One of the critical machines for financial and procurement applications are barcode scanners. Barcodes denote the machine-readable data that keeps track of consignments, manages financial documents, and prices retail items. The scanners also handle a broad range of coded data provided it can be decoded into barcode symbology. There are different barcode reader types used for the decoding.
PDA barcode scanners are among the most popular. These are convenient and compact personal organizers that can be used for data collection and inventory. Like all barcode scanners, you might need PDA repair services at times. While the devices might seem small and almost easy to fix, their repair should be professionally handled. This is because there are different technologies used for barcode scanning, and understanding the one used for your device is not so easy.
Pen Barcode Reading
Pen readers look like small wands or pens. They comprise a photodiode on their tip and an LED light. When using pen scanning, you will pass the tip of the device over your barcode. This way, the LED light will illuminate the white and black bars of the barcode.
The photodiode, on the other hand, will measure the light reflection and pick the color and width of each bar. The information is then transferred to a processing unit. Pen barcode scanners are inexpensive, durable, and fast, though the users need practice to avoid the shaking of the hand and to minimize or avoid errors.
Laser Scanning
This is more advanced compared to pen reading. Laser scanning gives more precise light readings of the barcode and will thus avert scanner errors and false positives. In this technology, a laser beam will be shot at a mirror that moves so that the laser beam is straight. The light from the mirror will be reflected in a diode that will measure the reflection level and translate it into a readout. Laser scanners can be handheld devices or mounted to scanning units.
LED Scanning
This technology is also called CCD scanning since it uses a charge-coupled device (CC). It comprises tiny LED lights in a long row. These will be shot straight onto a barcode then a sensor will measure the ambient voltage light in front of the light bulbs. The voltage measurement will generate a digital barcode snapshot. Though expensive, scanners that use LED technology are versatile and highly accurate.
2D Targeting
Some barcodes comprise white and black spaces rather than bars. These 2D barcodes provide more information compared to the standard bars but cannot be scanned by standard machines. 2D camera image scanning is the ideal choice for reading these barcodes. It comprises tiny lights such as those used in LED scanning arranged in several rows. These will snap a digital image of the barcode and send it to software that decodes the information.
Most people have irreparably damaged their barcode scanners trying to fix one or two issues. Regardless of your bar code scanner’s technology, make sure it is handled by a professional company with extensive knowledge of barcode scanning.
