Hand Held Products Quick Check PC600 User Manual Download

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Quick Check® PC600

Bar Code Verifier

User’s Guide

Summary of Contents for Quick Check PC600

Page 1: ...Quick Check PC600 Bar Code Verifier User s Guide ...

Page 2: ...art of Hand Held Products Hand Held Products shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein nor for incidental or consequential damages resulting from the furnishing performance or use of this material This document contains proprietary information that is protected by copyright All rights are reserved No part of this document may be photocopied reproduced or t...

Page 3: ...ons Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense Caution Any changes or modifications made to this equipment not expressly approved by Hand Held Products Inc may void the FCC authorization to operate this equipment Note To maintain compliance with FCC Rules and Regula...

Page 4: ...ication or alteration by the purchaser or other party B excessive voltage or current supplied to or drawn from the interface connections C static electricity or electro static discharge D operation under conditions beyond the specified operating parameters or E repair or service of the product by anyone other than Hand Held Products or its authorized representatives This warranty shall extend from...

Page 5: ...ODUCT THESE LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY SHALL REMAIN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT EVEN WHEN HAND HELD PRODUCTS MAY HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH INJURIES LOSSES OR DAMAGES SOME STATES PROVINCES OR COUNTRIES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATIONS OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU All provisions of this Limited Warranty are se...

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Page 7: ...at Parameters 16 Dimensional Parameters 16 Additional Data 17 Status Bar 18 Additional Features 18 Configuration and Settings 19 Verification Parameters 19 Scan Direction 19 Using Quick Check PC 20 Wand Mouse Aperture Selection 21 View Individual Scan Results 23 View Scan Reflectance Profile 24 Bar Space Analysis 24 Calculate X 24 Notes 25 Reflectometer 25 Print Report 26 Getting Help 26 Context S...

Page 8: ...y of Terms 39 Additional Sources of Information 56 Electrical Specifications 57 Appendix A Messages 59 Additional Data Messages 59 Error Messages 59 Appendix B Notes for Windows 60 Additional Notes For Windows 60 Technical Assistance 60 ii ...

Page 9: ...ANSI X3 182 CEN EN1635 ISO IEC 15416 method of symbol verification This manual is organized into the following sections System Requirements Windows 98 2000 and NT operating system PC or compatible with 486 or better processor 4 Megabytes of RAM 3 Megabytes available on hard drive Available COM Port COM 1 4 Microsoft Compatible Mouse Getting Started Quick Start Guide Quick Check PC Installation and...

Page 10: ... PC carefully and confirm that you have the following items The Quick Check PC Interface Module 9 pin RJ 12 serial cable Hand Held Products Quick Check Mouse Wand or Pen Wand AC charger power supply 4 AA Rechargeable NiCad batteries Quick Check PC software CD ROM User s Guide Packaged with the Manual Ruler for measuring symbol length Gauge ruler showing common sizes of bar code symbols Reference S...

Page 11: ...etup and verification If you are unsure about any part of the procedure see the corresponding section under Installation In the following sections there are several graphical symbols used to indicate the type of activity referred to in the text These are Problems or cautions Things to remember Notes PC hardware configuration Windows setup procedures or tips CD operations Keyboard shortcut or comma...

Page 12: ...IES DAMAGE TO THE EQUIPMENT AND OR PERSONAL INJURY 2 Select the cable that has an RJ 45 plug on one end and the proper serial connection for your communications port on the other Plug the phone jack into the Quick Check interface module Connect the serial connector to your communications port If your serial port has a 25 pin connector a 9 to 25 pin adapter should be used 3 Plug the power adapter i...

Page 13: ...igure icon or select Settings Configure from the command menu Select the proper Com port click OK to close the menu Quick Check PC default is No Com Port on installation If you have not already done so turn on the interface unit and start the Quick Check PC software Scan the calibration page use with the Mouse Wand to begin the calibration process Ten consecutive scans are required for calibration...

Page 14: ...ension View individual scan profile View element width chart Obtain reflectometer readings Attach a note to symbol results Note For additional information and default settings please refer to the appropriate sections under Installation and Setup Quick Check PC Installation and Setup The following sections provide complete instructions for installing and setting up your Quick Check PC hardware and ...

Page 15: ...sonnel to review results files at a location other than where symbols are verified If you choose this option an advisory message in the lower left corner of the Quick Check PC screen will indicate No Port Selected This is the default setting for the software IF YOU DO HAVE AN AVAILABLE COM PORT Insert the 4 AA NiCad batteries into the back base of the interface module You must insert the batteries...

Page 16: ...l Add Remove Programs The Install program will install the Quick Check PC software onto your hard drive You will have the option of selecting an alternate location or folder directory name for installation If you choose this option be sure to make a note of the location you selected for future reference Once installation is complete remove the Quick Check CD ROM and re enable any virus checkers 1 ...

Page 17: ...ick Check PC This calibration page is produced under strict quality procedures and is NIST traceable Failure to use the proper calibration page may result in improper operation of your Quick Check PC and will likely yield unreliable results Before you can effectively verify symbols you must choose the symbologies quality measures and acceptable levels you need If you are uncertain about the meanin...

Page 18: ...cted appears on the Quick Check PC status bar You have not selected a communications port see Software Configuration above Mouse cursor freezes or disappears after starting Quick Check PC program You have assigned the same IRQ to the Quick Check PC serial port that s used by your mouse Assign a different setting IRQ to the Quick Check PC port See Appendix B for tips Calibration error message input...

Page 19: ... Grade Information ISO IEC scan results number of scans and a running ISO IEC symbol quality result General Scan Results Decoded symbol data Symbology decoded Scan direction Speed variance if enabled Reflectance Results Traditional and ISO IEC reflectance data Scan Grade ISO IEC Scan Grade Format Parameters Results Check digit optional if enabled Message length Dimensional Parameters Decodability ...

Page 20: ...king on File Open Toolbar icons provide quick way to access the powerful features of the Quick Check PC software Icons are described below Note icons are grayed out if the option is not available at the time Open File Opens previously saved symbol summary containing one or more individual scans Save File Save the current symbol summary including all individual scans Reports Select printer produce ...

Page 21: ...cessed from all individual scans in a symbol Reflectometer Display reflectance readings can be used to determine reflectance for patterns that are not supported bar code symbologies as well as an aid in determining whether a given color substrate combination provides adequate contrast for bar code use Help Help index Context Help Allows you to click on an area of the screen for further information...

Page 22: ...ISO IEC verification see Overview of ISO IEC Verification General Scan Results Symbol Data Characters decoded from the symbol including special symbology functions and control characters if enabled For messages longer than 32 characters the scroll arrows allow you to view the entire message Right click the Symbol Data area to select whether to display Start stop characters Check characters Code 12...

Page 23: ... Alphabetic grade A F or P ass F ail Visual Pass Fail indicator Alphabetic Grade displays green or red Traditional measures are displayed as the first three parameters Rl reflectance of light bar Rd reflectance of dark bar PCS print contrast signal ISO IEC Parameters are displayed in the other five areas SC symbol contrast MOD modulation Rmin minimum reflectance ECmin edge contrast Defects reflect...

Page 24: ...ed or variable messages Dimensional Parameters Decodability ISO IEC Visual reference for pass fail levels red and green bars within display window Measured parameter level blue indicator within display window Measured parameter numeric value Alphabetic grade A F Visual Pass Fail indicator Alphabetic Grade background displays green or red Intercharacter Gap ICG Displays ICG as a multiple of the X d...

Page 25: ...ive bar growth Note LED indicators may be displayed in pairs such as a yellow and green to indicate intermediate levels of bar growth or reduction is evident Note The table below shows the bar width variances corresponding to the LED displays Red more than 100 of tolerance Red Yellow 75 to 100 of tolerance Yellow 50 to 75 of tolerance Yellow Green 25 to 50 of tolerance Green 25 to 25 of tolerance ...

Page 26: ... light source Scan Number Displays current scan of required number of scans Com Port Connection Displays the currently selected Com port Com Port Scanner Ready LED indicator red green off Battery Low Indicator This displays when the interface unit s batteries are low When indicator comes on you may finish the current series of scans but unit should be recharged or connected to power adapter quickl...

Page 27: ...t deselect U P C addendums Set U P C magnification factor Note It is recommended that you enable only those symbologies you need Note Deselect code 128 when using UCC EAN 128 Note Select Unrecognized symbology only if you are checking reflectance parameters of a symbology not supported by Quick Check PC or analyzing a pattern Scan Direction Right Click Scan Direction display Select forward only re...

Page 28: ...d material before verifying the symbol The requirement to verify a symbol in its final configuration is based on experience Thin label stock high show through overlaminates and dark or patterned packaging material may significantly alter a symbol s quality from what might be achieved if the symbol is verified in a virgin state under ideal conditions It is almost always best to verify the symbol in...

Page 29: ...d for UPC EAN Some application standards recommend a 0 010 inch aperture for all symbol verification Other standards specify a different aperture Check the application standard s requirements If no aperture is specified use the aperture that is as close to but not larger than 80 of the narrow element width Light Source Hand Held Products also offers wands with both visible red 660 nm and infrared ...

Page 30: ...ion Note Move the wand lightly You are not required to make carbon copies of your scan attempt Excessive pressure may damage the symbol and will increase friction Increased friction tends to produce speed variances that result in an unusable scan If a label with the symbol is placed on a lighter or darker substrate make sure you start scanning on the label in order to provide an adequate reflectan...

Page 31: ...nt results are the mark of an acceptable technique As a rule of thumb it should take approximately one second to scan a symbol Quiet Zone to Quiet Zone The larger the symbol the faster you should move the wand the smaller the symbol the slower you should move the wand This provides sufficient data points for accurate quality analysis without overloading the data buffer You may need to practice unt...

Page 32: ...creen Bar Space Analysis Graph display of average element widths sorted by intended size wide and narrow or 1X 2X 3X 4X and normalized to the Z dimension Useful in determining specific variances in bar space widths and for visually observing the margin of error between element widths Minimum and maximum values for each element are displayed Element Graph View Element Ratio Calculate X Scan the cod...

Page 33: ...dual scans for future reference You do not have to save the file to produce a report Save File File Save F12 If you do not want the file saved in the default directory select a drive and directory for the file enter the file name and select Save An hhp extension will automatically be added to the file name to denote it as a Quick Check PC file You may print either a symbol grade summary or a detai...

Page 34: ... a scan report Report parameters entered here become the default parameters For ad hoc reports without changing defaults use Print Report selections Print Report If you have not already done so this allows you to select and setup an installed Windows graphics capable printer To produce ad hoc reports which are different from the default settings select scan or symbol report select details If neces...

Page 35: ... Symbol Specifications and U P C Verification manuals Quality parameters for checking the quality of bar codes in the original U P C print quality requirement had to do with Did the bar code meet the required format structure Did it have the right characters in the right positions Did it have the correct number of encoded characters Did the background and bar contrast color or reflectance meet the...

Page 36: ... developed by the International Standards Organization ISO The ANSI X3 182 and CEN 1635 documents have since been superseded by adoption of ISO IEC 15416 2000 Information technology Automatic identification and data capture techniques Bar code print quality test specification Linear symbols document Since the development of the ISO IEC standard most industries and major users of bar codes have ado...

Page 37: ...the lowest reflectance value typically a bar plus one half the overall symbol contrast Global Threshold is a Pass Fail parameter GT Rmin SC 2 Once the Global Threshold is determined Edge Determination is performed on the Scan Profile An edge is performed by determining the number of lines in the profile that cross the Global Threshold If the number of crossings matches a valid bar code pattern the...

Page 38: ...ectance is used to determine ECmin Minimum Edge Contrast is a Pass Fail parameter ECmin Rs min Rb max worst pair 15 PASS 15 FAIL Symbol Contrast is graded A B C D or F Symbol Contrast is the difference between the highest reflectance value Rmax and the lowest reflectance value Rmin in a scan profile The higher the value the better the grade This parameter is calculated by subtracting the highest r...

Page 39: ...ests for consistency in element widths throughout the bar code and compares the readability against a reference decode algorithm Decodability measures the amount of safe margin left for the reading process after any errors in the printing of the bar code The higher the percent the higher the grade and thus the larger the margin for the scanning system For instance in Code 39 there are two element ...

Page 40: ... scans to see the effects of individual scans on overall Symbol Grade Note because Scan Grades are averaged a single failing Scan Grade does not result in a failing Symbol Grade Traditional quality measures were based on reflectance and dimensional tolerances Although a crude gauge of print quality they did not adequately predict the scanning performance of symbols in many applications They are re...

Page 41: ...y Check whether verification is to be done at 660 or 880 nm Note Non carbon based inks and printing do not produce black images for 880 nm light sources Change to lighter substrate Note for direct printing on Kraft a low Symbol Contrast grade is to be expected Check ANSI MH10 8 or your application specification for guidance Problem Low Minimum Edge Contrast ECmin Possible Causes Fuzzy bar edges Ba...

Page 42: ...aging drum check with manufacturer Check for proper verifier aperture size see Wand Mouse Aperture Selection Table on page 21 Dimensional Tolerance Failure or Cautions Possible Problems Bars exhibit excessive uniform growth Bars exhibit excessive uniform reduction Potential Solutions Increase or reduce ink and or pressure as appropriate for wet ink processes Check with film master manufacturer for...

Page 43: ... spaces The rules governing the exact method of using bars and spaces to represent data is called a symbology A printed pattern that encodes data is called a symbol There are literally hundreds of bar code symbologies in existence but only a handful are in common use today Quick Check PC is designed to verify all commonlyused bar codes Symbologies supported by Quick Check PC Codabar Code 39 Code 1...

Page 44: ... 2X 3X 4X Code 128 and UPC EAN are four width symbologies Whether it is discrete or continuous A discrete symbology has bar code characters that begin with a bar and end with a bar Codabar Code 39 and Interleaved 2 of 5 are discrete symbologies Discrete symbologies require an additional space between characters for proper construction This space is called the intercharacter gap ICG Typical ICG val...

Page 45: ...uality bar code symbols will read more easily and reliably than poor quality bar code symbols This is particularly true of symbols that are produced in one place then shipped to another location to be read such as shipping labels and product labels Handling transportation storage and normal use can reduce a symbol s quality Symbols that read just after they ve been produced may be marginal in qual...

Page 46: ...er for in house use or to satisfy customer requests Reference symbology specifications and appropriate application standards industry or customer are also required The Quick Check PC provides a powerful tool to understanding the quality of bar code symbols A complete bar code quality program involves more than symbol quality A thorough understanding of and compliance with standards is also require...

Page 47: ...andard Reference to be replaced with appropriate ISO IEC JTC 1 SC 31 reference when available Application Standard Specification defining the method by which and conditions under which automatic data capture technology may be applied to a particular purpose prescribing for example data formats optical requirements and symbologyrelated parameters that are subsets of the range defined by relevant te...

Page 48: ...s required by a particular symbology including quiet zones start and stop characters data characters check characters and other auxiliary patterns that together form a complete scannable entity bar height The dimension of the individual bars in a bar code symbol or in a row of a multi row two dimensional symbol measured perpendicular to the scanning direction See Y dimension bar reflectance Rb The...

Page 49: ...aracter set data character symbol character human readable character character set Those characters available for encodation in a particular technology The total range of letters numbers and symbols that can be encoded in a particular machine readable medium check digit check character A digit or character calculated from other characters in a code by means of a defined algorithm and used to check...

Page 50: ...aracters Code set B includes all of the standard upper case alphanumeric keyboard characters lower case alphabetic characters specifically ASCII character values 32 to 127 and seven special characters Code set C includes the set of 100 digit pairs from 00 through 99 inclusive as well as three special characters The FNC1 character in the first character position after the start code of Code 128 des...

Page 51: ...y that element or distance decode The determination of the information encoded in a machine readable symbol decoder As part of two dimensional symbol and bar code reading systems the electronic package that receives the signals from the scanner performs the algorithm to interpret the signals into meaningful data and provides the interface to other devices delta code One of two fundamental ways of ...

Page 52: ...the left most position In the case of UPC this derived left most character is a 0 See appropriate ISO IEC JTC 1 SC 31 reference when available edge contrast EC The difference between bar reflectance Rb and space reflectance Rs of two adjacent elements effective aperture The apparent field of view of a scanner or similar device determined by the smaller of the spot size and the physical aperture of...

Page 53: ...he data decoded corresponds exactly to that encoded in the optically read machine readable symbol human readable character The representation of machine readable symbol data characters or data check characters in a standard eye readable alphabet or numerals as distinct from its machine readable representation human readable interpretation HRI The letters digits or other characters associated with ...

Page 54: ...izontal in order to enable a vertical scanning beam to traverse the complete symbol Compare to picket fence orientation LASER Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation A device for producing an intense beam of monochromatic coherent light laser diode A light producing semiconductor capable of producing coherent light LED Light Emitting Diode A semiconductor that produces light at...

Page 55: ...ransfer of information from a medium to a data processing system without operator intervention Bar code and two dimensional symbols magnetic stripe smart cards touch memories radio frequency identification biometrics and optical character recognition are technologies of machine reading The data is usually contained in pre defined locations fields within a data stream This data can be interpreted b...

Page 56: ...f measure in a symbol In certain symbologies element widths may be specified as multiples of one module Equivalent to X dimension 2 A single cell in a matrix symbology used to encode one bit of data In MaxiCode the module shape is a regular hexagon In Data Matrix the module shape is nominally square In PDF417 the module shape is a regular rectangle In bar code symbologies the module shape is a reg...

Page 57: ...the characters of symbols nominal width The intended width of an element non read no read non scan Lack of data output when a machine readable symbol is scanned due to a defective symbol incorrect orientation or speed of scan scanner failure or operator error Compare to misread normal Perpendicular to the surface of a plane number system character UCC Prefix The first or left hand digit in a UPC n...

Page 58: ...e orientation of the print image as it moves through the print mechanism Printing with the web is image production in the same direction as web movement Printing across the web is image production at a 90 angle to the direction of web movement print gain loss The increase decrease in bar width due to effects of the reproduction and printing processes print quality The degree to which a printed opt...

Page 59: ...ion is made to select between two possible values reflectance 1 The amount of light of a specified wavelength or range of wavelengths that is reflected from a surface 2 sometimes called reflectance factor Reflectance is measured on a scale of 0 to 1 at a wavelength or bandwidth of light spectral response specified in the particular application specification Reflectance R I where R Reflected light ...

Page 60: ...hes per second scanner An electronic device to acquire and convert reflected light from the bars and spaces of a symbol into electrical signals for processing by the decoder SCC 14 The 14 digit structure used within the UCC and EAN systems for product identification and level of packaging formerly known as the U P C Shipping Container Code and EAN Despatch Unit self checking character self checkin...

Page 61: ...tion error The situation where the reading process extracts the wrong symbol character from the printed image Compare to misread non read substrate The material or medium upon which printed matter such as a machine readable symbol or a coating is imposed supplier In a transaction the party that produces provides or furnishes an item or service Compare to customer symbol A combination of bar code o...

Page 62: ... Number followed by a slash followed by the wavelength s in nanometers For example C 06 670 symbol width The total width of a machine readable symbol including the quiet zones For a bar code symbology this is also referred to as symbol length symbology A standard means of representing data in printed or marked machine readable form Each symbology specification sets out its particular rules of comp...

Page 63: ... derived 0 in the left most position valley A point of lower reflectance in a profile with points of higher reflectance on either side verification The technical process by which a machine readable symbol is measured to determine its conformance with the specification for that symbol verifier verification instrument A device used to measure and analyze quality attributes of a machine readable symb...

Page 64: ... dimension The specified width of the narrow elements in a machine readable symbol See Z dimension Y dimension The specified height of the elements in a machine readable symbol See bar height Z dimension The average achieved width of the narrow elements in a machine readable symbol It is equal to half the sum of the average narrow bar width and the average narrow space width in two width symbologi...

Page 65: ...lgium Tel 32 2 788 7800 Fax 32 2 788 7899 Website www GS1 org North America Princeton Pike Corporate Center 1009 Lenox Drive Suite 202 Lawrenceville New Jersey 08648 USA Tel 609 620 0200 Fax 609 620 1200 Web http www gs1us org Electrical Specifications Standard Hardware Configuration plugs into the PC serial port Interface input box power supply Hand Held Products interchangeable wand 57 ...

Page 66: ... existing or future Hand Held Products interchangeable wand I O Connector 9 pin DB 9 Male Interfaces the input box to the PC serial port Power Connector uses the existing Hand Held Products Quick Check AC charger Provides power for the interface module and the interface electronics 58 ...

Page 67: ...e FAILS Reference decode attempt fails GlobalThr FAILS Profile fails global threshold criteria SHORT Left QZ Symbol s left quiet zone is out of specification SHORT Right QZ Symbol s right quiet zone is out of specification BAD Left Guard EAN UPC left guard pattern is out of tolerance BAD CenterGuard EAN UPC center guard pattern is out of tolerance BAD Right Guard EAN UPC right guard pattern is out...

Page 68: ... allows you to easily change addresses and IRQs to match these settings Tip it s best to configure Windows first to identify potential conflicts then configure the communications card Windows Wand Mouse Aperture Selection You can find the port settings by clicking Start on the Windows Taskbar selecting Control Panels then System In the System window select the Device Manager tab and look for Ports...

Page 69: ... Telephone 31 0 40 7999 393 Fax 31 0 40 2425 672 E mail eurosupport handheld com Asia Pacific Telephone Hong Kong 852 3188 3485 or 2511 3050 Telephone China 86 21 6361 3818 E mail aptechsupport handheld com Japan Telephone 813 5770 6312 E mail aptechsupport handheld com Online Technical Assistance You can also access technical assistance online at www handheld com For Further Information To downlo...

Page 70: ...Telephone 800 782 4263 option 3 Fax 704 566 6015 E mail naservice handheld com Latin America Telephone 704 998 3998 option 8 option 4 Telephone 800 782 4263 option 8 option 3 Fax 239 263 9689 E mail laservice handheld com Brazil Telephone 55 21 2178 0500 Fax 55 21 2178 0505 E mail brservice handheld com Mexico Telephone 52 55 5203 2100 Fax 52 55 5531 3672 E mail mxservice handheld com Europe Middl...

Page 71: ...n Telephone 813 5770 6312 Fax 813 5770 6313 E mail apservice handheld com Online Product Service and Repair Assistance You can also access product service and repair assistance online at www handheld com 63 ...

Page 72: ...Hand Held Products Inc 700 Visions Drive P O Box 208 Skaneateles Falls NY 13153 0208 QCPC600 UG Rev D 3 07 ...

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