Any bar code experts out there?

[ryetee]

I have a small system that scans in a (client) barcode for booking entry purposes. This works so for example the barcode for a product I wish to book in is machine532-1blx. I scan the barcode and machine532-1blx appears in my field for processing and storing.

Further down the line I report on said product but I no longer have the clients barcode (it's on the product elsewhere in the factory). To do this I have a report which has the barcode on it - this is produced within the system itself. When I scan that in I get machine532-1blx ito the field I want it in. So far no problems. The problem comes when I get something a bit longer than machine532-1blx. So let's say I get newmodelmachine532-1blx. The scan from the client's barcode works but my generated barcode doesn't.

With a bit of further investigation my generated barcode doesn't look anything like the client barcode - mine has far less definition and not as many vertical bars (incidentally the software that I'm using is TBARCODE10 from TEC-IT and I'm using 1D).



So!!
1. how can I replicate the client's barcode (if possible and if I need to do it)
2. why can't I read more than 20 odd characters - is this a) a limitation on 1D technology (I can scan in client's long barcode but not my generated one) or b) do I have a cheap and nasty scanner (it was cheap!).

Any thoughts ideas solution are most welcome.

 

[Minty]

I would ask your client what barcode format they are using on their products. It'll be far quicker than trying to work it backwards.

Common ones are EAN 39 and 128 , I would see if you can get it to match using something like http://www.scandit.com/barcode-generator/

 

[ryetee]

CAn have many clients and it's really the manufacturer of the product rather than the client (and still many!).

Probably is worthwhile getting the major manufacturers details.

Thanks and I'll check out the website.

Right website checked out and it looks like main manufacturer uses Code 39 and I'm using Code 128. I've changed report to use Code 39 now but unfortunately don't have a scanner here to check it so will have to wait until Monday!

One final thing, how does a scanner know what format the barcode is in. If I read the manufacturers barcode (code 39) for say "MODEL 1" it scans in as that. Similarly my generated barcode of the same using Code 128 will produce "MODEL 1". Is there something in the barcode itself to say which format it is using?

 

[JHB]

... Is there something in the barcode itself to say which format it is using?

Search for "determine barcode format" on the Internet, you'll get a lot of links, maybe there are some you could use.

 

[ryetee]

Almost there.

Looks like I need code 39 which works for almost everything except it doesn't like lower case (can't generate barcode within system for lower case). However there is a Code 39 Full ASCII which sounds like it should work but it doesn't. It converst the lower case to upper and prefixes it with a +. SO if I generate a barcode for say "Machine 1" when I scan it I get "M+A+C+H+I+N+E 1"
Any thoughts?

 

[ryetee]

Right looks like Code 128 works after all!!
It looks like a 'feature' in access was truncating some of my barcodes and rendering them unreadable. It was to do with the column widths in page set up. They were less than the width of the barcode.
Changed that and reinstated code 128 and all is well.
Still I know a bit more baout bar codes now!!