Optical Mice as Cheap Barcode Scanners? 72
Ikester asks: "I've been evaluating a couple of barcode scanners including the CueCat (which some of you may recall from the failed off- online marketing stint by Digital Convergence) for a cataloging application. However, getting ahold of these 'free' wands is not that easy these days and it occurred to me that an optical mouse's hardware may be able to perform a similar function with the right mouse driver. For example, it could work as a regular mouse until it 'recognizes' a valid barcode. It could then send the code as if the user had typed it. I Googled the web and newsgroups but I didn't find anything relevant. I'm wondering if anybody from the Slashdot crowd has come across such an approach. With the recent proliferation of optical mice I'm thinking this could be the next best input device for linear barcodes. I have limited knowledge about mouse drivers and the actual design of these mice. Is this even possible?"
How do they work? (Score:2)
Anyway, mine works with a mouse pad that's got a picture on it, the desktop, magazines, etc. -- I don't see how it can tell it's now on a barcode and to switch "modes." I think the barcode reader software is going to have to work with the mouse's output and you'll have to manually tell it when it's over a barcode.
I'd suggest writing an app that logs the stream of mouse movements sent from the mouse driver to your OS, and see what the stream looks like when you pass your mouse over a barcode. It could be made to work, but you'll probably have to do it yourself. Good luck, and let us know if you get it working.
Re:How do they work? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:How do they work? (Score:2)
After some thought I now retract my earlier statement. I now think this is impossible without hacking the mouse itself. If it works on plain black and it works on plain white, it will simply give a steady stream of mouse movement commands as it passes over a barcode and you won't be able to tell when white ends and black begins, etc.
Re:How do they work? (Score:2)
Mainstream barcode scanning (Score:1)
Too bad optical mice don't really work that way... (Score:4, Informative)
Just don't make a "bar code" mouse pad! (Score:1)
However, is the mouse too unwieldy? I can't imagine putting it up next to some of those bar codes on the side of small packages or on some that isn't flat.
Re:Just don't make a "bar code" mouse pad! (Score:1)
Of course, if there were "guide lines" on the mouse, that would make it easier.
After the failure of similar devices, why would a manufacturer want to jump into a project like this? Perhaps because a mouse is something everyone has, you wouldn't have to put down your mouse and hunt around on your desk through the clutter to find a little stick that would scan the code--just grab and slide under your mouse..
It's definitely an interesting idea. Don't know if I'd buy into it, though. I'm pretty comfy with my ancient logitech mouse. =]
-Sara
Won't work (Score:5, Informative)
As a side note, I'll sell you my Cue Cat for $50.
Re:Won't work (Score:1)
Could work (Score:1)
Re:Could work (Score:2)
No they don't, unless you mean 2D barcodes. Several posters have already pointed out how modern optical mice work: they compare successive pictures of the mousepad surface, taken many hundreds of times per second. Then they compute motion vectors and transmit those over the wire. You simply have to do the math to see that sending the raw pictures over the wire would overload the bandwidth of the PS/2 connector (PS/2 and USB optical mice send exactly the same type of data over the wire). So no, you couldn't just write a fancier mouse driver, unless you also included your own fancier optical mouse that worked differently.
A Link to start you out. (Score:4, Interesting)
I doubt this could be done (at least with any kind of reliability) at the driver level. It definately could be done with a little creative rewiring, but I would not be the right person to ask how to actually accomplish this.
Answer (Score:2)
Re:Answer (Score:1)
If the firmware were rewritten by any means, though, the way that the mouse interacts with the driver wouldn't have to change, either - it would be sufficient to provide an extra 'button' signal (button 6 maybe - definitely not 'middle') that corresponds to whether the center of the sensor area last became lighter or darker.
The addition of such a 'button' singal would be sufficient for application software to determine the presence and content of any barcode - assuming that the user was able to move the correct portion of the mouse over a valid portion of the barcode.
Frankly, though, the easiest device to turn into a barcode scanner would be a simple top-of-the-monitor type webcam
Not that easy to get a CueCat? (Score:1)
Tried an Auction Site?
I make 34 entries on [ebay.com] alone. 24 individual sales, 2 lots of 2, 2 lots of 5, 1 lot of 8, 3 lots of 10 and 2 lots of 100. Ranging in price from around a buck each to 5 bucks each.
How many do you need? More than 276?
Re:Not that easy to get a CueCat? (Score:2)
As for the lots of 100, read the auction -- are they lots of 100 or 25? The description is very confusing, and these are not for auction, they're for Buy Now. eBay isn't an auction site anymore, it's a flea market.
Re:Not that easy to get a CueCat? (Score:1)
I didn't think it was that hard to understand. They have 25 lots of 100 CueCats each. Am I missing something?
Ugh (Score:1, Troll)
Re:Ugh (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Ugh (Score:2)
There also are questions where the answer is TRIVIALLY found in Google. Probably at least half the Ask Slashdot questions fall into this category. They have NO BUSINESS being posted. It's stupid to post an Ask Slashdot question if the answer is so easily found in Google.
Finally, there are the questions that are totally inappropriate for Ask Slashdot, and therefore it's stupid to ask them here. For example, this week someone who apparently was a co-owner in a business was asking an income tax question. HELLO, this is NOT H&R Block! It's News for Nerds! If you are running a business you already HAVE an accountant / tax person who would be the appropriate authority on the subject. Would you REALLY trust a bunch of random nerds to give you good solid advise to an important financial question? Be REAL!
To sum up, this particular case isn't a stupid question, but we have had a LONG string of really bad / stupid / inappropriate questions on Ask Slashdot lately. The flamming poster is probably just frustrated that the quality of questions has been pathetic and was taking his frustrations out on the wrong person.
Re:Ugh (Score:2)
Have you searched google for this answer yet?
This question is kinda silly, but at least it isn't one where the answer can be easily found on google.
Re:Ugh (Score:1)
Time/Effort (Score:1)
Re:Time/Effort (Score:1)
There are a few specialized (very) small businesses out there; this being one, that do this type of work for inventories, workflows, invoice cataloging, ad infinitum. Mr. Lunglhofer happens to do a lot of this with DocuShare and (*gasp* don't hurt us please) SharePoint in mind, but it is good stuff. If you have any $100 MFD out there in Wal-Mart or OfficeMax you should be able to find a cheap or free barcode reader for it. I have a few here [but I won't share - I don't work for or even with MIS right now but I have great respect for them].
An offtopic FYI about optical mice... (Score:1)
Mature answer? Please? (Score:2, Insightful)
You may know about peripheral hardware but based on your "analogy" with OO programming comment, it is clear that you have a lot to learn in that field. I promise that if you ever post a question about OO, I'll give you an honest and mature answer, and I won't call you a moron for asking (even if you are one).
What would it be called? (Score:1)
Ill sell you some wands. (Score:1)
How about a webcam instead? (Score:3, Interesting)
Screen Shot [raphnet.net]
Re:How about a webcam instead? (Score:1)
Re:It can be done (Score:1)
After reading a couple of other posts, I think the first challenge is to extract the actual "light" data from the mouse. If all we're getting is decoded mouse movements the graceful "all software" solution may not be possible.
Highly unlikely (Score:3, Insightful)
Raw data (Score:1)
Won't work all the time- (Score:1)
Three things. (Score:2)
2. Even if it could be done why all the trouble for a crappy scanner. Do yourself a favor, go to eBay and search for "barcode scanner" find one you like and spend $20.
3. Just so you know, CCD scanners are Ok. Laser scanners are far more accurate but, they cost a bit more. Oh, don't forget a splitter for your keyboard cable, if it doesn't come with one.
Not as a replacement (Score:1)
If it ever got massified, barcodes could have a renewed life for consumers.
Anything is possible (Score:1)
"Anything is possible, its all just a matter of time." - me
Re:Anything is possible (Score:1)
I hate to sound like a commercial, but (Score:2)
free cuecat (Score:2)
chris at punchit dot net
Modified CueCat (Score:3, Informative)
Whats the point? (Score:1)
Scanners or Webcams (Score:1)
Could, maybe still work... (Score:1)
Yes, the optical mouse just sends "movement" information, but it might be possible to write a driver that would recognize a special, purposely-erroneous set of movement data and then begin interpreting the following data as barcode information which it (the driver) then, somehow, types like a keyboard. It would probably need to be a mouse/keyboard driver pair.
Yes, no?
Re:Could, maybe still work... (Score:1)
Wow, am I a dumbass. Good thing I don't work for NASA. We'd have all sorts of spacecraft going missing.
Anyway, obviously, my maybe solution (parent post) would still require a special mouse.
Hacked Cuecats are easy to get on eBay for $5 (Score:2)
Dirty (Score:1)
What's the point? (Score:1)
Obligatory link - www.pscnet.com [pscnet.com]
one more question (Score:1)
Re:one more question (Score:1)
Easy to do... (Score:2)
This would be possible to implement in the mouse firmware.
I spent last year programming a USB peripheral...the power of USB gives it complexity, but great flexibility. You can configure any USB device to look like a standard HID (human interface device) with minimal effort. Many cheap USB microcontrollers, such as those found in optical mice, have several endpoints available. You can configure a mouse to identify both as a mouse, and a USB keyboard. From there, the mouse just has to find barcodes and send them as if from a keyboard. No special drivers, as HID should be standard for practically all currently used computer.
On a side note, having programmed a USB device gives you a whole new perspective on peripheral development. I could, if I wanted to, build a Mechwarrior cockpit with two integrated joysticks, system volume control, buttons and switches mapped to keys, all running off one microcontroller and USB port. Maybe someday when I have a LOT more time!
Points Vs Lines (Score:1)
What might work is one of those old hand scanners people had before flatbed became cheap for all. Perhaps, Im not sure but it seems more likely then a mouse.
Re:Points Vs Lines (Score:1)
Barcodes are not read that way. Laser scanners sweep a beam across the barcode, and read the changes in reflected intensity serially.
Handheld barcode wands use a LED, and read the data, using algorithms to adapt to the changing speed at which the user passes over the barcode.
Technologically, an optical mouse is _very_ similar to a barcode wand. The only limitation would be the mouse firmware. Optical mice don't send the raw data back to the PC, just the decoded data. You would need to modify the mouse's firmware to have it be capable of decoding barcodes.
This is Ask Slashdot in a nutshell: (Score:2)
I will let this speak for itself.
- A.P.