Touch-Screen PC
data collection using WinWedge
Modern Machine Works has been engineering precision shafts
and crankshafts for over 60 years and has proven itself the
industry source and standard.
Employee data collection
Modern Machine Works in its commitment to improving quality
control needed a shop-floor system of employee identification
and security. This system had to be both accurate and efficient
as well as rugged to standup to the rigorous environment of
a machine shop. An auto-ID system with bar coded badges supplied
to all employees was decided upon. The bar coded data was
used to gain access to a labor data collection system. It
was decided that harsh-environment resistant touch-screen
computers would be used as these are less likely to be damaged
than conventional PCs. Hence five 386sx/20 IBM compatible
touch-screen terminals were installed on the factory floor.
How to input scanned data directly into
touch-screen computer application?
Welch Allyn model BCR-6480 bar code readers/decoders with
RS232 output were chosen to scan the employee ID badges as
they are high quality and of durable stainless steel. The
touch screen computers are connected to a Novell V3.11 network
and run a custom Windows application that provides a real-time
graphical front end to an Oracle V6.0 database. The problem
was getting the scanned data into the custom Windows application
from the RS232 bar code scanners. Keyboard ("hardware") wedges
were considered but they are not designed to interface with
Windows applications and cannot support Dynamic Data Exchange
(DDE) to Windows programs. Also a plug-in hardware wedge would
have been inconvenient and easily damaged on the factory floor.
The WinWedge provides the perfect data
collection solution
Hence it was decided that WinWedge Standard
would be the perfect solution. The scanned data from the
employee badges is transmitted serially to
WinWedge and it transmits the data directly sending keystrokes
or by
DDE into the Windows application. With WinWedge they get
complete control over all input including data parsing and
filtering,
keystroke macro insertion and date and time stamping.
This accurate and efficient system - bar code scanner, touch
screen computer application and the WinWedge - provides an
easy-to-use and effective means of security and employee identification
at Modern Machine Works.
Benefits
- Complete system automation including keystroke macro insertion
- Ability to interface bar code scanners to touch screen
PCs and a mainframe system
- Date and time stamp capabilities
- Durable system with no additional hardware
TAL Technologies, Inc.
2101 Brandywine Street,
Suite 102,
Philadelphia, PA 19130, USA
Tel: 800-722-6004
Tel: 215-496-0222
Fax: 215-496-0322
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