MAN108
Make a Touch-screen
Bar-code Scanning system
Do u need a Bar-code scanner for your app?
Today we will try to use a Metrologic Voyager Bar-code scanner to scan a coke bottle, Jagermeister bottle, CT1721 Start Kit Bard code label, and yes, UPS tracking number.
Required Parts:
1 CuTOUCH CT1720 or CT1721
1 Null-modem cable (yes I will show u how to make one)
1 Metrologic Voyager Bar-code scanner w/ RS232 interface
order from www.taltech.com Item# MET-MS952072B41
or from
http://www.barcodediscount.com/catalog/metrologic/part-mk9520-72b41.htm
Okay, I was thinking the other day, I need to keep track of stuff on my desk and my drawers. Since there's a bar code on almost every commercial and household item these days, I figured why don't I just make a touch-screen item management system so I know exactly where I put my things?
So here we go again, you will need to make a male to male RS232 null cable. It's the same one we used to make the GPRS modem (MAN102).
RS232 Null-Modem Cabling
You will need to somehow connect your CuTOUCH to the serial port of the Bar-code scanner. I made my own (which took me over 5 hours!!!). Yes, this was the hardest part for me, connecting bunch of wires together.
Well, you can always goto Radio Shack or any electronic shop should have null cables for sale.
More info here from taltech on null-cables:
http://www.taltech.com/resources/intro-sc.html#cablenulls
Well to make your own, simply get 2 MALE serial port ends, then connect Pin 5 (GND) together and then cross RX & TX.
In the above picture, I simply cut out two MALE ends of 2 serial ports and connected Ground (Green) together w/ crossed TX (Red) & RX (Orange) like shown in above picture.
Please note that color may differ among serial cable manufacturers. (The ones above are obviously the ones Comfile sells)
Okay, when you have your null-modem done, you should have something like this:
Okay now, use this null-modem cable you just made and connect one end to Channel 1 serial port of the CuTOUCH and the other end to the serial output of the bar-code scanner.
You should end up w/ overall system that looks like this:
(yes, grab some items w/ bar codes for testing...)
(Touch Screen Bar-code system)
(Bar-code Scanner & test items ready to go)
(Now download barcode005.cul source file to your CuTOUCH unit and start scanning items)
For each item you scan, you should see the item number showing up on the screen.
Now I challenge you to further this app. Maybe add a data acquisition system adding an SD Card reader such as the SD-COM5.
Watch Video & see Bar-code scanner in Action
Source Code
[barcode005.cul]
Const Device = CT1720
Dim a As Integer
Dim B As String
Dim C As String
Dim clock As Byte
Dim flag As Byte
flag=0
'Open Channel 1 w/ receive & send buffers @ 200 bytes each
'That should be plenty
Opencom 1,9600,3,200,200
' JUMP to DATARECV_RTN when data is received
On Recv1 Gosub DATARECV
On timer(10) Gosub here
Cls
Font 7,1
Style 0,0,0
Bclr 1,2 ' Clear send/receive buffers
gprint " CuTOUCH Barcode",Cr," reading System",Cr
Font 6,0
Locate 0,3
Do
'If it has been more than 500ms, then print the bar-code to
'screen
If clock>5 And flag=1 Then
flag=0
Debug C
gprint C
C=""
End If
Loop
here:
Incr clock
Return
DATARECV:
'When data is first received,
'mark it with a flag
If flag=0 Then
flag=1
clock=0
End If
If Blen(1,0) > 0 Then ' if there is at least 1 byte in the buffer
a=Blen(1,0) ' Store the buffer length in A!
B=Getstr(1,a) ' Read from the buffer into string B!
C=C+B ' Add received string to string C
End If
Return
If you are having any trouble with above app, please e-mail max@comfiletech.com
If you have any cool apps you'd like to share, please e-mail to max@comfiletech.com