Need help programming PHOENIX II Barcode Reader

[jmandle]

After much toil we finally were able to program CMD+1 prefix and CMD+2 suffix into the reader. And then we adjusted the intercharater delay time, feeling that 15ms was sufficient. Mind you all the development was done on a Powerbook G4. Outcome was brilliant, on Mac.

Then, we hooked the reader up to a PC. And we changed the prefix and suffix to PC Keyboard equivalents. That was all we changed! Now when we scan our EAN 13 add/on 5 barcodes and the reader's output is very inconsistent. Sometimes it misses the leading 978, sometimes it only scans starting from the middle, etc...

Help! Unfortunately this is a solution that must be deployed on PCs.

Anyone using the PHOENIX II USB barcode reader?

Thanks in advance,

Jeremy Mandle

Director of Technology

Common Ground Distributors, Inc.

[email protected]

[stanley]

Jeremy:

I don't use the Phoenix II, but have had similar problems using the HHP 3800 in a cross-platform environment. Testing (and deployment) on a Mac, all is well; moving to the PC, a major problem. One thing I discovered was helpful in testing on the PC was to use a simple text editor to scan into, rather than FileMaker - because the throughput is faster, you can see more clearly where the malfunctions (especially any pauses) are coming (although, of course, you lose access to your command-key suffixes, etc.)

I have found that barcode readers attached to PCs are a bit more finicky about the barcodes themselves; barcodes printed with an inkjet sometimes yield strange results on the PC, but the Mac reads them fine...

In the end, I solved our problem with endless tinkering. In the user manuals I gave to the clients, it is the one place where I put no "Suggested Fixes" under Troubleshooting, because I don't even know what got the things to work right in the first place.

Sorry to not be of much help.

-Stanley

[www.barcodereaders.com]

Hi

I wish you had contacted us, we make the Phoenix II, here are some quick suggestions for programming the Phoenix II with Filemaker.

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Clear the reader and set to Factory Defaults:

1. Turn to page 9 of the manual.

2. Scan the "Default" code.

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Enter (not return) Key:

1. Turn to page 32 of the manual.

2. Scan the "Start" code.

3. Scan the "None" code.

4. Scan the "End" code.

5. Turn to page 35 of the manual.

6. Scan the "Start" code.

7. Scan the "Suffix" code.

8. Refer to page 38 and scan the barcodes "8" and "D", then scan "SET"

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Tab Key:

1. Turn to page 32 of the manual.

2. Scan the "Start" code.

3. Scan the "Tab" code.

4. Scan the "End" code.

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Control-N and other control characters:

1. Turn to page 35 of the manual.

2. Scan the "Start" code.

3. Scan the "Suffix" code.

4. Refer to the tables in Appendix B (page 39) and note the "HEX" value for the keystroke/s you wish to perform.

5. Refer to page 38 and scan the barcodes corresponding to "HEX" values you noted previously, then scan "SET"

When using control characters remember to "Make" and "Break" the control, that is:

Start

Prefix

AD (these barcodes "Make" the Left Ctrl active)

4E (these barcodes represent the "N" character)

AE (these barcodes "Break" the Left Ctrl)

SET

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Apple and Windows Key

1. Turn to page 35 of the manual.

2. Scan the "Start" code.

3. Scan the "Suffix" code.

4. Refer to the tables in Appendix B (page 39) and note the "HEX" value for the keystroke/s you wish to perform.

5. Refer to page 38 and scan the barcodes corresponding to "HEX" values you noted previously, then scan "SET"

When using control characters remember to "Make" and "Break" the control, that is:

Start

Prefix

B2 (these barcodes "Make" the Left Apple Key active)

31 (these barcodes represent the "1" character)

B3 (these barcodes "Break" the Left Apple key)

SET