Mobile computer with barcode scanner

Anybody ever used Ignition on a mobile computer with a barcode scanner and wifi (and of course HTML5 browser to run the mobile Ignition)? The end goal is to capture lot numbers from barcodes and execute scripts based off of scanning codes for inventory management and lot tracking in a batching application. The information ultimately gets pushed up to an ERP database or kept in a database dedicated primarily to the Ignition application.

Ideally the barcode information would get input into a text field similar to what I’ve seen recommended done with a WASP USB barcode scanner on a standard computer. I don’t know if this would work though.

This might work if you can get the barcode scanner to act like standard keyboard input. This won’t be possible if you’re using a barcode scanning app for your mobile device, it would have to be an actual hardware barcode scanner. You would also have to make sure the focus is on the correct input field. Hope this helps, talk to you later.

I think the intermec ones treat it like a keyboard input if I recall. I’ll have to grab one of ours and see if I can get a html5 browser on it

Wasp makes wireless barcode readers. You’d probably want to consider their wireless USB modules, which stream input as if it were from the keyboard as their wired USB modules do. Ignition then sees the input like any other.

It’s pretty cool how programmable they are. By scanning “program codes” you can: type enter/space/tab/etc after a scan, barcode formats, scanning sounds, etc.

I helped another integrator write a simple module that he used on barcode scanners recently that worked like a charm.

What kind of barcode scanners are you looking at using?

The scanners have not been selected. We use Intermec CK3B scanners at our other sites so there is some slight benefit to standardizing but we are by no means locked into those.

Those look like they’d work. They module I mentioned was pretty simple - it displayed a page that had a feedback message keyed to the scanner id (optional), and allowed the operator to scan things. When things were scanned it simply invoked a script on the Gateway, that way you could write it to the DB or to a tag or whatever you were trying to do with the scanned data.

Carl, we’ve got a similar application coming up. Can you shoot me a little more info on this module? We might want to pursue something along these lines. Thanks!

I’ll get that module onto the module store as soon as I can. should be a week or so.

We have a project similar to jdana soon to be awarded to us.
Part of the application requires the display of some screens on a mobile computer with wi-fi and bar code scanner.

The initial idea is to use a equipment compatible with Ignition module for mobile screens, and if the equipment also has the ability to take the bar code input as a text input, this would allow us to avoid any native development on that equipment (we are looking something like this, but with a screen designed in Ignition).

Dravik, jdana and IA’s guys, can comment me who had experience with Intermec computers, which models used (IP5x required), and how they browser worked alongside the Ignition mobile module?

Thank you very much,

P.D.: Apologise for my english.

I can tell you that the mobile module did not work well with the Intermec computers from the persepctive of scanning. In fact, that’s why the scanner module was developed in the first place- the mobile module really didn’t lend itself to capturing the scanned text into a text input field, plus the mobile app doesn’t actually run on the scanner, so there wasn’t even a hack that would let me scan and grab from a local file on the scanner.

If you want to use the mobile module for other reasons, then just install the Intermec HTML5 browser and you are good to go.

We still haven’t done anything on this project, so I can’t give you any feedback. Will post feedback if/when we do.

Hey guys,
Sorry to jump in on this post but we are also getting ready for a mobile deployment project.
Was hoping to get some input from the forums. Below is a list of all of the hardware that we are considering. Price ranges varying; we are going to get to order 3 to test.

buy.advantech.com/10+4+Intel+Ato … -21393.htm

drsarmor.com/x7et

motioncomputing.com/products … _pc_f5.asp

cdw.com/shop/products/HP-Sla … 99545.aspx

I think we are going to blend the platforms running some custom VB.net apps and Ignition Apps.
We are also hoping some of these devices have an API that will allow us to use a notification LED.
I know ignition has the system beep but we are wanting differing colors for different states.
Anyway please have a look at the hardware and give your opinions…

Thanks Step7! That’s it’s a bad news for the mobile module… If at least the module support something like this, we can track which client take some action on the screen, and the barcode reading part do it with a native application that send the data to udp/tcp driver (something like, to lock resource click a button on the mobile client and then, use barcode reader that through a background native application send the data to udp/tcp. Then, the gateway check both info and take some action.

In that case, we have to evaluate the complexity of the screen and logic involved on the equipment side, and maybe do it all in the native way. How you solve this problem? All with native development? My wish was to use only one development enviroment!

How about the Intermec equipment itself? Any advice on it?

P.D.: Thanks jdana too for the response

If you use the scanner module that is in the new marketplace, you will log in as a certain scanner ID. That way, you will know which scanner the data came from. There is no need to do any programming on the scanner at all.

The Intermec scanner I’m using is ok so far- it’s a CK 71- but we only have three of them and have been using them for four months.

Hopefully, the scanner module does get posted soon. I have a need for it as well. :smiley:

Step7, thanks for your feedback. I still don’t understand some part, but I wait for the module to see what does.

When this module would be available? At least I need a beta or something similar to do some tests to see if I can consider it.

Regards

So, not to be a pest, but now that 7.6 is out, do you have an idea of when the barcode module might be up on the Marketplace? Thanks!

Hopefully I’ll get time to do this in June.

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