a keyboard, and send the data scanned to the computer as if it had been typed in at the keyboard. This means that little configuration of the software is required.

USB scanners can be plugged and unplugged from the system while the power is turned on.

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Serial (RS-2320
For many years, Serial RS-232 interfaces were the most common way of connecting barcode scanners, and are almost always used for built in or presentation scanners.

Serial interfaces always require a separate power supply for the scanner. Larger presentation scanners will require a separate power supply in any case, but smaller hand held scanners may be able to operate using power from a USB or keyboard wedge connection to the computer.

Serial connections can be plugged and unplugged from the system while it is running without damaging the hardware, but may not synchronize until after the first few packets of data have been sent.

Using a serial scanner requires a serial RS-232 port on the computer. Unfortunately, most new computers no longer are supplied with a serial port. If you have a "white box" computer with free expansion slots, then you can add serial port expansion cards.

If you have a notebook or tablet computer that does not have a serial port, you can use a USB to serial adapter cable, but about 50% of these cables that we have tested did not work on all configurations and devices we tested. Avoid using USB-Serial adapter cables if possible.

The biggest problem with serial interfaces is making the cables. The RS-232 standard is very old, and very flexible, and is used in many different ways with lots of completely different devices. So many cables only implement the connections they need, or trick the interface to avoid unnecessary handshake signals. As a result, cables work with one device usually will not work with a different device.

If you don't have a working cable, here is how to interface serial devices. This documentation shows an example for interfacing serial printers, but the principles are the same for any scanner device.

We suggest you read this documentation on how to make a serial cable before you buy a serial scanner. It might change your mind about which type of scanner to buy.

Even so, serial (RS-232) is a very effective, efficient and reliable way to connect a barcode scanner, once the cable is figured out.

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Keyboard Wedge
Keyboard wedge scanners have a plug and a socket on the cable, and are inserted into the cable between the keyboard and the computer. With a keyboard wedge, most scanners draw enough power from the keyboard cable, so no separate power supply is required.

Keyboard wedge scanners generally use some form of DIN connector and many new computers no longer use these connectors for keyboards.

Many POS systems operate using a touch screen, without a keyboard being connected. Some keyboard wedge scanners will not operate unless a keyboard is connected.

Keyboards, and keyboard wedge scanners can not be plugged and unplugged from the host system while power is applied without causing hardware damage. Many people do this, but they are playing Russian Roulette. To connect or disconnect a keyboard wedge scanner you must shut down the computer.

Some very cheap, very nasty CCD handheld scanners we have seen, that use a keyboard wedge interface, have not implemented their firmware correctly. In particular, when scanning Code 39 Alpha barcodes, they return upper or lower case depending on the state of the Caps Lock key on the keyboard. Code 39 does not contain lower case letters in its character set, and this can cause problems in many cases.

Keyboard Wedge scanners were a wonderful idea in the 1980's and 1990's. Now they are an idea whose time has come, and gone. Avoid them if you can.

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Ultra Low Cost
If price is your main consideration, this is the type of scanner to consider. There are a lot of similar scanners that use Red LEDs as the light source, where the scanner needs to come in contact with the barcode to make a read.

However, for only a little more, you can get low cost laser scanners that are much more flexible and easier for staff to use.

Few of our customers select this type of scanner, and most that do, upgrade to something better within a few months. It isn't that they don't work. It's just that other scanners read more easily with fewer attempts to read, resulting in faster work.

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Taotronics TT-BS003
These are laser scanners which can be used as a hand scanner or a presentation scanner in the stand. Several customers use these scanners and are happy with them.

This company is much newer than the more established premium scanner brands, and their products are very price competitive.

However higher priced presentation scanners perform better and have a more established reputation for quality and durability.

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Honeywell Voyager MS9520
This is a similar scanner to the one listed above, but comes from a well known manufacturer with an enviable reputation in barcode readers. These scanners used to made by Metrologic, but they were bought out by Honeywell in 2008.

Retailers who insist on the best and most reliable systems that will perform for many years, invariably have this brand on their short list of scanner suppliers.

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Motorola Symbol LS 2208
Another handheld laser scanner from a premium manufacturer with an enviable reputation. You can safely buy any Motorola Symbol scanner without any concern about the quality, reliability and service.

Stand, if required is sold separately.
Goose Neck Stand for Symbol Scanner LS2208

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Metrologic Orbit Presentation Laser Barcode Scanner MS7120
This is a high quality presentation scanner from one of the most trusted and established barcode manufacturers.

These scanners are much faster in operation that any of the handheld models, and the item being scanned just needs to pass by the scanner with the barcode facing the scanner.

If you want a high quality presentation scanner that will give years of reliable operation, this is an excellent choice.

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Symbol Motorola LS 5800
High quality, high performance presentation scanner from one of the best known scanner manufacturers.

These are excellent.

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Magellan 8500 Series Scanner Scale
Expensive? Yes. But these are perhaps the most commonly used scanner/scale units used in high volume supermarkets around the world.

These units combine an electronic scale and scanner in one unit, and they are built in to the checkout counter.

Items that are to be weighed are placed on the horizontal surface. In SELLmatix you press the button on the screen that corresponds to what is placed on the scale. For example if it is a bag of tomatoes the customer is buying, you press the "Tomatoes" button on the POS, and SELLmatix reads the weight from the scale, and applies the correct price.

The scanner has two glass windows, one in the base and one on the side where it can read barcodes. The scanner uses a mirrored ball to reflect the scanning beam rapidly in multiple directions, so it can read a barcode that is oriented in almost any direction.

These are the Rolls Royce of scanner scale technology, and when retailers that use them expand their operations, they almost always choose the same units again because they perform so well.

If you want the best, this is it.

Please Note: These units have several different types of interface available. For SELLmatix the scanner can be either USB or serial, but the scale interface needs to be Serial.

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