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Vendata JPX5 Barcode Reader Manual

CONTENTS

Introduction. Battery charging. Hardware requirements. First time operation. File transfer. Vcomm. Local PC. Remote PC. At the computer. Using the barcode reader. Programming for barcode reading. OPL comms procedures. Demonstration program. Using data files.

INTRODUCTION

The JPX5 Barcode Reader combines barcode reader, comms port and battery pack into one unit.

As the Reader has its own battery pack it allows a practical working time between charges when using scanners that take a lot of current such as Laser Scanners and CCD Scanners.

The VDATA Datapack is available for use with the Reader. VDATA enables you to create your own Data Collecting Applications without writing a computer program.

The floppy disk supplied includes the following programs:

BARA simple demonstration program that displays the barcodes read by the Reader.
STOCKA suite of seven OPL procedures that form an elementary data collecting package. The procedures collect and edit the data for a database file called "product.odb". The database file can be transferred to and from a PC.
These procedures can be tailored to suit different applications of a simple nature.
VCOMMEnables file transfer to and from a local PC or, alternatively, a remote PC via a modem. Also enables multiple OPL procedures to be loaded into a Datapack.
CL.EXEThe PSION communications software.

BATTERY CHARGING

Charge the battery when the needle of the level meter is on the division line between red and green. To charge, connect a PSION Mains Adaptor into the jack socket in the top of the Reader and charge for 14 to 16 hours. This method will give the battery pack its maximum life.

Repeatedly charging the battery for short periods of time will shorten the life of the battery and make it unable to give its full 650mA hours of current. Charging the battery for more than 16 hours will have the same effect.

You may charge the Reader on or off the Organiser. It is safe either way.

If there is no battery in the Organiser, the Reader will drive the whole system. However it is bad practice to have no battery in the Organiser as all data will be lost from the main memory if the reader is unplugged for any reason.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

As well as a PC and the JPX5 Reader, you will need:

  1. A Psion Organiser II.
  2. A comms cable No:
        JPXXT for IBM XT computers
        JPXAT for IBM AT computers
  3. Datapack(s) for holding your Applications software and the OPL procedures that come with the Reader.
  4. Datapack(s) or Rampack(s) for holding your data files.
  5. A modem cable No: JPXMOD.

FIRST TIME OPERATION

On your PC, create a new directory (Say,"JPX5") on the hard disk. Copy the floppy disk supplied onto this new directory. Typically the command line will read:

C:\JPX5\>copy a:*.* c:\jpx5\*.*/v

(See your DOS Manual if necessary.)

Insert a Datapack into one of the Organiser side slots.

Plug the JPX5 Reader into the Organiser top slot.

Connect the reader to a serial port on the computer using the comms cable. (Use COM1 for the purpose of this description.)

On the computer, go into your "JPX5" directory and type:

CL

(Followed by a carriage return)

You only have to carry out the actions that follow once. Therafter, life becomes easier:

On the Organiser, press ON/CLEAR twice.

Press P to enter the Organiser PROG menu then press N for NEW.

The display should read: NEW A: If not, press the MODE key until it does.

Now type: VL and press EXE twice.

The display reads: VL:

Making frequent use of the SHIFT key, type in the following three lines of OPL code: (Press EXE at the end of each line)

LSET:(-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,-1,2)

XTRECV:("VC","A:"+"VC",3)

VC:

(The double spacing of the lines of code is not essential.)

Press MODE then T to translate the code.

Press EXE to Save the code, then RUN the code by pressing R EXE.

The VL procedure that you typed in will now get the file transfer procedures VCOMM from the PC. Choose A: to store VCOMM for the moment.

When the VCOMM suite is loaded, the display will instruct you to press EXE ON/CLEAR V to bring up the main file transfer menu:

PC MODEM QUIT 

Press Q to go to the Organiser top menu. Note that VCOMM has been added to the end of the menu.

The Organiser/JPX5 system is now ready for NORMAL OPERATION.

FILE TRANSFER

VCOMM

From the VCOMM menu, you can now send, receive and delete single files and opl procedures. You can also receive and/or delete a list of OPL procedures in one simple operation.

VCBOOT

In the future, copy the procedure VCBOOT from A: (Or from the PC) to all your working datapacks. You may use RECV from the VCOMM menu to do this. Also include VCBOOT in all your procedure lists for own applications. Then, if VCOMM has been removed, running VCBOOT will get VCOMM from the PC.

From the Organiser main menu, press V. The VCOMM menu appears:

PC MODEM QUIT 

LOCAL PC

Select PC from the VCOMM menu. The Organiser display gives you some guidance then the PC menu appears:

RECV XMIT BLDPAK DELPAK DELFILE Q

RECV : Receives an .ODB data file or an .OPL procedure text file or an .OB3 procedure binary file from the PC.
XMIT : Transmits an .ODB, .OPL or .OB3 to the PC.
BLDPAK : Gets all the OPL files listed in an .ODB data file. Here is the VCOMM.ODB file to use as an example:
vcomm
vrx
vtx
vbld
vld
vmc
vpc
vmodem
vinitm
vdial_
vbkstk
vextn$
vrecv
vloc$
vrem$
vsend
vtype_
vudg
vdel
vgetlis$
vdelopl$
vgetopl
vdelpak
bar

Note: If your procedure names end in a "%", rename the procedure so that it ends in a "_" and use this name in the list as shown for vdial_ above.

DO NOT CHANGE ANY SOURCE CODE WHATSOEVER. (Don't ask.)

DELPAK : Deletes all the OPL files listed in an .ODB data file.
DELFILE: Deletes a single .ODB, .OPL or .OB3 file.
Q : Quits and returns to the VCOMM menu.

REMOTE PC

Selecting MODEM from the VCOMM menu asks you to connect the modem and then prompts for the telephone number.

It is assumed that CL is running on the remote PC and the remote Hayes compatible modem is in auto answer mode.

When the connection has been confirmed, you can choose from the following menu:

RECV SEND QUIT  

You will now be prompted to receive or send data files or procedure files.

AT THE COMPUTER

PARAMETERS TO CL

The full syntax of CL is:

CL [BAUD,PORT,MODE,STRING]

where you may omit trailing parameters.

The parameters are:

BAUD
Selects the Baud rate. Should be set to one of 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600 with a default of 9600.
PORT
Selects the serial port. Should be set to 1 or 2 to select the main port or the secondary port respectively with a default of 1 to select the main port. This parameter corresponds to the n in the DOS command MODE COMn:baud. See your DOS manual for more details.
MODE
Selects the mode of operation. Should be set to 0, 1 or 2 with a default of 0. The default of 0 should be used in a direct connection and either 1 or 2 should be used when connected to a modem (with the modem in auto answer mode). When MODE is 0, CL will immediately attempt to link with the Organiser. When MODE is 1, CL will wait until DSR is asserted before it will attempt to link. When MODE is 2, CL will wait until DCD is asserted before it will attempt to link.
STRING
The STRING parameter specifies one or more commands to be sent to the modem before proceeding with the link connection. By default, no data is sent to the modem. This parameter would be used to configure a sophisticated modem. Any backslash character (\) in the string is converted to a <CR>.

Examples:

  1. Use the secondary port in a direct connection:

    CL 9600,2

  2. Use an auto-answer modem, waiting for Carrier Detect:

    CL 1200,1,2

  3. Configure a Hayes(TM) command set compatible modem, resetting the modem and then setting it to auto-answer after 3 rings:

    CL 1200,1,2,ATZ\ATS0=3\

USING THE BARCODE READER

  1. To use the barcode reader you will need an OPL program that calls the barcode reading procedure BAR$: On the disk, and in memory, there is a program called BAR: that demonstrates how to do this.
  2. Call BAR: - either from the Organiser top menu or from PROG. (See the Organiser PROGRAMMING manual). The prompt "Scan barcode" will be displayed.
  3. Holding the wand lightly, place the tip in contact with the paper a couple of centimeters from one end of the barcode.
  4. Draw the wand tip across the whole barcode using a smooth light action. Try different angles and speeds: you should soon be able to read a good quality barcode on every scan.
    The decoded barcode character string will be dispalyed on the Organiser screen.
  5. The barcode wand switches itself ON when in contact with a reflective (white) surface so remove the wand tip from the paper when not reading barcodes so as not to waste battery power.

PROGRAMMING FOR BARCODE READING

(insert existing sheets)

OPL COMMS PROCEDURES

LSET: Sets the communications parameters as follows.

LSET:(baud%,parity%,bits%,stop%,hand%,echo%,width%, reol$,reof$,rtrn$,teol$,teof$,ttrn$,timeout%,protocol%)

The parameters may only take the following values:

Default
Baud%50,75,110,150,300,600,1200,2400,4800,96009600
Parity%0(none),1(odd),2(even),3(mark),4(space)none
Bits%7,88
Stop%1,21
Hand%0(none),1(xon),2(rts),3(xon+rts),4(dtr),5(xon+dtr),6(rts+dtr),7(all)xon
Echo%0(local),1(host)host
Width%None, 1 to 250 characters/linenone
Reol$None, 1 or 2 characters (in ASCII code)<cr><lf>
Reof$None, 1 or 2 characters (in ASCII code)<sub>
Rtrn$None, 1 or 2 characters (in ASCII code)none
Teol$None, 1 or 2 characters (in ASCII code)<cr><lf>
Teof$None, 1 or 2 characters (in ASCII code)<sub>
Ttrn$None, 1 or 2 characters (in ASCII code)none
Timeout%None, an integer between 1 and 255none
Protocol%0(none),1(xmodem),2(PSION)none

Calling LSET: with no parameters resets to the default values. Using the value "-1," for any parameter leaves the value unchanged. To change an ASCII code parameter to "none", use double quotes "".

XTSEND: Sends a file to the PC.

XTSEND:(remote$,local$,type%)

XTRECV: Receives a file from the PC.

XTRECV:(remote$,local$,type%)

The parameters are as follows:

Local$When sending:
Use the name of the file on the Organiser that is to be sent to, or received from, the computer. Include the device name. e.g. A:FILENAME

Do not include the file extension.

When receiving:
Use the name that is to be given to the local file when it reaches the Organiser. Include the device name. e.g. A:FILENAME

Do not include the file extension.

Remote$When sending: Use the name that is to be given to the local file when it reaches the computer. You may include the DOS pathname and also the file extension if you wish.

The Organiser display will prompt you to use "/" for the usual pathname backslash "\" as this character does not appear on the Organiser keypad.

When receiving: Use the name of the file on the computer that is to be received by the Organiser. You may include the DOS pathname and also the file extension if you wish.

The Organiser display will prompt you to use "/" for the usual pathname backslash "\" as this character does not appear on the Organiser keypad.

Type%0 = Database files with the extension .ODB
1 = Procedure files (text), with the extension .OPL
3 = Procedure files (binary), with the extension .OB3

DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM

COMM.OPL Shows how to log on to a Hayes modem.

USING DATA FILES

There is a suite of seven OPL procedures on the disk under the program name of STOCK. STOCK can be used as an example program for simple data file handling. SCAN enables you to scan or key in Product Numbers and Product Quantities into a data file called PRODUCT.ODB. This file can then be edited and sent to the PC from the VCOMM menu.

To load STOCK into the Organiser, go to the VCOMM PC menu and select BLDPAK. Enter the filename STOCK when prompted. VCOMM will place the STOCK procedures into the Datapack of your choice. You may then run STOCK from the Organiser top menu or from the PROG menu.