Comments on: Mystery Device: Telxon 718?

Question: Mystery Device: Telxon 718?

vanoakenfold — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:42:40 -0800

What exactly does a Telxon 718 do? It looks like a way-back calculator but only has plus, minus, and a few weird, presumably abbreviated, button markings. Any guesses as to what it does? Video within. Mystery Device - Telxon 718. I picked it up at a rummage sale for a dollar, and the owner had no earthly idea where it came from or what it was for, but offered a few guesses. What do you think?

By: fogster

fogster — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:47:53 -0800

I'm pretty sure it's a barcode scanner, although I don't quite get what that strange thing that looks almost like an earpiece is.

Check this out for an example. (It's not a 718, but it's similar.) As indicated here, it looks like Telxon was bought out by Symbol.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:48:12 -0800

Did you google the patent numbers?

By: ALongDecember

ALongDecember — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:53:11 -0800

On your blog, you said you have guesses for the device and the ear piece thing based on the patent numbers. Care to share those?

By: greatgefilte

greatgefilte — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:59:54 -0800

It's a bar-code scanner, probably used for inventory purposes, perhaps minus the actual scanning wand? The "earpiece" thing is an acoustic coupler that lets one transmit data from the unit over the phone, modem-style (remember those?).

By: kzin602

kzin602 — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:04:23 -0800

The bulb device looks like an acoustic coupling, like on old portable modems.

The number input and the +/- keys indicate that It was probably used for taking inventory; As fogster's link indicates.

I'd guess that you count all the inventory and then the coupling would let you transmit that data back to corporate headquarters?

By: cgomez

cgomez — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:13:00 -0800

It's a barcode scanner/inventory management device. More updated models run Windows CE and integrate into larger inventory database systems in retail and warehouse applications. They're now owned and operated under the Symbol brand, a subsidiary of Motorola.

By: rhizome

rhizome — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:52:04 -0800

Video PROTIP: Use lights when filming things that need to be indentified.

By: mendel

mendel — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 16:59:55 -0800

Use photos!

By: gjc

gjc — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:14:05 -0800

It's a handheld inventory counter. I didn't see any barcode scanning capabilities on there.

By: vanoakenfold

vanoakenfold — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:22:34 -0800

As far as I can tell by this (the first patent number listed) it does appear to be an inventory-taking device but uses a focused electromagnetic field of some kind to measure flux variations that a certain coded/magentizable surface creates. Sounded to me like it was about to tell me to use an inverse tachyon pulse =P

By: kuujjuarapik

kuujjuarapik — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:56:40 -0800

I used a Telxon for daily and monthly inventories in a record shop in 1986-1988. Laser bar code reading pen and acoustic phone coupler for sending sales reports. Just like greatgefilte said.

It did nothing with magnets as far as I knew.

By: vanoakenfold

vanoakenfold — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:41:22 -0800

So perhaps it is simply missing the input device then. The bell-shaped piece does appear to be an acoustic phone coupler, which from your descriptions combined with those I hunted up, was a device that could be held onto a traditional telephone mic to communicate inventory data to a headquarters computer by data converted into audio.

By: bystander

bystander — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:04:58 -0800

I used one of these for inventory ordering, it had no extra input device.
The screen simply cycled through each item code, and you entered the number. It then synced up with the central PC via a data call.
It was used in a retail store where there was no PC. It replaced a paper order form that used to list all stock items with a box next to each to allow entering the quantity. That was then faxed to HQ.