Barcode scanner connection to a PC
If you’ve never worked with a barcode scanner you might be wondering how they connect up to a PC or a host computer. I’ll explain the most common connection types in this post.
- PS/2 – If your computer has a PS/2 style keyboard connecter you can “wedge” the scanner between your keyboard and your PC. In fact this style connection was typically called PS/2 wedge. To make the connection you disconnect your keyboard from your computer. The cable connected to the scanner will have two PS/2 style ends. One female and one male. Simply connect your keyboard to the female end of the scanner cable and connect the male end of the scanner cable to your computer’s PS/2 keyboard port. Don’t mistakenly plug the scanner into the mouse port. Once you have the scanner connected, each time you scan the barcode with the barcode scanner, the data will be placed at the point of your cursor.
- USB keyboard emulation – By far the most common type of connection today is USB keyboard emulation. Simply plug the scanner cable into an open USB connector on your computer. If you’re running Microsoft Windows or Linux the USB keyboard driver needed for the scanner is part of the operating system. That driver will load automatically when you plug the scanner in if the computer is powered on. Or it will load when the next time the computer is powered up. Just like the PS/2 connection, when you scan a barcode the data from the barcode scanner will be placed at the point of your cursor.
- RS232 – Most newer laptop computers and many desktop computers no longer have an RS232 connecter. RS232 is a communication protocol. This post is not a tutorial for RS232. Just suffice it to say that if you use this connection type both the barcode scanner and the host computer must be setup with the same communication parameters. They have to speak the same language. Plus the application you’re scanning into will need to support getting data from an RS232 port. Not all applications have this capability. If you’re unsure I recommend you speak with your application provider to find out if your application supports RS232. The 9 pin connector shown below is the most popular RS232 connector type.
- USB serial port emulation – This scanner interface is similar to RS232. The difference being USB serial port emulation uses the USB port and not the RS232 connector type. It’s the same USB port that is used for USB keyboard emulation. USB serial port emulation creates a virtual serial port on your computer. If using this interface, just as with RS232, your application must be able to get data from a serial port. Many applications do not support this. Also the driver for USB serial port emulation is not included with the operating system. You must get the driver from the scanner manufacturer. You can usually download it from their website.
These are four very common barcode scanner connection types. They are certainly not the only connection types. There are also connections for IBM cash registers and many other types of terminals. Now there is even wireless connections using Bluetooth.
If you have questions on connecting a scanner please email me.
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Very nice article. I have been in the POS software developing business for many years and I absolutely agree with
everything in this article and recommend it to any potential and new POS software and/or POS System buyer.
Thank you.
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