A Sturdy barcode scanner for industrial applications

As businesses realise that tracking parts, components and personnel are a real cost to running a streamlined business Info systems are becoming more important to their roadmap.

Typically this process starts with the need from a particular customer to send them a set number of components packaged in a certain way, of course when this is sealed, there is no record of the number or quantity on the outside of the packaging, enter the barcode scanner & label printer.

The general route is to go on line and buy the lightest and cheapest, just for the trial, then read the data into a spreadsheet or database.

But after 2 or 3drops on the floor or bench, it ceases working and it is realised that this type of change is more complicated that it was originally thought,,, we will go back to the pen & paper method.

But by using an industry grade scanner, this project will run to the end of the trial and beyond. After extensive research we have found a solution that is both reliable and easy to configure and use, for the technical of you there is some important data included.

The portable version Dragon Mobile (RF wireless) offers the same professional characteristics and robustness as the standard desktop version Dragon Desk. Its extremely durable housing is made of impact-resistant ABS plastics and is designed for constant use in industry and retail. Although a battery-powered model, it offers a very long continuous operating time. More than 60,000 scans per charge and a short charging time of only two hours make it suitable for all applications in production and logistics. In order to make barcode scanning even under very noisy conditions possible, the Dragon is equipped with a clearly audible beeper with adjustable volume, extra-bright LEDs and a targeting spot for easy scans with a programmable scan distance of up to 12 meters.

Its robust mechanics were developed and tested in such a way that the Dragon can even resist extreme impacts (such as ten drops from 2 m height in tests) as well as constant normal impacts (1000 drops from 1 m height) without impaired scanning performance.

In order to increase mobile scanning efficiency even further, the standard version of the Dragon M features an integrated graphical display with 32 x 98 pixels and a keypad with three keys. The user can use this for active host communication and receive additional information (such as human-readable article descriptions) or directly display the scanned barcodes.

The Dragon M submits all data on the licence-free 433MHz frequency range with bidirectional communication between scanner and host. Customers can use a maximum number of 2,000 devices concurrently – a number that is usually unreachable. In the network, every base station manages a maximum of 32 devices concurrently. As a result, the Datalogic wireless system is a powerful and flexible solution for simple applications as well as for complex projects. The Dragon is a high resolution laser scanner with a generous read distance. It features a fast micro-processor and scans all commercial one dimensional barcodes in no time. Furthermore, the Dragon offers the patented can Puzzle Solver technology which helps to scan even badly printed or damaged barcodes correctly and fast.