Handheld barcode scanner target practice
October 16, 2019 8:29 PM Subscribe
I need to continually train people to use a couple of different handheld barcode scanners in a fast paced but regulatory constrained environment.
Are there programs that game-ify handheld barcode scanner proficiency?
We have a couple of different barcode scanners; a pretty standard Heron handheld and Mobillogics (?) handhelds.
Are there "game" apps for Windows that use a handheld barcode scanner as the input device?
What I want is something to train users on distance/ angle/ timing to scan barcodes via those devices. Forex the Heron we have right now "auto scans" whenever it sees a valid barcode and targets the valid barcode with a green circle and automatically scans. Otherwise, pulling the trigger produces a red bar and scans when the internet sensor detects a valid barcode.
We have a couple of different barcode scanners; a pretty standard Heron handheld and Mobillogics (?) handhelds.
Are there "game" apps for Windows that use a handheld barcode scanner as the input device?
What I want is something to train users on distance/ angle/ timing to scan barcodes via those devices. Forex the Heron we have right now "auto scans" whenever it sees a valid barcode and targets the valid barcode with a green circle and automatically scans. Otherwise, pulling the trigger produces a red bar and scans when the internet sensor detects a valid barcode.
Most USB barcode scanners present themselves to the host machine as USB keyboards, so if you print up a few barcode targets that scan as single letters, perhaps you could find some keyboard-controllable games you could adapt to your purpose?
posted by flabdablet at 3:19 AM on October 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 3:19 AM on October 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
Best answer: One issue with that approach might be that a barcode scanner will typically be programmed to add an Enter keystroke at the end of each item it scans, so you'd need games whose keyboard controls can be customized in a way that avoids responding to that.
Most implementations of Tetris I've seen allow you to assign arbitrary keystrokes to specific piece movements and Tetris doesn't need huge amounts of different controls, so you should be able to use that even if the barcode system you're training on can only do numerics. Barcode Tetris could be quite the addictive training toy.
posted by flabdablet at 8:47 AM on October 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
Most implementations of Tetris I've seen allow you to assign arbitrary keystrokes to specific piece movements and Tetris doesn't need huge amounts of different controls, so you should be able to use that even if the barcode system you're training on can only do numerics. Barcode Tetris could be quite the addictive training toy.
posted by flabdablet at 8:47 AM on October 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Wow, I didn't "get it" until just now, flabdablet. Thanks!
So, make barcode stickers that correspond to WASD/ whatever and stick it on a piece of cardboard.
Scannerize the appropriate barcode to "click" that key.
The delay would be brutal, though. But I can turn off the [enter] thing and just spit out whatever valid code it reads within it's firmcoded parameters.
/looking through Win10 Tetris clones now
posted by porpoise at 10:21 PM on March 11, 2020
So, make barcode stickers that correspond to WASD/ whatever and stick it on a piece of cardboard.
Scannerize the appropriate barcode to "click" that key.
The delay would be brutal, though. But I can turn off the [enter] thing and just spit out whatever valid code it reads within it's firmcoded parameters.
/looking through Win10 Tetris clones now
posted by porpoise at 10:21 PM on March 11, 2020
The delay would be brutal
That's what makes Barcode Tetris a more challenging and therefore more worthwhile game than Boring Old Keyboard Tetris :-)
posted by flabdablet at 2:47 AM on March 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
That's what makes Barcode Tetris a more challenging and therefore more worthwhile game than Boring Old Keyboard Tetris :-)
posted by flabdablet at 2:47 AM on March 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by porpoise at 8:30 PM on October 16, 2019