Tech Friday: Working with Bar Codes

I�m working with an ID Automation SC5USB bar-code scanner which a client has asked to use for an inventory program. I found ID Automation on the web, and ordered their plain vanilla bar code scanner for about $150.00. They sell everything necessary for bar coding, including the printers, the software and the scanners.

To a computer, the bar-code scanner "looks" like a keyboard. I plugged it into my laptop, and it was instantly recognized, with no software required.

I opened up Notepad on the computer, and scanned the bar code on a CD jewel case that I had lying around, and shazzam! the equivalent set of numbers for the bar code were �typed� into NotePad. A highly gratifying out-of-the-box experience.

The scanner can be further �programmed� by scanning a series of bar codes contained in the instruction manual. I think my next step is going to be to create some bar code labels from my database program, and see if those can be accurately scanned.
It doesn�t matter which direction you allow the reader to read the bar code, it can read up or down.

There is a nice introduction to bar codes on wikepedia.

Here is another barcode faq.