Fisa Barcode Associations Writer

Example:
A producer uses baskets with a barcode label which represents the number of the basket.  The machine is equipped with a loading and an unloading conveyor.  When he loads parts from a batch into a basket, he wants to associate the basket number with the batch number.  For his internal supervision system, the producer has implemented his own software that queries the Logger database for the last basket produced with the read basket number.  Having found the basket, the query extracts the batch number and any other data required by his system.

What is needed:
For this to work, besides this tool, the following is needed:
Project.exe of version 3.2.49 or later
One manual barcode reader at the loading station.
One fixed barcode reader at the end of the loading conveyor.
One manual barcode reader at the unloading station.

This tool should be installed in the same directory as Fisa Project.exe.  What it does is to write lines to a text-file, in same directory as the Project.exe.  Each line in the text file consists of the basket number and the batch number, separated by a special separator character that is defined in the ini-file (see below).  When a basket arrives at the end of the loading conveyor, the fixed scanner reads the basket number and then searches the text file for that basket number.  If the basket number is found, Logger takes the whole line as the barcode label (thus including the associated batch number) and registers it with the basket, after which Logger deletes the used line from the text file.

The ini-file:
On first launch, this application creates an ini-file which you must edit.

COM Port: 33	number of serial port used by the barcode reader
Start ASCII: 2	starting character (from reader)
Trigger ASCII: 13	trigger (ending) character (from reader)
Separator ASCII: 5	do not use 13 as separator!

For Start, Trigger and Separator characters you should not use any characters that can appear in the labels.

You should give the Key and the Association a proper name:
Key: Number; the key, eg basket number
Ass: Batch;
You can have more than one association, just add more lines, eg Ass: 2nd association.

Operation:
Once the ini-file has been properly modified, use the manual reader to read the key (basket label) and then all the associations that have been defined.  Once all data has been successfully read, the button 'Add to list' becomes enabled.  Add the new association to the list and place the loaded basket on the conveyor.

Important:
If the operator removes loaded baskets from the loading conveyor, he must also remove the corresponding entries from the list.


Manual Entries:
If the barcode reader is not working you can enable manual entry with the check box 'Man'.  Click on the upper list and enter the label manually.