[clug] barcode scanners

[Rob Bolin]

Steve,

I have a barcode scanner sitting here on my desk purchased second hand through 
ebay - made by Welch Allyn if that means anything. Most of the simple ones are 
just a keyboard wedge, I believe - this particular one uses a DIN connector, 
but I believe that you can get PS2 and USB versions. No driver necessary - 
push the trigger and it squirts out a string of digits.

Personally I use Tellico to catalogue my books - barcode scanner to scan the 
ISBN code into the relevant field on the new book interface, then get the 
program to query a predefined, but expandable range of sources (including 
Amazon US and UK, Library of Congress and the National Library of Australia) 
to fill in the book details. 

Cheers

Rob


On Wed, 17 Mar 2010, steve jenkin wrote:
> Anybody have one or use one they could recommend?
> Or the converse - what not to get?
> 
> I've only ever used one or two in my work, and didn't purchase or test
> them.  In accidental reading, I've seen it said laser scanners (think
> supermarkets) are the benchmark.
> I'd expect very pricey unless second-hand or rent-by-the-week.
> 
> I was thinking of scanning the ISBN/EAN-13 barcodes of my books as the
> first step in cataloguing them... Hopefully quick and easy.
> 
> I google'd for FOSS projects that could use images from a camera and
> found this:
> <http://code.google.com/p/zxing/>
> 
> Finally decided even if Zxing worked well, it'd be a lot more work :-)
> Even some dodgy piece of cheap junk would work better and faster.
> 
> thanks in advance
> s



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Vincit qui se se vincit
(He is the victor who is victorious over himself)